Indonesia beefs up security for Christmas, new year’s eve celebrations
Jakarta: Indonesian police and soldiers will jointly deploy 141,443 personnel to secure Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations nationwide, National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo said on Monday.
The general noted that the personnel would be stationed at 61,452 locations across the country. “The locations to be secured include churches, shopping malls, airports, bus terminals, train stations, and venues hosting New Year’s Eve celebrations,” he said.
To support the mission, 2,794 security posts will be established, he added.
“With this deployment, we hope the Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations will run smoothly,” he said, Xinhua news agency reported.
In addition to securing key locations, the operation will focus on the journeys of travelers before and after the celebrations. According to the Transportation Ministry, 110.67 million people are expected to travel during this period.
As many as 202 people, including 88 Australians and 38 Indonesians, were killed in the 2002 Bali bombings with over 200 injured.
Bali is one of the resort islands in the Southeast Asian country that welcomes the most foreign tourists every year. The island is famous for its beaches and sea scenery.
Two bombs were detonated in the popular tourist centre of Kuta Beach at approximately 11 pm local time on October 12, 2002, with a third detonated near the US consulate in Denpasar.
It remains the single largest loss of Australian life in a terror attack and the largest loss of Australian life since World War II.
Several victims of the bombings were flown to the Australian cities of Perth and Darwin for treatment, and in 2003 almost 200 Australians received special honours for their actions following the attack.
In June, the authorities in Bali had increased its monitoring of foreign tourists following several criminal incidents that have disrupted local communities.
The country’s Directorate General of Immigration, in collaboration with local police authorities, has stepped up surveillance of foreign nationals, including enforcing traffic regulations.