Students told to stay at home during summit
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
In a bid to help ease traffic congestion in the city during the Asian-African Summit from April 22 to April 24, Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso told schools in the city on Thursday to give Friday (April 22) and Saturday off for students.
"I advise teachers to give homework to their students so that they stay at home during the holidays and thereby help ease traffic on the roads across the capital," Sutiyoso said at City Hall.
Government and private offices as well as schools will have a national holiday on April 22 in observance of the birth of Prophet Muhammad.
"Many participants will come here and we need to ensure that they are not obstructed by any traffic congestion," he said.
Jakarta, which is notorious for its traffic jams, will host the Asian-African Summit on April 22 and April 23, which will be attended by 56 heads of state.
Delegates from 105 countries are expected to attend the summit.
The summit will move to Bandung on April 24.
At least 24,701 personnel from the Jakarta Police, military and city administration will be deployed to safeguard vital installations and public areas in the city ahead of and during the summit.
The personnel comprise 10,854 police, 6,388 Army, 1,449 Air Force, 610 Navy and 5,400 city public order officers.
All participants will be heavily guarded by security personnel from their arrival at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and at the Halim Perdanakusumah Airport in East Jakarta.
Police have declared Jakarta on top alert status from April 15 until the end of the summit.
Heavy security measures will be applied, especially at the Jakarta Convention Center, where the conference is scheduled to take place, as well as at Hilton Hotel and Mulia Hotel where most participants will stay.
Bomb attacks remain the city's top security concern since Malaysian fugitives Dr. Azahari and Noordin M. Top, believed to be masterminds of past bombings in the country, are still at large. The last bomb attack, which occurred outside the Australian Embassy on Jl. Rasuna Said, South Jakarta claimed 11 lives.
Security personnel are also anticipating other disturbances, including sabotage of the city's power or food supplies, mass rallies and traffic jams.
Aside from stringent security measures, the administration is also beautifying the city's parks, roads and median strips with flowers and trees.
Sutiyoso has also assigned all mayors to urge street vendors who are currently occupying road shoulders on main arteries in the city to keep their area tidy.