Jakarta governor, police urge calm after malls erect fences purportedly to guard against unrest

Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung and police have tried to calm fears by saying the capital is safe after shopping malls and office buildings erected tall metal fences around their properties. The fences, ranging from 2m to 5m high, have appeared in Jakarta, Surabaya, Yogyakarta and Surakarta over the past week, with news outlet Kompas reporting the incidents.

Malls such as Kota Kasablanka, Blok M Plaza and FX Sudirman, as well as state-owned bank buildings in Jakarta, have installed the barriers. In Surabaya, fences have been erected at Pakuwon City Mall, Royal Plaza, Tunjungan Plaza and Pakuwon Mall, sparking speculation on social media about possible demonstrations and unrest in August.

These fears were fueled by unverified social media posts linking the move to large-scale protests similar to those seen across Indonesia last August, which led to some shopping malls temporarily closing due to escalated violence and billions of rupiah in losses. Pramono acknowledged businesses' concerns about a repeat of the unrest but urged them not to overreact, stating that the city administration was working closely with the police and military to ensure Jakarta remained safe.

He added that excessive concern could create unnecessary anxiety and urged businesses not to erect excessive barriers around their properties. The Jakarta police have moved to reassure residents that there was no immediate security threat, with preventive teams deployed to anticipate any groups seeking to incite unrest and patrols intensified across Jakarta and surrounding cities.

Some business groups have rejected suggestions that the fences were intended to guard against fresh unrest, stating that the primary purpose was to better organize pedestrian flow and improve traffic around mall entrances.