Indonesia to boost security ahead of Eid al-Fitr holiday

Sep 23, 2008, 6:26 GMT

Jakarta - Indonesia will boost security nationwide ahead of Eid al-Fitr, the celebrations marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, when tens of millions of people will be traveling across the country, officials said Tuesday.

Inspector General Imam Haryatna, chief of the security department at Indonesia's National Police, said as many as 98,000 police officers would be deployed across the country for security operations. Nationwide, there are around 200,000 national police officers.

Up to 4,881 security posts have been established in addition to 150,000 police posts currently in place across the home-bound traveller routes, Haryatna said, adding that crowded Java and Bali islands, and the southern Sumatra province of Lampung are a priority.

Transport ministry officials estimated that nearly 16 million people are expected to travel to their hometowns across the vast archipelago nation to see loved ones and celebrate the annual Eid al-Fitr, which will fall in early October.

Indonesia's second largest Islamic group, Muhammadiyah, has announced that Eid al-Fitr will fall on October 1-2 while the Indonesian government has set official leave dates from September 29 until October 6, but authorities expect the exodus of travelers will begin a week beforehand.

Officers will be assigned to guard public places such as mosques, bus terminals, railway stations and major highways.

Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population, has seen a string of terrorist attacks committed by Islamic militants and members of Jemaah Islamiyah, a regional terrorist group linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network.