Police to deploy 16,500 officers to secure MPR

JAKARTA (JP): At least 16,500 police will be deployed to secure next month's general session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), city police chief Maj. Gen. Hamami Nata said yesterday.

Hamami said the officers would function as the front tier of a security program which would be backed up by thousands of Army, Navy and Air Force personnel.

Police will be responsible for securing the assembly and curbing any attempts to create trouble in the city, he said.

"Here is some advice for certain groups: 'Don't even think about doing something (unlawful) in Jakarta because we are really serious about securing this city'," Hamami said during a colossal exercise held yesterday on the former Kemayoran airport runway in Central Jakarta.

The exercise involved at least 5,000 police officers from Jakarta, West Java and Lampung, three helicopters, four antiriot vehicles and five hand gliders.

A similar exercise was held at the House of Representatives' complex in Central Jakarta yesterday, involving more than 200 personnel from the Army's elite force (Kopassus).

And Jakarta Military Command is scheduled to stage its final exercise on Saturday in Senayan's East Driving Range in Central Jakarta.

The command's spokesman Lt. Col. DJ. Nachrowi said yesterday that his office had prepared 20,000 personnel to reinforce police efforts to secure the general session.

"Half of the personnel will function as backup."

Hamami emphasized that his personnel were ready to handle any trouble, demonstrations or riots.

"There have been many demonstrations held by some groups lately. But, so far, we consider them to be acceptable, not dangerous in the sense that they involved only a small number of people, say between 50 and 100."

He said yesterday's exercise was focused on coordination among personnel from Jakarta Police Headquarters and backup officers from surrounding headquarters, like West Java and Lampung.

Good teamwork is needed to provide maximum security, especially to restrict people from surrounding areas entering Jakarta and creating problems, he said.

"There is a big possibility that potential rioters at the upcoming general session will come from areas outside Jakarta."

West Java Police have been monitoring certain groups and areas which are considered prone to riots.

Lampung Police have also held selective operations on commuters heading to Jakarta through Bakauheni Port.

Hamami used the Tanah Tinggi bomb explosion to support his case.

He said all the suspected bomb makers, including two escapees, had recently migrated from areas like East Java, Yogyakarta and Solo prior to the incident.

In Jan. 18, an unfinished homemade bomb exploded in a rented room in a cheap apartment block in Tanah Tinggi, Central Jakarta.

Two men, identified as Agus Priyono and Rachmat Basuki, have been arrested in Jakarta and Yogyakarta respectively for their alleged involvement in the bomb making.

Hamami said irresponsible people had been spreading rumors about possible bombings in a bid to scare the public.

"There were so many rumors about bombs which would be exploding here and there. The truth is there was no such thing."

Last week, there was a phone call from someone claiming there was a bomb on board a Garuda Indonesia flight to Japan.

"You see, there was no bomb on the plane."

Hamami said his office was working in cooperation with the state-owned telephone company to get access to phone numbers.

"We'll be able to track down the telephone numbers used by any person to call other parties to spread rumors," he said. (aan/cst)