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Traffic diverted in Central Jakarta for anti-Ahok rally
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Police officers stand guard behind barbed wire near the State Palace in Central Jakarta on March 31, as protesters rally nearby against Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama. (JP/Seto Wardhana.)
D
ue to a rally being held by the National Movement to Safeguard the Indonesian Ulema Council's Fatwa (GNPF-MUI) against Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, the Jakarta Traffic Police deployed on Friday 620 officers to divert traffic.
The GNPF-MUI has organized a rally that will start at the Istiqlal Grand Mosque after Friday prayers and end up at the Supreme Court building in Central Jakarta to demand the maximum sentence for Ahok, who is on trial for blasphemy. The North Jakarta District Court will hand down a ruling on May 9.
"Some of the roads around the rally site will be blocked with concrete barriers and barbed wire," said the traffic police unit's law enforcement division chief, Adj. Sr. Comr. Budiyanto, in a written statement.
The closed off roads are in the proximity of the Istiqlal Grand Mosque and the Supreme Court.
Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat, Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara and Jl. Veteran in Central Jakarta have been closed since morning. All vehicles are being redirected to the nearby Jl. Abdul Muis, Jl. Kebon Sirih and Jl. Senen Raya.
The blockades will be removed by 6 p.m. which is the deadline for the protesters to disperse. (dea)
