New Year convoys OK, but no parking

New Year convoys OK, but no parking

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakartans will still be allowed to participate in convoys along
the capital's streets on New Year's Eve, but they will not be
allowed to stop or park their cars on the major thoroughfares,
Jakarta Police announced on Thursday.

City Police chief of operations Sr. Comr. Oegroseno said that
the restriction was to avoid traffic jams along the city's main
streets as many Jakartans, especially the young, often
participated in convoys to celebrate New Year.

"We will still allow Jakartans to celebrate the New Year but
they must comply with the law, including the wearing of helmets
and seat belts. Otherwise, we will punish them accordingly," he
said.

To intensify their monitoring and to safeguard the capital, as
many as 14,000 personnel, including 1,000 traffic police
officers, will be deployed.

Oegroseno said that police officers would be concentrated in
important locations including hotels, embassies, churches,
mosques and other public places in anticipation of possible
terror attacks.

"We will be assisted by the military and security guards at
these places," he added. "We hope the military will be active in
reporting if they detect anything suspicious."

City Police traffic division chief Sr. Comr. Djoko Susilo said
that 1,000 traffic policemen would be focused on patrolling the
major thoroughfares of Jl. Thamrin, Jl. Sudirman and Jl. Gatot
Subroto as well as public places including the National Monument
(Monas) in Central Jakarta and the Ancol Dreamland Park in North
Jakarta.