'Concrete' plans for U.S. Embassy

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

JAKARTA: Motorists will have another diversion to watch out for when driving along Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan in front of the U.S. Embassy as construction workers placed on Monday concrete bollards to cordon off the road immediately in front of the embassy.

However, the strip in front of the embassy, which is 500 meters long, takes up two lanes of the four on the southern avenue of Jl. Merdeka Selatan, which is prone to traffic congestion.

The concrete blocks were placed on the street's surface, using interlocking sections and were not cemented to the ground. The blocks were painted white (above photo).

Workers also constructed a new U-turn in front of City Hall, as the existing one in front of the embassy was blocked by razor- wire barricades.

The U.S. Embassy and its consulate in Surabaya closed last Tuesday for the remainder of the week due to a terrorism threat in conjunction with the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 attack against the World Trade Center.

The embassy and consulate resumed operations on Monday.

Vice President Hamzah Haz has ordered the National Police to deploy additional officers for extra security following the embassy's closure. --JP