Djarot to Visit Jakarta Churches on Christmas Eve as Security Operation Continues

Jakarta Globe, Lenny Tristia Tambun, Dec 24, 2014

Bomb squad officers inspect a church in Malang, East Java, ahead of
the Christmas Eve mass. (AFP Photo)

Jakarta. The capital’s deputy governor Djarot Syaiful Hidayat said on Wednesday he would visit six churches in the capital on Christmas Eve to monitor security and wish Jakarta’s Christian community a happy Christmas.

“I’ll conduct blusukan [impromptu visits to constituents] this evening,” Djarot told reporters at City Hall on Wednesday. “I will visit several churches to make sure that the services run safely and smoothly.”

Djarot will kick off his visit at 6:30 p.m. to six churches: St. Theresia Catholic Church and GKI Kwitang in Central Jakarta, Santo Yoseph Church and GPIB Surya Kasih in East Jakarta, and Gereja Salib Suci and Gereja Tugu in North Jakarta.

“I also want to personally wish them a merry Christmas,” Djarot said.

The National Police said earlier in the week that some 80,000 police officers would be tasked with ensuring security at Christmas and New Year celebrations, in what has become an annual operation known as Operation Candle.

A further 19,5000 personnel from the Indonesian military will join the security operation, which is set to run through Jan. 2.

“We will secure every place of worship, residential areas, tourism locations, stations, terminals, ports, airports and also other places where there would be a lot people gathering for Christmas and New Year celebrations,” National Police chief Gen. Sutarman said on Tuesday.

As officers in Jakarta monitored security at churches and selected public spaces, police in East Java and Sulawesi were conducting searches of churches to look for any suspicious devices. To the south of Jakarta, in the West Java city of Bogor, police and security officials were investigating a bomb threat circulated via SMS message that purported to be linked to ISIS supporters in Indonesia.

“There was message from someone claiming to speak in the name of the ISIS network saying there would be terrorism during New Year, and the plan was to bomb three crowded places in Bogor City,” Bogor Mayor Bima Arya said on Tuesday. “We take this threat seriously. That is why we decided in a meeting with the police [on Tuesday] that we’ll jointly beef up security at places that attract a lot of people.”

Related Articles:

National Police: Christmas Being Celebrated Without Any Problems

Over 80,000 Cops to Secure Christmas, New Year Celebrations in Indonesia