04 November 2016

News Story: Indonesia plays down worries on possible violence in Friday's demonstration

By Abu Hanifah, Basten Gokkon

JAKARTA, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian senior officials played down worries on possible widespread of violence expressed by foreign country representative offices here related to the upcoming massive protest on Friday, staged by Muslim hardliners.

Various Muslim organizations would deploy thousands of their members to the capital city, demanding legal process against incumbent Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama over his blasphemous comments on Koran verses.

"Public should not be worried over the demonstration. Trust us, we and the police can handle the security (during the demonstration)," Indonesian Military Commander General Gatot Nurmantyo said on Thursday.

Indonesia would deploy at least 20,000 security personnel from the military and police to secure the capital city during the demonstration which would be staged around nation's vital objects, including presidential palace and ministry buildings.

Indonesian authorities have recently imposed full alert status in the capital city related to the upcoming demonstration.

Read the full story at Xinhua