Police And Military Secure Christmas Celebrations in Churches

Jakarta, Dec 26 (Antara) - The police and military personnel secured thousands of devotees who attended the Christmas Eve mass in several churches across Jakarta on Thursday. Based on Antara`s observation, several police and military personnel guarded the Christian community that attended the Christmas Eve mass in Lahairoi Church, Cijantung, East Jakarta. At the Cathedral Church, Central Jakarta, dozens of police officers were also deployed at security posts both outside and inside the church in a bid to secure Christians who offered prayers. The worshipers keen on visiting the church to attend the mass were checked by the officers. The traffic in front of the Cathedral Church was stalled as there were numerous vehicles parked in the courtyard of the Istiqlal mosque. A similar traffic snarl occurred in front of the church at Otto Iskandardinata (Otista) Street, East Jakarta. The police officers deployed in front of the church helped to directly regulate the flow of traffic. In fact, most of the vehicles were allowed to cross the Transjakarta line in a bid to reduce the traffic congestion.