The number of personnel securing (the rally) is about 200
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Some 200 police officers were deployed to secure a rally outside the Law and Human Rights Ministry here on Wednesday to protest against a statement by Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly that Tanjung Priok in North Jakarta is a poor, slum, and crime-prone area.

"The number of personnel securing (the rally) is about 200," Chief of the Public Relations Section of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police Senior Commissioner Yusri Yunus said on Wednesday.

Yunus said the protesters had secured a permit to stage the rally.

"They have notified the Jakarta Metropolitan Police of (the plan to stage the rally)," he remarked.

The police have also prepared traffic engineering although it is still situational, he said.

"The traffic engineering is situational, meaning that if they (the demonstrators) blocked all the roads (leading to the ministry), then we closed them all," he said.

The demonstrators who claimed themselves to be "Priok United" staged the so-called "Peaceful Rally 221" to protest against the statement by the law and human rights ministry that Tanjung Priok is a poor, slum, and crime-prone area.

They demanded that Laoly apologize to the residents of Tanjung Priok for his statement.

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Translator: Fianda Sjofjan Rassat/Suharto
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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