Police Close Jalan Merdeka Barat Due to Workers' Rally
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28 October 2021 15:43 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Central Jakarta Traffic Police closed Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat today, October 28, due to a planned rally by workers. “We will close Jalan Merdeka Barat,” confirmed Central Jakarta Traffic Police Head Comr. Purwanta in Jakarta, Thursday, October 28.
The city’s main road was blocked with barbed wire. The policewomen and the female soldiers (Kowad TNI) Indonesian were readied in the area. A number of the joint personnel also donned personal protective equipment (PPE) given the COVID-19 pandemic.
Purwanta explained that the police are also set to close Jalan Merdeka Selatan if the number of protesters increases. “We close the road to prevent it (the rally) from disturbing people’s activities on roads and the traffic,” he added.
The mass of workers was divided into two locations, namely the Horse Statue area on Jalan Merdeka Barat and before the City Hall on Jalan Merdeka Selatan. The demonstration was staged for the evaluation of the two-year leadership of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Vice President Ma’ruf Amin.
A total of 1,955 joint personnel from the Indonesian Military (TNI), the National Police, and the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) were mobilized to oversee today's labor rally.
Read: Workers Stage Rally Demanding Higher 2022 Minimum Wage by 10%
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