Security tightened one day before summit<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Security was tightened across the city on Thursday, one day
\nbefore the Asian-African Summit, to anticipate possible terrorist
\nattacks on the meeting, police say.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Police, the Indonesian Military, and the city
\nadministration have deployed more 24,000 officers, soldiers and
\nsecurity guards to keep Jakarta safe during the conference.<\/p>\n
Security was especially tight around the conference venue, the
\nJakarta Convention Center (JCC), and the Hilton and Mulia hotels
\nwhere most of the delegates are staying.<\/p>\n
In several places across the capital, police officers were
\nseen stopping and checking vehicles that intended to enter Jl.
\nSudirman and Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta, and Jl. Gatot
\nSubroto in South Jakarta, where the JCC and Hilton are located.<\/p>\n
On the eastern side of Jakarta, police in Manggarai stopped
\nand searched cars from East Jakarta traveling to Sudirman or
\nThamrin. On the southern side, they checked vehicles in Cawang
\nand Pancoran.<\/p>\n
This increased security has led to tensions with local
\nmotorists, with one complaining that police were too strict and
\nimpolite.<\/p>\n
\"They even told us to open our small bags where it would be
\nimpossible to hide a bomb or a firearm. They should at least have
\nexcused themselves and introduced themselves nicely first before
\nsearching us,\" the irritated driver told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
City police spokesman Sr. Comr. Tjiptono said police could not
\ntake any risks and had to make sure Jakarta was secured from all
\nthreats, including bomb attacks and sniper assassination
\nattempts.<\/p>\n
\"That's why we are being very careful. We are sorry if we may
\nhave made residents feel uncomfortable with our security
\nmeasures. But we are pursuing this line of action to ensure our
\nstate guests are safe,\" Tjiptono said.<\/p>\n
He said as of Thursday, police had found no evidence of any
\nserious plans to endanger the summit.<\/p>\n
As of Thursday, police had arrested more than 100 people for
\nweapons offenses, including the possession of firearms, swords
\nand other sharp-edged weapons, as well as the less-dangerous
\noffenses of possessing pirated and adult VCDs and narcotics. They
\nhad also confiscated 93 motorcycles and five cars whose drivers
\nlacked the proper documents.<\/p>\n
Police had readied more than 180 bomb squad officers and
\ndozens of detectives around and inside the JCC, Hilton and Mulia
\nhotels, where most of the delegates were staying, he said.<\/p>\n
Further out of the city, Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen.
\nFirman Gani has ordered his officers to intensively check
\noutlying areas, including Bekasi, Tangerang, Depok, and Bogor, to
\nprevent people that could endanger the conference from entering
\nthe capital.<\/p>\n
Tjiptono called on residents to be careful of strangers that
\nvisited their neighborhoods. Two key people behind the JW
\nMarriott Hotel and Australian Embassy blasts, Azahari bin Husin
\nand Noordin Moh. Top, were still at large conduct another attack
\nat any time, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Landlords should check identities of their new tenants as
\nAzahari and Noordin are out there, and could become anyone's
\ntenants. Hotel, mall, and supermarket owners must also stay on
\nfull alert,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Azahari and Noordin, both Malaysian fugitives, were believed
\nto have helped plan the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202
\npeople, and masterminded the JW Marriott Hotel attack, which
\nclaimed 12 lives, along with the recent bombing outside the
\nAustralian Embassy that killed 11 people.<\/p>\n
The increased security also impacted on Jakarta residents'
\nfreedom of speech. A planned demonstration at the Hotel Indonesia
\ntraffic circle in Central Jakarta by the Indonesia Farmers
\nFederation, the Anti-Debt Coalition, and the Jakarta Workers
\nAssociation was broken up shortly after it began by police.<\/p>\n
The Post observed that traffic conditions were normal-to-light
\nin the central city on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The administration's decision to give students a holiday on
\nThursday and the approaching long weekend for the Prophet
\nMuhammad's birthday on Friday are likely to have contributed to
\nthe light traffic situation.<\/p>",
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