Southeast Asian countries tighten security ahead of Christmas
Several Southeast Asian countries were put on alert on December 23 on the threshold of Christmas and New Year following two foiled bomb plots in Australia and Indonesia.
Indonesian police attend a security briefing at the National Monument before deployment during the Christmas and New Year holidays on December 22. (Photo: Reuters)
Hanoi (VNA) 🅠– Several Southeast Asian countrieswere put on alert on December 23 on the threshold of Christmas and New Year followingtwo foiled bomb plots in Australia and Indonesia and the arrest of suspectedmilitants in Malaysia.
Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, willdeploy 85,000 police and 15,000 military personnel for Christmas and New Yearperiod. Chief of Indonesia’s police force, Tito Karnavian, said thefocus is anti-terrorism activities, especially in Jakarta and Bali as they are traditionaltargets. Police in Muslim-majority Malaysia, where the self-claimedIslamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for a grenade attack on a bar inthe outskirt of Kuala Lumpur in June, said they will monitor transport hubs,entertainment centres and tourism spots in the country. Meanwhile, Thailand plans to deploy over 100,000 police onpatrol until mid-January next year. Singapore, a multi-ethnic country and a hub of tourism,banking and commerce, will deploy police at tourism and shopping centres.Suspicious bags and personal items will be checked, said police.-VNA
Indonesian police on February 15 arrested 33 individuals from radical Islamic groups who were plotting attacks against the airport and other targets in the near future.
Stricter security checks will be applied to Malaysian and Singaporean visitors entering Indonesia in the upcoming time, said Indonesia’s PT Angkarasa Pura II.
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Indonesian police attend a security briefing at the National Monument before deployment during the Christmas and New Year holidays on December 22. (Photo: Reuters) 
