Sutiyoso says no to planned wall around U.S. embassy

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso turned down on Tuesday U.S. Ambassador Ralph L. Boyce's request for a permit to build a three-meter-high wall to replace the fence around the embassy in an effort to tighten security there.

Sutiyoso made the statement after a meeting with Boyce at City Hall, after which the two walked together to the embassy compound to inspect the existing fence.

The embassy, now tightly guarded by police, is adjacent to the vice-presidential palace on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan, on the other side of which is the governor's office.

Sutiyoso stressed that Boyce's request could not be met, as building such a wall would be against the city bylaw.

"The U.S. ambassador told me that the current fence will be replaced by a wall. I do not approve it, unless the position of the wall is moved back by two or three meters," he said.

Boyce did not speak with journalists after the Tuesday meeting.

Under Paragraph 2, Article 95 of Bylaw No. 7/1991 on buildings in Jakarta, the fence of a non-residential building can only be a maximum of two meters in height.

Paragraph 3 of the article stipulates that a fence must be transparent, and that a wall can only be built to a height of one meter from the ground.

However, the governor has the authority to make exceptions to the bylaw.

City officials reported that the U.S. embassy's fence already measures three meters in height.

Sutiyoso said Boyce told him that the planned wall cannot be moved back three meters from the current fence's position, as it forms part of various security installations.

In responding to the argument, the governor apparently said, "I don't care about that. It's my country."

He said that if the embassy accepted the condition, he wanted the wall constructed as soon as possible, so that the street outside the U.S. Embassy -- half of which is currently closed for security reasons -- can be reopened.

"And the police officers stationed there to protect the embassy can be withdrawn," the governor added.

He said the his administration tolerated the closure of the street because "I understand the potential threats against the U.S."

It was the second request made by the American Embassy to the governor for a permit to build a permanent wall around its compound. It was also the second time this month that Sutiyoso sparked a diplomatic spat with foreign embassies.

Earlier this month, he reprimanded the British Embassy for pruning down a 20-year-old banyan tree at its compound in Central Jakarta.

In response, the British Embassy apologized to the city administration.