MPR session secure: Police

Emmy Fitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A total of 42,000 police personnel are ready to safeguard the upcoming People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Annual Session, which will take place from Nov. 1 to Nov. 8.

City police spokesman Sr. Comr. Anton Bachrul Alam told reporters on Wednesday that security personnel would mainly be deployed at the compound of the House of Representatives (DPR)/MPR, other locations where mass demonstrations sometimes occur and also at business centers.

"If the situation remains normal or under control, only one- third of the personnel (around 14,000) will be deployed and the remainder will be kept on alert at their respective units," Anton said.

The security operation was code-named Mantap Brata IX and will be under the direct command of National Police Headquarters.

"We anticipate that if something were to happen in the capital, the impact could be nationwide," Anton remarked.

Units involved in the operation will include the Mobile Brigade (Brimob), marksmen, the intelligence unit, the rapid response unit (Sabhara), and police cavalry.

The police would also be backed up by the Jakarta Military Command, supplying riot troops, which could be deployed if the situation required them.

Anton said that during the security operation personnel would be armed with standard-issue weapons to confront mass demonstrators and rioters, such as tear gas canisters, blank and rubber bullets, shields and rattan sticks.

"We have not yet received any specific information about this, but we anticipate trouble at rallies staged without prior notification because they are usually difficult to control."

Meanwhile, to safeguard foreigners and expatriates living in the capital, some seven battalions of police personnel will be specially deployed.

"They (the police) have been tasked to safeguard the people, their residences, offices and other facilities used by foreigners and expatriates here," Anton stressed.

Several radical groups recently made threats that they would carry out sweeps of foreigners to search for American citizens in the capital, following the attacks launched by the U.S. on Afghanistan.

The groups also repeatedly staged anti-U.S. demonstrations in Jakarta and some other major sites in the capital.