Police to deploy 16,500 officers to secure MPR

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)