The Jakarta Globe, August 17, 2012
The National Police have already reported some 340 fatalities from road accidents across the country on the eighth day of its “Ketupat Operation” which increases patrols and security around the Idul Fitri exodus, or mudik.
“There have been 1,995 road accidents throughout Indonesia since we launched the Ketupat Operation — the death toll is 340, while the number of badly injured victims is 487,” National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar told the press in Jakarta on Friday, as quoted by the Indonesian news portal detik.com.
Boy said the figure was 10 percent higher than the 307 deaths recorded during the first eight days of last year’s Ketupat Operation, although the number of accidents is 3 percent lower and the number of severely injured victims, which dropped by 6 percent.
Boy also said that police recorded an increase in the number of traffic violations.
This year’s Ketupat Operation was launched on Aug. 10, with over 88,000 police personnel dispatched. The operation focuses on 10 provinces, including South Sumatra, Lampung, Banten, Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, Bali and South Sulawesi, will be in place until next weekend, with Idul Fitri expected to fall on Sunday.
The operation is held in anticipation of heavy traffic and excessive accidents amid the annual exodus of people returning to their hometowns for the holiday.
vr 17 aug 2012 - 22:38