Major roads to close on New Year's Eve

Major roads to close on New Year's Eve

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Police will close Jakarta's main thoroughfares including Jl.
Jenderal Sudirman and M.H. Thamrin during New Year's Eve, which
will fall on Tuesday evening and go into early Wednesday morning,
in order to make way for pedestrian revelers.

"The closure of the main thoroughfares will be made to provide
greater space for the people to celebrate the New Year," said
City Police Chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara.

Police will close access to Jl. Jend Sudirman from Semanggi
flyover up to the road in front of Sarinah shopping mall since
early in the afternoon until the end of the festival. The
festival will centered at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle. The
road will be dedicated to pedestrians only.

Police will also prohibit the revelers from riding on the
backs of open trucks or standing on a vehicle's roof.

"No firecrackers will be allowed, just like in the latest Idul
Fitri and Christmas celebrations," said Makbul.

The New Year's Eve festival is scheduled to run from 10 p.m.
to 12:30 a.m.

Several groups are scheduled to hold a people's festival
entitled "New Year 2003 thanksgiving and prayer," featuring among
other things, a Kuda Lumping dance, Barongsai (Chinese lion
dance) and other cultural performances.

There will be prayers recited by representatives of all
religions, except Jewish, to mark the festival.

Several giant screens will be erected to air the program live
for those who are too far from the traffic circle.

The program will culminate with a Muslim sermon by cleric
Abdullah Gymnastiar, popularly known as Aa' Gym.