Protests not banned during int'l summit

Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Bandung

The government said on Monday that activists would be allowed to stage peaceful protests or rival conferences to mark the golden jubilee of the Asian-African Summit later this month, while police said they would tighten security to thwart terror attacks during the international event.

Interim Minister of Foreign Affairs Juwono Sudarsono asked any would-be protesters to be orderly, if they plan to hold protests or rival conferences.

"Demonstrations are no problem, but keep it orderly," he said after a meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and National Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Syamsir Siregar to discuss security arrangements for the summit.

A variety of meetings are scheduled for Jakarta on April 22 and April 23, then continued in Bandung a day later to mark the 50th commemoration of the Asian-African Summit in 1955. Delegates from more than 100 counties, including 56 heads of state, are expected to attend.

"We must treat our guests in a good and proper manner," Juwono, who is the defense minister, exhorted. Juwono represented foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda who is in the Philippines for an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting.

Juwono said President Susilo asked for "proper security arrangements" to prevent demonstrations during the event from turning violent.

"Protests must not be too excessive," Juwono reiterated.

A number of non-governmental organizations have made plans to hold a series of separate conferences during the summit as the government has refused to let them participate.

The rival meetings will be held in Jakarta, Bandung, Garut and Yogyakarta, involving at least 15 foreign and local NGOs.

Separately, National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said all provincial police departments will be involved in the security arrangements for the summit to prevent possible terror attacks during the forum.

"We will alert all provincial police, because we have to anticipate possible terror attacks as they (terrorists) may take this opportunity to launch attacks," he surmised.

The police, Da'i claimed, were still trying to find key terror suspects, most notably Malaysian fugitives Azahari bin Husin and Noordin Mohd. Top, who police have determined were the masterminds behind a series of bombings across the country.

"We have prepared and launched police operations for the security arrangements of the summit. The focal points are the Jakarta Police and the West Java Police backed by the National Police," Da'i explained.

However, he added there were no specific indications of possible terror attacks before or during the summit.

The police will focus on protecting foreign dignitaries, particularly heads of state attending the event, in addition to securing the summit venue and hotels where delegates will stay in Jakarta and Bandung.

In Bandung, the summit national committee head Lt. Gen. (ret) Agus Widjojo said the police and military would jointly deploy sharpshooters to strategic locations during the event.

The sharpshooters are needed to minimize security threats during the summit, he added. "It's a big event with a large number of important people. We want all of this to run smoothly."

Col. M. Toto Moersad, security coordinator for the summit, said there were at least 42 "vulnerable spots" which delegates will have to travel past over the seven-kilometer drive from the Bandung airport to the Gedung Merdeka building, the venue of the commemoration.

"These spots are prone to security problems, traffic jams and flooding," he explained.