British Embassy to move from Jl. Thamrin to Kuningan

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Amid growing security concerns, the British Embassy has decided to move its office to a location on Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said, in Kuningan, South Jakarta, from Jl. M.H. Thamrin, in Central Jakarta.

The plan was made public by Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso following a meeting with the new British Ambassador to Indonesia Charles Humfrey.

"The current location of the embassy is unsuitable and not convenient for visitors and passersby as they often have to close off access to the compound.

"They also acknowledged that the location does not meet security requirements," Sutiyoso said at City Hall.

The embassy is located close to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, a favored site for demonstrations.

Sutiyoso said that his administration would help the embassy to move by vacating the designated location.

No further details were available on the new site or when the move will take place.

Embassy press officer, Faye Belnis, told The Jakarta Post by phone that they have considered a number of locations.

"But we haven't yet made a final decision," she said. "Hopefully, we could move within a reasonable period of time."

The embassy has started closing both ends of a section of Jl. Prof. Moch. Yamin in Central Jakarta and a lane of Jl. M.H. Thamrin, due to mounting protests against the US-led military operation in Iraq outside the embassy.

The embassy was admonished by Sutiyoso in June last year for cutting back an old banyan tree (Ficus benjamina) inside the compound without the administration's permission. The tree branches reportedly obstructed security cameras. The embassy apologized for the incident.