Public asked to watch over new neighbors
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
The time to ask for and offer forgiveness for any wrongdoings among neighbors during Idul Fitri holiday is over.
Jakartans are now asked to monitor newcomers in their respective neighborhoods as the Jakarta Police lack the resources to do so but are enjoined to protect the capital from possible terror attacks.
Jakarta Police general crimes unit chief Sr. Comr. Moh. Jaelani, said on Saturday that the police had deployed more detectives down to the neighborhood level and asked residents to immediately report the arrival of strangers to nearby police stations.
Acknowledging that the move was taken following the report of the escape of terrorist suspect Omar al-Farouq from a U.S. prison in Afghanistan, Jaelani said that the police would maintain close contact with the people.
"We have asked residents in each neighborhood to report any new neighbors to a nearby police station. Our detectives then will check the reports to make sure the new neighbors are not suspected terrorists," he told The Jakarta Post.
He said that more detectives were deployed across the city after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered on Friday the police to increase security measures following the escape of Al- Farouq.
Al-Farouq, known as the lieutenant of Osama bin Laden and the leader of the al-Qaeda terror network in Southeast Asia, had escaped the prison in July. However, it was only after a trial over a case of torture of prisoners in Fort Bliss on Wednesday that the escape was leaked to the media.
The Indonesian authorities arrested al-Farouq in June 2002 in Bogor, West Java, where he had adopted an alias and had two children with an Indonesian wife. He was later handed over to U.S. authorities.
Jaelani said that the security measures were also taken following a warning from the Australian government, which claimed on Friday that terrorists would launch new bomb attacks in Indonesia before the end of the year.
"We have taken the necessary precautionary measures to prevent a new bomb attack in Jakarta. We hope foreigners are not scared away because of the warnings as we believe residents will give us full support," he said.
Earlier, police said that the Jakarta Police had deployed thousands of officers at several entry points to the city such as bus and railway stations, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and Tanjung Priok port to monitor the influx of travelers to the capital after celebrating Idul Fitri in their hometowns.
Police said that they would conduct spot checks of passengers' luggage to look for guns, sharp weapons and explosives.
Jaelani said that police were still on full alert after the Oct. 1 bomb attacks that destroyed two cafes and a restaurant in Jimbaran and Kuta in Bali, killing 23 people and injuring more than 130.
Jakarta Police have readied around 17,000 personnel, some 13,000 of whom are deployed to secure the flow of people entering the city. They have also stepped up security at certain places after Detachment 88, the police's special antiterror squad, had said there was a strong possibility of bomb attacks during Idul Fitri.
Some 2.5 million Jakarta residents left for their hometowns to celebrate Idul Fitri there on Nov. 3 and Nov. 4 after the end of Ramadhan. It is estimated that some 250,000 newcomers will come to Jakarta this year.