TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Basuki Hadimuljono, Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Minister, stated that the Indonesian government will prioritize reviewing football stadiums used by clubs that have a lot of supporters.

"This week, the inspection of Kanjuruhan (Stadium) will be completed. Later, the (audits will be conducted on) other (stadiums) used by (Indonesian professional soccer league) Liga 1, 2, and 3 (clubs), which have a lot of supporters. Those are the priorities," he informed at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday.

On October 5, 2022, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) ordered the audit of all stadiums used to host matches of all leagues to prevent a recurrence of the Kanjuruhan tragedy.

"(The audit team) is now there (at Kanjuruhan Stadium). I will go there on Thursday," the minister informed.

The audit team — the Building Safety Committee (KKBG) — will inspect the safety, security, and comfort aspects of the stadium, he said.

The committee is led by director general of human settlements at the PUPR Ministry and comprises several experts, including architects, building structure experts, fire investigators, as well as academics. The KKBG is responsible for compiling building safety standards.

“For instance, when we rehabilitated the GBK (Gelora Bung Karno Stadium) for the (2018) Asian Games, there is a standard that it (the stadium), with a capacity of 80,000 (spectators), can be emptied safely within 15 minutes," Hadimuljono highlighted.

He said that his ministry will focus on auditing stadiums first. Later, the committee might provide recommendations regarding the stadiums that need to be renovated.

The Kanjuruhan crowd crush occurred when Arema FC supporters stormed the pitch after their team lost to their biggest rival, Persebaya Surabaya, by 2-3 on the evening of October 1.

Security officers tried to dismiss the rioters by firing tear gas. The ensuing chaos and stampede claimed 132 lives and left more than 400 people injured.

President Widodo has set up a fact-finding team to investigate the incident. The team is being led by Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Mahfud MD, with Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali serving as its deputy chair.

ANTARA

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