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Railway security beefed up following sabotage cases

A spate of incidents of sabotage against trains has alarmed management of state railway operator PT KAI’s Central Java Operational Zone V in Purwokerto, especially ahead of Idul Fitri

Agus Maryono (The Jakarta Post)
Purwokerto
Fri, May 30, 2014

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Railway security beefed up following sabotage cases

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spate of incidents of sabotage against trains has alarmed management of state railway operator PT KAI'€™s Central Java Operational Zone V in Purwokerto, especially ahead of Idul Fitri.

On Tuesday, an incident took place at the railway crossing in Wonokriyo village, Gombong district, Kebumen regency, when unidentified people placed logs across the railway track. Last year, a similar incident occurred also within KAI Operational Zone V.

Fortunately, in the latest incident damage was averted as the logs were crushed when the train ran over them.

KAI Operational Zone V chief spokesman Surono in Purwokerto said in Tuesday'€™s incident two logs measuring 20 centimeters in diameter and 1.5-meters long were placed across the railway track.

'€œThe logs were crushed by a train hauling fuel tanks from Rewulu to Cilacap. The train was pulling 12 empty tanks. Thank God, nothing untoward happened,'€ Surono told reporters on Wednesday.

He said the indications of sabotage were clear. '€œIt'€™s impossible for it to have happened by chance as the two logs were placed in the middle of the railway tracks. So, it was no accident,'€ said Surono.

He added that based on information from the train driver, he only saw the logs placed diagonally on the railway at the last minute. At such a short distance, the driver said he could not stop the train so it crushed the logs.

After running over the two logs, crew members of the train got down to inspect the location where the logs were placed. After making sure the train was fine, they resumed the journey and reported the matter to their superiors at the office of KAI Operational Zone V.

Surono said similar acts of sabotage along Operational Zone V had taken place several times this year. Similar incidents occurred between Gandrungmangu and Sidareja, in Cilacap, where on two occasions large rocks were placed on the railway tracks.

The railway line between Gandrungmangu and Kawunganted, in Cilacap, was once also piled with rocks, and logs were found on the railway lines between Gandrungmangu and Sidareja and Kutowinangun and Kebumen.

If a passenger train were to be affected, Surono said, it could cause the loss of multiple lives given the fact a passenger train can carry up to 1,000 people.

KAI has requested assistance from security personnel, including from the Indonesian Military (TNI) or National Police, to secure the area around railway stations and crime-prone railway lines, especially ahead of Idul Fitri, due to the frequency of sabotage attempts.

Surono said at least 279 police Mobile Brigade (Brimob), 76 National Police, 78 TNI and military police personnel, in addition to 178 KAI security staff would be deployed to secure the lines.

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