Ayo Jakarta

I think this is an insult. It looks that my country is not safe at all. Better never come.

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 04/22/2008 1:08 AM | Headlines

Tya Tri Utari, a tenth grader at Hang Tuah 1 High School, dropped her jaw when she was told that some of her favorite celebrities — Badmington shuttler Taufik Hidayat, film stars Dian Sastrowardoyo and Luna Maya — will be Olympic torch relay bearers at the Bung Karno sports complex on Tuesday.

Her smile faded quickly after hearing the catch: the teenager would not be allowed to see her idols, even though she is not a pro-Tibet or human rights activist, who have been deemed a major threat to the event. She is not a distinguished guest or invitee either.

“Is it possible to meet them? Can I just come to the venue to meet my idols? Why not?” she asked The Jakarta Post.

She is not alone. Most of the other nine million residents in the capital will not witness the first-ever stopover of the Olympic torch in the city as part of its worldwide tour.

The organizers said Monday that the flame, stored in lanterns, would arrive at Halim Perdanakusumah airport in East Jakarta at dawn from Kuala Lumpur. The flame would be taken and kept at the Sangri-La Hotel in Central Jakarta.

In the afternoon, the Olympic flame is scheduled to be escorted to the torch relay venue at Bung Karno main stadium in Senayan, where only 5,000 invitees will attend the relay. Among those invitees were 1,000 Chinese students staying in the country and hundreds of representatives from sponsors of the Olympics.

“The event is closed to the public,” said organizing committee head Sumohadi Marsis.

Eighty figures, including Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs Adhyaksa Dault and Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo, will take turns carrying the torch, which will encircle the stadium several times.

More than 2,500 police officers will be deployed to ensure maximum security during the event, aside from some personnel of the bomb squad and the Indonesian Intelligence Agency.

At least seven groups of protesters, including Falun Gong spiritual movement practitioners, pro-Tibet activists and Greenpeace Indonesia planned to stage a rally around Senayan, the organizers said.

The organizers also told Jakarta residents to avoid some roads around the sports complex, like Jl. Jend. Sudirman, Jl. Gatot Subroto, Jl. Gerbang Pemuda and Jl. Asia Afrika, adding that they may reroute traffic during the event.

The relay was initially scheduled to follow a route through main thoroughfares in the city to attract spectators. However, the route was shortened following pressure from the Chinese Embassy. (nkn/ind)