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View all search resultsPramono urges calm as fear of August riot repeat unnerves shopping malls
Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung has urged the public to remain calm and ordered shopping malls and office buildings to remove newly built high perimeter fences from around their premises, ensuring that the capital remains safe amid fears of last year’s August riots recurring.
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High metal fences are seen on Aug. 31 around Kota Kasablanka shopping mall in South Jakarta. (Kompas.com/Hanifah Salsabila)
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akarta Governor Pramono Anung has urged the public to remain calm and ordered shopping malls and office buildings to remove the newly built high perimeter fences around their premises, ensuring that the capital remains safe amid fears of a recurrence of last year’s August riots.
Some shopping malls and office buildings in the capital have recently erected high metal fences, eliciting fears of potential unrest equaling last year’s riots and forcing both business groups and governments at various levels to downplay public concerns.
Images of newly-built fences barricading shopping centers, including Kota Kasablanka and Blok M Plaza in South Jakarta and FX Sudirman in Central Jakarta, made rounds on social media recently, prompting speculation that businesses were preparing for possible unrest.
Another perimeter barrier has been installed recently at the building of state-owned lender Bank BNI in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Pramono said he believed businesses might be worried about a recurrence of the unrest seen last August in Jakarta. But he assured that Jakarta remains safe, saying that his office has been working with law enforcement agencies to maintain public order.
“Those [barriers] may be built due to safety concerns. But I’ll definitely ask for those fences to be removed as soon as possible,” he said, as quoted from Antara.
Thousands of people across Indonesia held rallies in late August of last year to protest against economic inequality and lavish perks for lawmakers. In Jakarta, which historically has been the country’s epicenter for political movement, the unrest escalated quickly after an online motorcycle transportation driver fatally struck by a police vehicle while merely passing by the protest area near the Senayan Legislative Complex.
