German President's Convoy Passes Through HI Roundabout, Traffic Diverted and Protesters Stopped

The motorcade of visiting German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier passed through the Hotel Indonesia (HI) roundabout on Monday afternoon. Police diverted traffic and blocked a group of demonstrators in Bendungan Hilir (Benhil), Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta.

The Head of Operations for the Metro Jaya Police Traffic Directorate, Kompol Robby Hefados, said the group of students was heading to the Patung Kuda monument to stage a protest. Police temporarily held the crowd in Bendungan Hilir because the Sudirman-Thamrin route was being used for the state visit of the German President.

"This is because our student friends were heading to Patung Kuda, while the Sudirman-Thamrin route is currently being used for the state guest’s motorcade, so the police are currently trying to negotiate and communicate with the students to wait for a while in Benhil," Robby said when contacted by reporters on Monday.

Robby said the situation caused traffic congestion trailing from the students’ location. Police then implemented traffic diversions to ease the gridlock.

"As a result, the impact on members of the public heading towards the HI roundabout or Patung Kuda is a slowdown at the Benhil junction," he said.

"We are directing members of the public heading north to go via Slipi or Kuningan. We are diverting them from the Semanggi Interchange," he added.

Meanwhile, according to the Metro Jaya Police Traffic Management Centre’s social media account, traffic on Jalan Jenderal Sudirman heading towards HI was diverted. The diversion was carried out due to a student protest.

"There is a temporary traffic diversion due to the impact of an expression of opinion activity on Jalan Sudirman in front of the Benhil bus stop. Traffic heading from Semanggi towards the HI roundabout is diverted via Jalan Benhil, Central Jakarta," the TMC Polda Metro Jaya account stated.