1,361 vehicles to be deployed for SEA Games

JAKARTA (JP): The 19th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games organizing committee's transportation department and the City Land Transportation Agency will provide 1,361 vehicles for the biennial event in October.

The committee's transportation deputy, HM Sjahli Siregar, said yesterday that the consortium, chaired by President Soeharto's son Bambang Trihatmodjo, would provide the vehicles.

"The agency won't provide the vehicles because they are being provided by the consortium. The only money we have to spend is to pay for toll roads and stickers which is Rp 137,678,000 (US$57,366)," he said.

The agency will operate 358 air-conditioned buses to pick up and drop athletes from the athletes village and the Hotel Atlet Century Park in Senayan to venues.

Most athletes will stay at the 40-story athletes village, which can accommodate nearly 3,000 athletes. The building will later be turned into a five-star hotel.

Some officials will stay at the Century Park hotel and referees will stay in hotels around Senayan.

Sjahli said some of the agency's 286 employees would organize the vehicles.

"My staff will stay in the hotels to arrange faster and easier schedules," he said.

The agency will also arranges 395 unairconditioned buses which will be used to pick up students for the opening and closing ceremonies.

Two-hundred-and-eighty 12-person vans will be transport organizers, referees, doping officials, catering team and the press.

To carry bicycles, traditional dragon boats, kayaks and other equipment from Sukarno-Hatta airport and Tanjung Priok seaport, the organizers will provide 36 pick-up trucks, 54 trucks and 10 trailers. The trucks will also be used to carry musical instruments for the ceremonies.

Twenty four small trucks cars will carry athletes suitcases and bags from the airport to the athletes village.

The consortium will also provide 204 luxury sedans for VIP and VVIP guests during the Games, which start on Oct. 10 and end on Oct. 19.

Two helicopters will be provided to observe some race events, including the Individual Time Trial cycling on the Cikampek toll road.

Sjahli said the transportation department would start picking 10 participating country contingents a week before the opening ceremony.

Sjahli said the agency had not set up buses on special routes to the venues, which are mostly in Senayan, from some terminals like Blok M, Grogol and Pulo Gadung.

"Unfortunately we don't provide special route buses. But the agency will arrange it so that every bus, which passes Jl. Sudirman, passes the Senayan sports complex," he said.

"We provide shuttle buses from the village and the hotel to every venue at Senayan," he said.

Sjahli urged athletes and officials to walk to the opening ceremony.

"It's very close so we ask them to walk. I'm afraid if we provide buses, there will be traffic jams around Senayan," he said.

The agency will provide a handbook to all participants and spectators about bus routes, destinations and distances of venues and other tourists sites, including Jakarta's major shopping centers. (yan)