Dicky Christanto, Jakarta – More than a third of the nation's 530,000 polling stations, including those in Aceh, are vulnerable to security threats or election fraud in the upcoming elections, police warn.
Law enforcement agencies have placed all polling stations in Aceh on a top-priority security list following a series of violent incidents believed to be linked with the elections. "More than 300,000 polling stations are classified as safe, while the rest are vulnerable," National Police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri said at a meeting with chief editors of print and electronic media at the force's headquarters Tuesday.
The police, according to Bambang, have made security arrangements to help administer peaceful, free and fair elections across the country on April 9.
In any polling station identified as vulnerable, two guards will monitor that area during the voting period.
A group of two police officers and eight civilian guards will maintain security in two neighboring polling stations if there is a risk of security breakdown.
Normally just two police officers and 10 civilian guards team up to protect four polling stations between them.
Bambang said police were aware not only of possible security threats but also vote rigging and other forms of election violations in remote areas, where the presence of law enforcement is reduced.
He said the police would continue to keep an eye on Aceh despite the fact peace has returned to the area after 40 years of conflict.
Unlike in other provinces, Aceh will see six local parties contesting local legislative seats against 38 national parties.
Bambang did not specifically identify Papua, where a low-key separatist movement has in the past launched sporadic attacks, as part of the vulnerable regions.
Papuan rebels recently attacked a police post in the remote village of Tingginambut in the highland regency of Puncak Jaya.
National Police security and intelligence chief Insp. Gen. Saleh Saaf said more police personnel would be deployed to secure vulnerable polling stations.
"Vulnerable regions do not necessarily have to be high in crime, but could also present geographical challenges," Saleh said.
He said the regions would need assistance from police officers to protect polling stations from possible disturbances and election fraud.
The police have also cautioned polling stations in areas prone to communal conflicts.
During the meeting with the chief editors, Bambang asked for the national mass media to refrain impartial in the election process for the sake of peace and security.
"When political tension heats up it will be our responsibility to calm it down," Bambang said.
He said, however, the police had no intention of restricting press freedom or to intervene in the domestic affairs of the media. "Please stay critical as that is what the mass media is for," he said.
The national media recently won a fight at the Constitutional Court for press freedom after the House of Representatives and the government tried to pass a bill restricting media coverage during the election.
A group of chief editors representing the national media demanded a judicial review of the 2008 legislative election law which called for media groups failing to cover the election equally to be charged.