May Day Demonstrations Went Peacefully: Jakarta Police

Jakarta (Antara) - Demonstrations staged by workers to mark International Labor Day on Thursday had been peaceful and orderly, claimed the Jakarta Metropolitan Police. "The situation was conducive without any security disruptions in Jabodetabeka (Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi, and Karawang)," noted Jakarta Metropolitan Police spokesman Senior Commissioner Rikwanto. He remarked that the Jakarta Metropolitan Police Chief Inspector General Dwi Priyatno had personally monitored the situation in several locations. Rikwanto noted that around 33 thousand workers from Jabodetabeka had taken part in the May Day rallies, while the Metropolitan Police Command had deployed 19,557 of its personnel to secure the event with assistance from the military (TNI) and city administration police. The Confederation of Indonesian Worker Union (KSPI) members led by its chief, Said Iqbal, marched from the Hotel Indonesia roundabout to the Merdeka presidential palace, and thereafter, congregated in the Bung Karno stadium to hear speeches from several politicians, including Prabowo Subianto, the presidential candidate from the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra). (*) Reporting by Taufik Ridwan