Covid-19; Indonesians May Face 1 Year in Jail for Mass Gathering
Translator
Mahinda Arkyasa
Editor
Mahinda Arkyasa
Kamis, 26 Maret 2020 23:25 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Police said that people who insist on gathering in crowds amid the Covid-19 pandemic could be charged with criminal sanctions. The information was posted through the police's Twitter account @DivHumas_Polri.
The tweet comes with an image and mentions article 14 of Law no.4/1984 and article 93 of Law no/6/2016 on Health Quarantine. It was posted on March 26, 2020.
Article 14 paragraph 1 of Law No.4/1984 stated that actions that prevented the implementation of epidemics mitigations could be subject to one year of imprisonment.
Meanwhile, Pasal 93 of Law no.6/2016 on Health Quarantine said that anyone who disobeys health quarantine that causes public health emergencies could face a punishment of one year in prison or a fine of up to Rp100 million.
The Indonesian police's spokesman, Brig. Jen. Argo Yuwono said that he hopes the public would obey social distancing rules without having to be detained. Argo said officers will prioritize persuasive appeals, warning, and disbanding gathering crowds.
"But if they refuse to cooperate and self-disperse after three warnings, we will take them to the station for prosecution," Argo told Tempo via text message, Thursday, March 29, 2020.
M YUSUF MANURUNG
