Authorities tighten security ahead of soccer finals
Emmy Fitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Following bloody clashes among soccer fans inside Bung Karno stadium on Thursday night, the city police vowed on Friday to strengthen security around the stadium to safeguard the final rounds of the Indonesian Soccer League on Sunday.
Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Sofjan Yacoeb said on Friday that some 2,500 police personnel would be deployed, and they would be backed up by personnel from the Jakarta Military Command.
"We don't want to miss a thing, as happened last night. We will tighten security and add more personnel," Sofjan told reporters after meeting with chairman of the league organizing committee Maj. Gen. Sartomo at police headquarters.
At Thursday's soccer matches that ended up with riots, police deployed 1,800 personnel, who were mostly concentrated inside the stadium and its vicinity.
Thursday's clashes among soccer fans inside and outside the stadium injured some 40 people, 12 of whom were still being treated at a number of hospitals in the city on Friday.
Sofjan said security personnel would not only be concentrated in the soccer venue and its vicinity but also on the routes likely to be taken by the soccer fans.
The deployment of security personnel will cover, among other routes, Jl. Sudirman, Jl. Gerbang Pemuda and Jl. Asia Afrika.
Police will also tighten security at the Tanjung Priok sea port which is believed to be one of the main points of entry and exit for the supporters.
Sofjan said the police would also coordinate with organizers in searching supporters about to enter the soccer venue on Sunday.
The Sunday match will feature Persija and PSM Makassar, and President Megawati Soekarnoputri is scheduled to attend.
The likelihood of violence, however, is believed to be slim as supporters of the two teams are not among those normally known for hooliganism.
Those who ran amok on Thursday night were mostly supporters of Persebaya Surabaya, which lost 1-2 to host Persija Jakarta. They used iron arrows, shards of glass and stones to attack Persija supporters.
These penniless hooligans also behaved badly on Jakarta streets, extorting money from passersby and hijacking a public bus.
On their way to Jakarta from Surabaya, they also ran amok inside Tegal railway station in Central Java early on Thursday morning when the Gaya Baru train stopped there.
In relation to Thursday's incident in the capital, Sofjan said 20 people were arrested and five of them were released due to insufficient evidence.
In Central Jakarta, 26 Persebaya supporters were also held by police as they strayed onto the streets, scratching parked cars and disrupting passersby. They were released and returned to their hometown on Friday.