ICC Note: Indonesia’s national police chief has called up thousands of extra police personnel to focus on preventing terrorist attacks over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. Despite a reputation for religious tolerance, anti-Christian sentiment remains strong among radical organizations and in some hotbeds of radical activity in the country. Since the start of December, ICC has recorded five incidents of church services shut down after Islamist protests forced the churches to close.  
12/17/2013 Indonesia (Jakarta Globe) – A total of 87,000 police personnel will be mobilized for the Christmas and New Year period throughout Indonesia, with churches the main point of focus amid new arrests of terror suspects.
Gen. Sutarman, the National Police chief, said at a hearing at the House of Representatives on Monday that his office’s main priority during the year-end holiday season was to prevent “disruptions to Christmas and New Year celebrations.”
He said the bulk of the security forces would be stationed at churches and other houses of worship nationwide.
“We will also deploy forces to airports, train stations and sites that are popular during the New Year celebrations,” Sutarman said.
In Jakarta alone, more than 10,000 police officers will be deployed during the holiday period, from Dec. 23 to Jan. 1.
Brig. Gen. Sudjarno, the Jakarta Police deputy chief, said at City Hall on Monday that the security situation in the capital was better than last year, with 13 percent fewer incidents of public disorder throughout the year, but that security during the close of the year, particularly for churches, was a high priority.
He said there were 948 registered churches and other Christian houses of worship in the Greater Jakarta area.
“Our focus will be on the big churches, particularly the Jakarta Cathedral and GBIP Immanuel Church in Central Jakarta,” Sudjarno said, referring to the country’s biggest Catholic and Protestant churches, respectively.
“We’re going to beef up our security forces there, because both places are icons of Jakarta, and indeed of Indonesia.”
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