450 police officers to guard Makassar bomb blast trials

Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Makassar

The South Sulawesi Police will deploy 450 police officers to guard the Makassar bombing trial at the Makassar District Court next Monday.

South Sulawesi Police chief Ins. Gen. Jusuf Manggabarani said on Friday that the 450 police officers would be concentrated at the court, the Makassar Prosecutors' Office and the prison in which the suspects are being detained.

They will be split into three security layers -- the first, second and third cordons. The first cordon will cover the courtroom, the second the area around the courtroom and the third the area outside the court building.

The number of police officers deployed to secure the trial is far less than the number of officers guarding the Bali bomb blast trial where 3,000 officers are on duty. That blast killed at least 202 people and injured over 350 others.

Jusuf said that the officers would also provide increased security for prosecutors, judges and lawyers.

"We are preparing two officers to guard each of the prosecutors, judges and lawyers at their request. In the meantime, we only deploy patrolling officers," he said.

The initial trial of the suspects in the Makassar bomb attacks, which occurred on Dec. 5, 2002, and claimed three lives and injured 11, will see six defendants in the dock. They are Masnur, Ilham Riyadi, Anton, Haerul and Muhammad Tang alias Itang.

Seven other suspects, Hamid Abdul Razzaq, Imal Hamid, Suryadi Mas'ud, Kaharuddin Mustafa, Muchtar Daeng Lau, Lukman Husain and Uman Nur Affan, will be tried on June 13.

Makassar Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Yose Rizal Effendy promised that his officers would not be overreact in providing security for the high-profile case.

"The tight security is to avoid any disruption during the trial and make sure that the prosecutors, judges, lawyers and witnesses are safe," he said.

Since the trial is open to the public, all doors leading to court rooms will be equipped with a metal detector.

Five panels of judges have been appointed to hear the case.

All the 13 suspects are charged under the antiterrorism law with planning and organizing the bombings of a McDonald's outlet, and a car dealership owned by Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla.

If convicted, they could face the death penalty.

Five other suspects in the Makassar bombing case are still at large, including the alleged mastermind, Agung Abdul Hamid.