The joyful New Year Eve moment was especially felt around Hotel Indonesia circle at downtown Jakarta, the usual center of congregation for tens of thousands of Jakarta residents celebrating New Year Eve. Traffic had moved slowly with holidaymakers in their cars blowing paper trumpets.
The traffic moved northwards along the Thamrin thoroughfare to the heart of Jakarta, the National Monument (Monas,) where the clear sky had apparently added to the festive mood. Traffic police worked really hard to get the traffic moving, some wearing roller blades to help them being more mobile.
Three hundred police personnel were deployed to keep the order at the HI round-about, according to Police Major Aniek Nurkhairani, head of Jakarta police public education section.
To keep the order around the Monas, said Bernard Pasaribu, operational chief of the Central Jakarta administration security unit, 180 civilian security personnel were deployed there, on duty both inside and outside the Monas perimeter fence.
Tens of thousands of Jakartans also packed the Ancol seaside resorts in North Jakarta, to celebrate New Year Eve with a massive fireworks show.
(T.KR-VFT/AES/HAJM/P003)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
