Indonesian leader says locked gates contributed to deaths of hundreds of people
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By The Straits Times, Singapore
July 30, 2013 | 4:54pm
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has appealed for calm as he addresses supporters at the presidential palace in Jakarta. He has said the nation’s death toll could rise to between 1,000 and 2,000 after the weekend. (AFP File Photo)
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has appealed for calm as he addresses supporters at the presidential palace in Jakarta. He has said the nation’s death toll could rise to between 1,000 and 2,000 after the weekend. (AFP File Photo)
Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo called for tighter security measures and for the country’s airports to be locked down following a series of bomb attacks on weekend that killed at least 150 people and injured at least another 500.
Speaking to reporters in hospital this morning, Widodo said he had asked for an extra 100 to 150 troops to be deployed as guard at the nation’s airports.
He said he had made the request with the military to ensure security, but that no one had objected.
He said the bombs — packed with ball bearings — had taken the lives of “people from many ages, from a mother to a grandmother,” while many other victims were injured in the aftermath. The attacks took place on the streets of major cities across the vast archipelago nation.
“I was horrified,” Widodo said, speaking at a hospital in South Jakarta, hours after he suffered a severe back injury as he was driving himself to his residence.
“I can’t accept the death of children and women; I will be forever touched by the loss of these victims,” he said.
He said authorities need to take measures immediately to ensure public safety.
“[Security measures] must be tight,” he said. “The police and military must be able to respond to threats.”
Indonesian authorities have also deployed troops to the
