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Security deployed to safeguard Bolaang Mongondow, Sangihe elections
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All set: Police personnel embark onboard a vessel at Calaca Port in Manado, North Sulawesi, on Feb.7, which will transport them to Sangihe Islands as they have been tasked with securing the regency's Feb. 15 election. (Antara/Adwit B. Pramono)
T
he North Sulawesi Police have dispatched hundreds of personnel to help secure regency elections in Bolaang Mongondow and Sangihe Islands on Feb.15.
For Bolaang Mongondow, police sent 150 personnel while for Sangihe Islands, 177 personnel were allocated to regency. They would all work under the command of local police in the respective areas.
“The 125 personnel we have dispatched for the Bolaang Mongondow Police and Sangihe Islands Police are auxiliary forces,” North Sulawesi Police chief Bambang Waksito said on Thursday.
It is hoped that with the deployment, regency elections in Bolaang Mongondow and Sangihe Islands can run orderly.
“Sangihe, for instance, can only be reached by sea. It will be difficult to tackle any sort of disruption there if we do not anticipate it from the very beginning. With numerous security personnel deployed, the situation can hopefully be better controlled,” said Bambang.
The auxiliary forces will assist securing 299 polling stations in Sangihe and 346 in Bolaang Mongondow.
(Read also: Sangihe outermost islands prioritized in election logistics)
The Indonesian Military is also ready to help safeguard elections in North Sulawesi. “We have prepared two company-level units who will secure the voting process in Bolaang Mongondow and Sangihe,” Military Regional Command (Kodam) XIII/Merdeka commander Maj. Gen. Ganip Warsito said.
“I call on all military personnel to stay neutral in securing the elections. All measures taken must be in line with the proper procedures.” (ebf)
