JAKARTA, Dec 29 (Reuters) – Indonesia’s central government will support the plans of several regions to forgo fireworks while celebrating New Year this week in solidarity with the victims of recent floods on the island of Sumatra, an official in the president’s office said on Monday.
Several governments and police forces, including those in the capital Jakarta and on the popular tourist island of Bali, have said they will not allow firework displays out of respect for the victims on Sumatra, where floods and landslides have killed over 1,100 people, with around 400,000 still displaced.
Prasetyo Hadi, spokesperson for President Prabowo Subianto’s office, told reporters that the government thinks it is correct that regional governments should ban fireworks or urge people not to set them off during the celebrations.
“It is correct because we have to show empathy and solidarity … as a nation, that there are some who suffered from a disaster,” he said.
Police in Bali’s capital of Denpasar have banned New Year’s fireworks, state news agency Antara reported on Saturday. Jakarta’s governor also said last week that there will be no firework displays in the city of 10 million people, and urged residents not to set any off.
Indonesian authorities have built bridges and housing in the areas of Sumatra hit by the floods, which include the provinces of North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Aceh. The recovery is expected to cost at least $3.11 billion.
Several regions on the island remain in a state of emergency, coordinating minister for human development Pratikno said in a press conference on Monday.
Over 20 villages across the three provinces “disappeared” after being swept away by the floods, home affairs minister Tito Karnavian said during the same briefing.
(Reporting by Stanley Widianto; Editing by David Stanway)
