SECURITY FORCES GEAR UP FOR ID-UL-FITR EXODUS

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Aug 10 (ANTARA) - The National Police and others are currently in the thick of making security arrangements aimed at providing a safe passage for holiday travelers heading home to celebrate Id-ul Fitr.          The annual Id-ul Fitr exodus, also known as the "Mudik Lebaran," tradition is part of the celebrations performed by Muslims following a month-long fasting period. The mass departure of holiday travelers is expected to start next week, in anticipation of the Id-ul Fitri festivities, which will be held on August 19 and 20th.          The number of Id-ul-Fitr travelers throughout Indonesia is expected to remain the same as in 2011, when around 15 million revelers journeyed home via air, land and sea routes. They used buses, trains, ships, planes and motorbikes to make the journey, although driving motorcycles during the holiday rush is considered risky.         The police have launched a nationwide "Operation Ketupat 2012," aimed at securing festival travelers. The term "Ketupat" has been borrowed from the name of a rice cake, which is usually served with curry during the Lebaran festivities.          "We are preparing to ensure a calm Lebaran festival. We started carrying out drills under Ketupat at the beginning of the fasting month, which will continue till the last day of the Lebaran festival," National Police Chief General Timur Pradopo said.          With less than two weeks left before the last day of the Id-ul-Fitr celebrations, Pradopo led an Operation Ketupat roll call at the National Monument (Monas) square to inspect the preparations for safeguarding next week's mass departure.          "We are regularly evaluating the effectiveness of Operation Ketupat, as the number of travelers during "Mudik Lebaran" will continue to increase every year. It is estimated to go up by 10 percent to 15 percent this year," Pradopo said.          He added that because of an increase in the number of persons using motorcycles during the festival, about 70 percent of traffic accidents were related to motorcyclists. However, the police are taking preventive measures to ensure their safety.         According to 2011 data from the National Police Traffic Management Center, a total of 2,770 accidents took place during Id-ul-Fitr holiday rush, in which 449 people died, 760 got injured, and 1,914 others sustained minor injuries.          However, this was lower than the 3,418 accidents involving motorcycles, which took place during the same period in 2010.          The number of Id-ul Fitr travelers in 2011 is estimated at 15.5 million, which was an increase of 4.17 percent from the 14.9 million travelers in 2010.          Those traveling from Jakarta alone have been pegged at 7.129 million, up 12.98 percent from last year.          Chief of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI), General Agus Suhartono said his personnel were also readying a large ship to ferry Mudik revelers, including those using motorcycles.          "We need to pay more attention to ferry services because the number of users for this service is very big," Suhartono said.          Even though police has been carrying drills to ensure calm during the fasting month, full-scale security operations throughout Indonesia are expected to commence a week before Id-ul-Fitr day on August 11 and last till August 26.          A joint force of over 88,000 police and military personnel will be deployed at crucial points to prevent the occurrence of traffic jams, crimes or accidents.          National Police spokesman Brigadier General Boy Rafli Amar said a total of 88,230 police personnel will be involved in Operation Ketupat 2012.          The first priority will be given security in ten regional areas, including the provinces of Lampung, south Sumatra, west Java, central Java, Yogjakarta, east Java, Bali and south Sulawesi, Amar said.          "Operation Ketupat will use preventive measures to make the travelers feel secure, during both their home bound travel and their return after the Lebaran festivities," he added.           "The police have set up more than 3,000 security posts along several roads, shopping centers and places of worship, with the objective of making people feel secure."     In addition to the arrangements made by the police and other security agencies for festival travelers, the Ministry of Health also plans to set up 1,468 healthcare posts, which will be staffed with at least 65,000 paramedics.          Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi said in a statement on Thursday that her ministry was setting up these posts to protect travelers from sickness, incapacitation, death and other accident-related injuries during their journey.          "Besides the risk of meeting with an accident, travelers' health might also be put at risk by food poisoning, diarrhea, acute respiratory infection and communicable diseases," she said.          Mboi added that all healthcare centers will be located along routes used by Id-ul-Fitr travelers and will remain open for 24 hours.          The ministry has also distributed 200 packets of medicines among the posts, which are situated along national highways, as well as near the departure and arrival gates of sea ports.          It has also set up an information service center, through the Rapid Response and Health Post (PTRC), which will have direct access to the Police¿s National Traffic Management Center (NTMC) CCTV monitor.          The National Mandate Party (PAN) also plans to set up 50 command posts throughout Indonesia to man sections of roads that are prone to traffic jams.          "PAN will also offer free passage on 200 air conditioned buses to Idul Fitri travelers. The buses are expected to transport around 5,000 travelers to their respective home towns," Ahmad Hafizs Tohir, the chairman of PAN membership development said.          The setting up of command posts for traffic regulation and the deployment of buses will be organized by the Enforcers of People's Reform Mandate (PARRA), a division of PAN.          Tohir said thousands of home-bound travelers can expect to be transported to Java and Sumatra on August 15. "Our service will be better this year compared with last year," he said.          He added that PAN has also ramped up the number of buses plying on additional routes this year, to help travelers make a safe journey to their home towns.          PAN helped 5,000 Lebaran travelers en route to Java and Sumatra in 2011.          Tohir added that PAN wants to ensure that it adds to the happiness of holiday travelers, especially the needy ones, who want to observe the seasonal festivities with their families in their home towns.***1*** (T.A014/INE/a014) 10-08-2012 19:56