Indonesia ready to secure Saudi King`s visit

The Indonesian National Police (Polri) and the Jakarta as well as the Bali regional police have prepared a strong team to provide security for Saudi Arabias King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Sauds visit to Indonesia.

King Salman will arrive at Halim Perdanakusuam Airport with an entourage of about 1.5 thousand people, including 10 ministers and 25 princes, for a state visit from March 1 to 3. He will travel to Jakarta and Bogor and will then head to Bali for a vacation until March 9.

"Police officers will offer three-tier security and protection to the king and his entourage during their visit to Indonesia," Polri Chief General Tito Karnavian said in Surabaya, East Java, on Monday.

The police will be assisted by the military in carrying out their duties to secure the kings visit. Saudi Arabias Ambassador to Indonesia Osama bin Mohammed Abdullah Al Shuaibi met National Police (Polri) Deputy Chief Commissioner General Syafruddin on Monday to discuss security preparations for the visit.

"The ambassador visited the Police Headquarters for final checks with regard to the security measures in place for the visit," Syafruddin stated at the Police Headquarters in Jakarta on Monday.

According to Syafruddin, the National Police and the Military force have readied a total of 10 thousand personnel at three separate locations in Jakarta, Bogor in West Java, and Bali.

Approximately 2 thousand personnel will be deployed in Jakarta; 2,252 in Bogor, and 5 thousand in Bali.

The security officers will watch out for terror groups. 

The Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport has also been prepared to welcome the king on Wednesday (March 1), the airports General Manager Abdul Rasyid said. It is a military airport that was opened for commercial flights in 2014, with the aim of easing air traffic at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, west of Jakarta.

King Salmans trip will be preceded by the arrival of a wide-bodied Boeing 777 and two Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with the delegates and the Prince of Saudi Arabia, at the Halim airport on Feb 28, according to Rasyid.

Therefore, the Jakarta Metropolitan Police will deploy security personnel on the roads from Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in East Jakarta to the Bogor Presidential Palace, some 40 kilometers south of Jakarta, on March 1.

From the Bogor Presidential Palace, the king and his entourage will visit the House of Representatives/Peoples Consultative Assembly (DPR/MPR) Building and perform prayers at Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta.

The Jakarta Metropolitan Police and the Presidential Security Guards (Paspampres) have standard operating procedures to provide security arrangement for the kings visit.

Traffic police officers will also be deployed to regulate traffic on the roads through which the king and entourage will pass by.

Later on March 3-4, the king and his entourage will depart from the Halim Perdanakusuma Airport for Denpasars Ngurah Rai International Airport for a vacation in the Indonesian island resort of Bali until March 9.

In connection with the arrival of the king and his entourage, the airport management company PT Angkasa Pura II will cooperate with the Air Force and the Presidential Security Forces to improve security in accordance with the security standard procedure for VVIP state guests.

The Bali Police and Regional Military Command IX/Udayana in Bali Province have put stringent security mechanisms in place. 

The Ngurah Rai International Airport plans to have a fighter aircraft on standby to secure the visit of the king. "An official order for the fighter is yet to be released, but it has been planned," Flight Colonel Wayan Suparman noted in his press statement at the Emergency Office Center in the Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali, on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Saudi ambassador expressed gratitude to the police force for the entire security protocol prepared for King Salmans visit.

"I thank Syafruddin for all the preparations he has made. I believe in Indonesias ability and strength in terms of security. Saudi security forces are satisfied and confident that the Indonesian personnel will be able to ensure the kings safety and security here," he remarked.

According to Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi on Monday, the visit of the Saudi king will cover at least three special issues regarding politics which will mark a historic event after 47 years of Indonesia-Saudi Arabia relations; economic cooperation; and religious matters pertaining to Haj and minor Haj (umrah) pilgrimage services.

Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung had earlier informed that the kings visit will feature discussions centered on five cooperation agreements: art and cultural promotions, exchange of issues covering pilgrimage safety, the promotion of modern Islam through "dakwah" and ulema exchange, increase in the number of flights from Indonesia to Saudi Arabia, and the eradication of cross-border crimes.

Discussions on economic issues will also include the construction of an oil refinery in Cilacap as a result of the cooperation between Indonesias state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina and a Saudi Arabian oil company, with an investment value of US$6 million.(*)

Source: ANTARA