Indonesian Police Will Deploy 78,500 Officers to Secure Christmas and New Year

The Jakarta Globe,

A trumpet seller packing trumpets ordered by a hotel. Sellers pop up all over the capital during the festive season. (JG Photo/Safir Makki)

The National Police will deploy more than 79,000 personnel to secure Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve celebrations in a nationwide operation beginning Dec. 23 in anticipation of possible unrest or terror attacks, National Police deputy spokesman Brig. Gen. Sulistyo Ishak said on Tuesday.

“Searches will be conducted inside churches with the permission of local church authorities. We urge churchgoers not to bring bags when they enter the churches so the security checks can be conducted faster,” Sulistyo said.

Security, he said, would be tightened across bus stations, airports, tourist destinations, shopping malls, housing complexes as well as places of worship.

“We want people to enjoy Christmas and New Year without any serious incidents,” Sulistyo said, adding that police would ban firecrackers and motorcycle convoys during New Year’s Eve celebrations.

The 2000 Christmas Eve bombings in Indonesia, including five attacks on churches in Jakarta, left eight people dead and many others injured. The attacks, blamed on Al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), were allegedly planned by Riduan Isamuddin, better known as Hambali, who was once described as Asia’s Osama bin Laden. He is currently believed to be in detention in Guantanamo Bay.

Antiterror Detachment 88 chief Brig. Gen. Tito Karnavian said recently that even though terrorist mastermind Noordin Mohamad Top had been killed, terrorist networks continued to recruit new members.

An antiterror police source told the Jakarta Globe on condition of anonymity that a splinter group of the terror network JI was now headed by Para Wijayanto, who has been on the police wanted list since 2004. Para was once head of the JI training wing. “We all have to be on guard. He graduated from the faculty of engineering of Diponegoro University. His name appeared after we apprehended Abu Dujana in 2007,” the source said, referring to the JI military commander who was eventually captured in 2007.

Separately, former JI militant Nasir Abas told the Jakarta Globe that he knew Para Wijayanto. “He took a short course at the JI military camp in the Philippines. It’s doubtful he’d be chosen as a leader as he doesn’t possess the charisma,” Nasir said.

Jakarta Police Chief Insp. Gen. Wahyono stated there were four security areas police would focus on during the operation, which would see 8,300 officers deployed across the capital.

“The focuses include the people celebrating Christmas and the New Year, objects that will be used for the celebrations, the locations of celebrations and state events held in relation to Christmas and New Year,” he said.

Separately, the capital’s tourism and cultural agency said that 54 entertainment spots had been denied permits to hold New Year parties because of poor safety standards.

Arie Budhiman, the agency’s head, said on Tuesday that his agency had been conducting inspections of entertainment spots since early December.

“We’ve been checking entertainment places in Jakarta to anticipate fire incidents,” Arie said, adding that of the 368 entertainment spots checked, only 143 had good fire safety standards.

The venues that did not meet fire safety standards had been told to meet the required standards as soon as possible and to provide the agency with an official letter stating they had done so.

“If they refuse, we will revoke their operation permits,” he said, adding that inspections included the existence of portable fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, sprinklers, alarms, hydrants, stairs and emergency exits.