The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta/Semarang, Tuesday December 24 2013,
Churches in a number of regions are taking security measures in cooperation with the police ahead of Christmas.
The Yogyakarta Police sent the Gegana bomb-disposal unit to several large churches, while Semarang Cathedral is preparing extra security.
Gegana officers swept Kota Baru and Pugeran churches in Yogyakarta city while in Bantul regency, there were five churches swept: Jesus Sacred Heart Church in Ganjuran, St. Yakobus Church in Klodaran, as well as churches in Kasihan and Sedayu districts.
“The five churches we swept are those with large congregations,” Bantul Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Surawan said on Monday.
“The operations are carried out so churchgoers feel safe attending Christmas events. It is also a precaution against terror acts. We don’t want to be taken by surprise.”
He said there were 52 churches in the regency and that he would deploy 620 policemen.
Security would also be provided by mass organizations such as Banser, a youth wing of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), and the New Indonesia People Movement (GRIB).
The Semarang Cathedral is preparing its own security team, including Catholic youths.
“Usually, Banser members will also help conduct security,” a member of the Cathedral’s household order council, Adj. Comr. Yustinus, said on Saturday.
He added the Cathedral had installed 24 CCTV cameras as well as two metal detectors.
“We’ve prepared everything, especially for the first day of mass when some 6,000 churchgoers are estimated to attend,” said Yustinus.
For safety reasons, the cathedral is not allowing churchgoers to park their cars nearby. They will be directed to park in front of Mandala Bhakti Museum and the Pangudi Luhur Foundation office, which are quite a distance from the cathedral.
The Central Java Police have declared 180 out of 2,850 churches in the province prone to security disturbances, such as in Semarang and Surakarta.
Church managements have been told to coordinate with the police if suspicious activity is detected.
Central Java Police chief Insp.Gen. Dwi Prayitno said security authorities would sweep churches prone to security disturbances by deploying bomb disposal squads from the police and military.
The Bali Police, with support from the IX/Udayana Millitary Command (Kodam), are tightly guarding all gateways to the island in addition to securing churches.
“Many terrorist cells are still active but we’re conducting attempts to anticipate terror attacks. The most important thing is that we safeguard all of Bali’s gateways, where such groups can enter the island,” Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Benny Mokalu said over the weekend.
“We should not be careless in guarding the gateways, including the airport or seaport,” he said, adding 12,260 security personnel would be deployed.
Bali Water Police chief Sr. Comr. Tubuh Musyareh said his division would not only focus on large seaports but would also comb small fishing ports on the island.
Benny added police would also safeguard all churches on the island. “We’ve implemented the same security measures for all churches across the island,” he said.
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di 24 dec 2013 - 21:40