T

he government is preparing to secure the simultaneous regional elections and the celebration of Christmas in December amid growing concerns over post-Paris terrorism threats.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said on Monday that he had instructed the National Intelligence Agency (BIN), the National Police and the Military Intelligence Division (BAIS) to secure areas prone to terrorist attacks.

'€œWe were discussing security for the end of the year because there will be an increase in security at this time of the year as usual, [especially] after the attack in Paris,'€ he said after a meeting with the BIN and the National Police at his office on Jl Medan Merdeka Barat in Central Jakarta.

Luhut said the government had identified multiple threats as the end of the year approached.

'€œI probably cannot disclose them yet,'€ he said. '€œThat said, the BIN, the police and the BAIS have been carrying out security measures such as the security you see in airports. Maybe we will increase security in [other] public places.'€

The police have announced tighter security checks at border areas while the Transportation Ministry has increased alert levels at airports.

The government has also focused efforts on capturing the most-wanted terrorist in the country, Santoso, who is still at large, fuelling concerns that terrorist attacks might be looming.

The police have launched a series of operations in the hunt for Santoso, who is believed to be hiding in the forests of Central Sulawesi, but have yet to report any significant progress in tracking him down.

Last week, National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti openly challenged Santoso to blow up the Jakarta Police headquarters in line with threats he allegedly made recently in a propaganda video.

The nine-minute video was uploaded last Saturday on a Facebook account by a user named Bahrunnaim Anggih Tamtomo. The voice in the recording, which contained violent jihadist images, was claimed to be that of Santoso.

An Islamic State (IS) movement flag was displayed along with threats to blow up the Jakarta Police headquarters and the Presidential Palace.

Speaking on Monday after the meeting with Luhut, Badrodin said the hunt for Santoso was very much ongoing. '€œIt'€™s still ongoing. We will work until we get [him],'€ he said, adding that he expected the operation to end in January.

The police have also launched a manhunt for three foreign nationals believed to have joined the Santoso-led group, which is rumored to have links to IS. The three foreigners are thought to be Uighurs from China.

Besides safeguarding the country from terrorist threats, Badrodin said the government would also ensure that the simultaneous regional elections, slated to be held on Dec. 9, would proceed smoothly.

'€œWe have checked the security measures for the regional elections, from the personnel and training to the budget and the contingency plans. Everything is ready. The coordination is also ongoing,'€ he said.

Luhut also believed that the regional elections would be held without serious conflicts.

'€œFrom the data that I'€™ve received, all 269 municipalities and regencies [where elections are scheduled to be held] are well managed. Everything is under control,'€ he said.

The National Police have vowed to remain neutral in the regional elections and focus on maintaining security during the process.

Badrodin said the police would not be recording the results of this year'€™s elections as it might create conflict between different institutions. In the national elections last year, the police had taken part in recording results in polling stations, in a bid to prevent false claims if disputes arose in relation to results.

The records were not included in the formal process of recapitulation led by the KPU.

Badrodin said 194,942 police officers and 11,000 military personnel would be deployed for the elections.
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