Police need Rp 1b to secure MPR session

Police need Rp 1b to secure MPR session

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Jakarta Police will need Rp 900 million (US$86,788) to Rp
1 billion ($96,432) to secure the People's Consultative Assembly
Annual Meeting slated from Nov. 1 to Nov.10, a senior official
said on Wednesday.

"If the situation remains normal, we will spend Rp 900 million
to Rp 1 billion on providing food for police personnel," city
police spokesman Sr. Comr. Anton Bachrul Alam said on Tuesday.

Anton said, however, that the money might balloon to Rp 3.5
billion to 4.5 billion, should the situation deteriorate.

"The money, however, has yet to be disbursed (by the
Assembly)," Anton told The Jakarta Post.

A total of 5,660 security personnel, involving all units from
the police headquarters, backed up by the Jakarta Military
Command, would be deployed to secure the event, he said.

"However, the number could be increased to around 16,500,
26,000 or even to 41,500 if the situation in the capital
worsens," Anton said.

He said that officers had already been deployed for the
security operation, which runs from Oct. 25 through Nov.17, to
secure venues, buildings, facilities, routes, and people
connected with the MPR sessions.

Apart from the compound of the House of
Representatives/People's Consultative Assembly (DPR/MPR), the
security personnel would also safeguard other locations, such as
the State Palace, business centers and other important public
places.

Anton said personnel would be divided into four security
layers.

The first, securing the House, would be armed, while layers
two, three and four would be equipped with standard-issue weapons
to confront mass demonstrators and rioters, such as tear gas
canisters, blank and rubber bullets, shields and sticks, he said.

Anton also said the police had received notification from two
groups that intended to stage rallies in front of the House
compound on the first day of the MPR session.

The two are some 1,000 members of the Islamic Defenders Front
(FPI), led by Jafar Siddick, and another 1,000 members of the
Islamic Youth Front of Surakarta (FPIS), under the command of
Cholid Hassan and Warsito Adnan, he said.

Anton said security officers would allow them to hold rallies
as long as they did not turn violent.

"We will also disperse them if the participants exceed the
numbers already notified," he said.

The police said on Tuesday that they had identified a number
of radical groups that might disrupt Assembly sessions.