Clean river campaign to be delayed

JAKARTA: The clean river campaign ceremony, slated to take place on Kali Besar River in Kota, West Jakarta, on Sept. 26, has been delayed due to security concerns.

"We have to delay the event amid security concerns following the bombing of the Australian Embassy," said Ella Ubaidi of the Jakarta Advancement Committee which was to put on the event. "We will delay the ceremony until after Idul Fitri."

"Besides, we hope the delay will help us get wider support, especially from the new government in our efforts to revive the old city," she said.

Idul Fitri will fall on Nov. 15 and Nov. 16 this year.

Foreign ambassadors and Governor Sutiyoso were expected to attend the event, which is a part of the public campaign to clean the 13 rivers that run through the capital.

Seven members of the committee own property in the Kota area. The campaign also aims to push for a revitalization program for the historical area, and they want to start by cleaning up the overly polluted rivers. -- JP