1,000 tourist police groomed

JAKARTA (JP): The Armed Forces (ABRI) is currently grooming a squad of 1,000 police officers with the task of protecting the safety of tourists.

Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunication Joop Ave disclosed yesterday that preparations are well underway and the squad will soon be deployed at the nation's favorite tourist spots, the Antara news agency reported.

Their presence is to ensure the safety and comfort of tourists, Joop said after signing a new expanded agreement with ABRI Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung to enhance cooperation between their two agencies.

After the signing, Feisal said that the tourism and post and telecommunication sectors are considered strategic for Indonesia's development from the national security point of view.

"There are so many things which we can do together with ABRI," Joop said about the new cooperation agreement.

He pointed out that ABRI has a strong, skilled and highly discipline personnel who could be deployed to help solve problems in the fields of tourism and post and telecommunications.

"Since we have no war, why not use the ABRI personnel to help accelerate development in these fields," he added. (emb)