Village Head Clarifies Prambanan Fireworks Uproar: It Was a Prewedding Shoot for Prabowo's Personal Secretary

The eruption of fireworks that triggered loud booming sounds around the Prambanan Temple complex in Klaten, Central Java, reportedly originated from a prewedding photoshoot for President Prabowo Subianto’s Personal Secretary, Rizky Irmansyah. The commotion from the fireworks was felt by residents of Tlogo Village, Prambanan, Klaten, in the middle of this week. “Yes, that’s what I heard (Rizky Irmansyah’s prewedding event),” said Tlogo Village Head Raksono when confirmed on Friday evening. Tlogo Village is the main entrance area to the Prambanan Temple complex. According to him, the prewedding event in his village had obtained a permit, although he never expected there would be such a sensational fireworks display. “I also didn’t expect there would be such large fireworks lasting two minutes,” he revealed. Raksono said the fireworks display took place outside the Prambanan Temple complex. Based on information he received, the location was on a vacant plot of land south of Mandala Wisata or east of Jalan Candi Sewu. Confirmed separately, Prambanan & Ratu Boko General Manager Leonardus Adityo Nugroho confirmed the fireworks were not set off within the temple’s operational area or Zone 2. He stated the fireworks were located precisely in the RT 25 area of Tlogo Village, Prambanan, Klaten. Leonardus said that based on information received, the activity had been coordinated with local villagers and had obtained permits from the authorities. “The fireworks location is not within the TWC (PT Taman Wisata Candi) management area, so we can confirm that no violations occurred in our area,” he said. Previously, residents around the Prambanan Temple complex were startled by repeated loud explosions on Wednesday night. Fireworks also lit up the sky near the temple that evening. Prambanan Police Chief AKP Nyoto stated the explosions and fireworks were part of a prewedding photoshoot and video session. He said the activity was properly permitted and supervised by officers. However, he did not disclose the identity of the couple conducting the prewedding shoot or their place of origin. “It was for a prewedding photo and video shoot. The activity was supervised, and everything followed existing procedures and regulations,” Nyoto said on Thursday. Utomo, a resident living near Prambanan Temple, said the explosions startled the community. Initially, they did not think it was fireworks because the blasts were so large. “We didn’t think it was fireworks because the booms were so loud we went outside. The windows were shaking,” he said. Yati, a resident whose house is about 100 metres from the site, said the launch location was a vacant field. However, residents were not informed of the time of the fireworks launch, which caused shock. “It was in that vacant field, around 9.30 p.m. yesterday. It was shocking,” Yati said at her home on Friday. “The thing is, even though it was announced in the neighbourhood chat group, we didn’t know the exact time. It felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest,” Yati added. Yati explained the vibrations and booms from the fireworks made windows rattle. She noted it was the first time fireworks had been set off at that location east of the Prambanan Temple area. “My little grandchild woke up screaming in fear. I don’t know what the event was for; they should have socialised it properly, as you never know if someone has a heart condition,” she said. “Since I’ve lived here, this is the first time there have been fireworks in that spot. Never before,” Yati continued. As of the writing of this report, there has been no official statement from the event organisers or Rizky and his representatives. Previously, on Wednesday, Rizky and his fiancée, Chika Yenalovi, visited the private residence of Indonesia’s seventh president, Joko Widodo, in Solo. It transpired that Rizky and Chika came to deliver an invitation and to ask Jokowi to be a witness at their wedding. This was confirmed by Jokowi’s aide, AKBP Syarif Muhammad Fitriansyah, when asked about the request. “Yes, there was also a request like that (to be a wedding witness),” Syarif said on Thursday. Rizky and Chika’s wedding is reportedly scheduled to take place in Jakarta this coming August.