Thousands of police secure State Palace on May Day

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Jakarta | Wed, May 01 2013, 6:48 PM

As many as 5,000 police and soldiers were assigned to guard the State Palace and surrounding areas as thousands of workers rallied on International Workers Day.

 “The situation is under control. We have been watching the workers make their demands since 9 a.m.,” head of Gambir Police office Adj, Sr. Comr. Tatan Dirsan said on Wednesday.

Besides monitoring the rallies, field officers handled traffic problems to avoid the gridlock of previous years, directing vehicles along alternative routes.

Vehicles coming from Kota or Harmoni were directed to Jl. Ir. Juanda or the Tomang area.  Vehicles from Blok M heading up Jl. Jenderal Sudirman were also ordered to turn left to Dukuh Atas and headed to Jl. Budi Kemuliaan. 

Police will reopen Jl. Jenderal Sudirman and Jl. MH Thamrin at 6 p.m. (tam/dic)