7,000 city officials prepared for House plenary session

JAKARTA (JP): The city administration will deploy some 7,000 officials to anticipate possible unrest from the planned arrival of thousands of supporters of President Abdurrahman Wahid in the capital over the House of Representatives plenary session on April 30, an official said.

The House plenary session is scheduled to issue a second memorandum of censure against the embattled President.

Chief of the city's data-processing division Raya Siahaan said the deployment will include 2,500 public order officials from the city's five mayoralties and 1,900 newly-installed civilian police auxiliary (Banpol) officers.

"From now on, we will be on red alert, even though it has not yet been publicly announced as it may cause members of the public to panic unnecessarily," Raya told reporters after attending a meeting on the capital's security affairs at City Hall.

He said the city's health agency has prepared 200 officers and 80 ambulances, which will be deployed at certain places, including the House building.

He said the city's five mayoralties have each prepared 10 fire engines, most of them will be deployed in the central business district, at locations such as shopping centers, to anticipate looting and arson.

Meanwhile, acting governor Abdul Kahfi called on Jakarta's residents to intensify efforts to guard their own residential areas and report to their neighborhood chiefs if they receive guests from outside Jakarta, due to the planned arrival of Abdurrahman's supporters to the capital. (jun)