Wonosobo Police Secures Hot Air Balloon Festival

Illustration of dozens of hot air balloons being flown by tethering them in the syawalan tradition in Wringinanom Village, Kertek District, Wonosobo Regency, Central Java. ANTARA/Heru Suyitno

JAKARTA - A number of personnel from the Wonosobo Police, Central Java Police secured the hot air balloon festival in welcoming Eid 1443 Hijri at a number of points in this area.

The Wonosobo Police Chief, AKBP Ganang Nugroho Widhi, in a press statement, said that he had deployed a number of personnel to secure the hot air balloon festival at four locations in the Wonosobo area.

The four hot air balloon festival locations are spread across three sub-districts, namely in Karang Luhur Village and Sudung Dewo Village in Kertek District, Semayu Village, Selomerto District, and in Kalikajar District.

In the last two years the hot air balloon festival was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, and on Eid 2022 the hot air balloon festival was held on 3-8 May 2022.

"We have plotted a number of joint personnel from the Wonosobo Police and Kodim 0707/Wonosobo into four teams. The four teams are assisted by the local linmas to carry out security both open and closed at predetermined locations," said Ganang, Wednesday, May 4.

In addition, his party also formed a patrol team to monitor whether there were still residents flying hot air balloons without being tethered.

Ganang asked the people of Wonosobo to follow the applicable rules in flying hot air balloons in accordance with Law No. 1 of 2009 concerning Aviation.

He hopes that with the container that the Wonosobo Regency Government has provided through the hot air balloon festival, he can maintain the tradition without harming any party.

"I hope the public can comply with the applicable rules regarding hot air balloon flights, the tradition will be maintained but not to the detriment of other parties, in this case the flight," he also said.