ENSURING ASIAN GAMES SECURITY AMONG INDONESIA'S TOP PRIORITIES by Fardah

Jakarta, Feb 12, 2018 (Antara) - Indonesia, as the host of the 18th Asian Games, has set four top priorities for the smooth and successful implementation of the largest regional sporting event of Asian nations.

          The four top priorities for the 18th Asian Games are operations, administration, support, and security, according to Erick Thohir, president of the Indonesian Asian Games Organizing Committee (INASGOC).

            The Asian Games will be co-hosted by Jakarta and Palembang, South Sumatra, simultaneously from August 18 to September 2, 2018.

         Some 9.5 thousand athletes, 2.5 thousand personnel of the Asian Olympic Council, and 5.5 thousand technical delegates from 45 countries will participate or be involved in the event. At least 3.5 thousand media representatives are expected to cover the event.

         Sandiaga Uno, deputy governor of Jakarta, had earlier emphasized that the aspect of security will be one of the top priorities of Indonesia during the 2018 Asian Games.

         Security efforts will be undertaken in cooperation with various parties, particularly the police, as the main security authorities, with the support of the Indonesian Defense Forces.

         "The image of Indonesia and the honor of the nation will be in our hands. We must ensure security and good preparations during the implementation of the Asian Games," Uno had noted in Oct 2017 following a meeting with the commander of the Jakarta military regional command.

        As the games will be held within less than six months, the Jakarta Metro Jaya Police on February 7, 2018, held a roll-call ceremony on security preparations for the Asian Games.

         The ceremony was led by Deputy Chief of the Jakarta Police Brigadier General, Purwadi Arianto, and attended by Chairman of the Indonesian Asian Games Organizing Committee (INASGOC), Erik Tohir, and his deputy Lieutenant General (retired), Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin.

         After the ceremony, they checked the equipment of the security officers who will guard the implementation of the largest sport event in Asia.

         An intelligent operation will also be intensified, before and during the Asian Games Test Event and the 2018 Asian Games, to prevent any disturbance.

        Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin noted that the security measures during the games will follow the international standard.

         "Coordination and communication will be emphasized in every aspect existing in the INASGOC, and every problem, however trivial it may be, must be dealt with promptly," Sjamsoeddin, the former deputy defense minister, noted.

         At least 1.7 thousand personnel of the Jakarta Police and Military will be deployed, and they will be supported by civilian security guards. In Palembang, a joint security team comprising police and military will also be deployed.

         Thousands of CCTV cameras will be installed, including at least 600 in Palembang. Among venues to be guarded and have security cameras are athlete villages, sport venues, and airports.

          Meanwhile, Japan has pledged to provide technical assistance to Indonesia in hosting the Asian Games 2018 by providing security and sport equipment as well as LED lights.

        Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Masafumi Ishii has considered a  synergy between Japan and Indonesia important for the exchange of experiences, ahead of Japan's role to host the 2020 Olympics.

        "We would like to learn from your experience of hosting of Asian Games, and also there will be grass-root level exchanges of host cities for the Indonesian team participating in Tokyo Olympics," Ishii pointed out during an interview with Antara at the embassy on Jan 10, 2018.

         He said that his government is in the process of finalizing the company that will offer facial recognition and behavior analysis machines to be installed at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Senayan, Jakarta.

         "The machine will recognize faces and analyze the behavior of people attempting to enter some restricted areas at a rather high speed," he noted.

        Under the scheme of non-project-type grant aid, the Japanese government has allocated 500 million yen (US$4.49 million) to provide facial recognition devices, which are expected to secure the Asian Games from any act of terrorism or extremism.

        Apart from the government level, technical assistance will also be provided by a number of Japanese companies operating in Indonesia.

       Panasonic, for instance, has provided more than one thousand high-grade-LED lights to adorn both exterior and interior facilities of the stadium.

        Japanese multinational corporation has specialized in the manufacture of imaging and optical products. Canon Inc. also agreed to be the co-sponsor of the Asian Games, by providing photocopiers and papers to support the event`s publications.

        Otsuka Pharmaceutical will be also the co-sponsor of the event, by providing some sport equipment such as strings, in addition to serving its flagship isotonic drink, Pocari Sweat.

    (f001/INE)
EDITED BY INE

(T.F001/A/BESSR/F. Assegaf) 12-02-2018