Motorists advised to avoid Kebon Sirih
Motorists advised to avoid Kebon Sirih
Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Jakarta residents are advised to avoid Jl. Kebon Sirih in Central
Jakarta as it will be closed on Wednesday as a measure to
safeguard the gubernatorial election taking place at 10 a.m. at
the City Council building, which is located on the street.
"We will close Jl. Kebon Sirih from 6:30 a.m., while nearby
streets will be managed according to the latest conditions," the
chief of the city police's operational control command center,
Sr. Comr. Nono Supriyono, said on Tuesday.
"We may redirect the traffic or temporarily close some nearby
streets."
Nono was speaking after a meeting with the City Council's
gubernatorial election committee to discuss measures to safeguard
the election.
There will be 1,866 officers deployed from the military, the
police and other agencies such as the fire brigade and the
transportation agency.
The City Council building was packed by both supporters and
detractors of Sutiyoso on Monday and Tuesday, causing massive
traffic congestion in nearby areas.
More demonstrators are expected to take to the street on
Wednesday.
Security authorities also fear that groups opposing and
supporting Sutiyoso could clash on Wednesday.
"We also got information that some protesters will stage
demonstrations in front of City Hall on Jl. Medan Merdeka
Selatan," said Nono.
City Hall and the City Council compounds are located back to
back on the same block. The neighborhood is a prominent one as
the vice presidential palace is located on the east side.
Further east is the U.S. Embassy, which has its own concerns
due to it being the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on
the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Nono said police had received reports that there would also be
a demonstration in front of the embassy.
"But we will use personnel other than the 1,866 personnel set
to safeguard the gubernatorial election," he said, without
mentioning the figure to be deployed to protect the embassy.