More than 9,000 ID cards collected for Ahok

JAKARTA. The number of copies of ID cards needed to meet a requirement to guarantee the suspension of non-active Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama from detention has reached more than 9,000, a coordinator has said.

Slamet, one of the coordinators of the ID collection push, said some 9,000 Indonesians had submitted their IDs as guarantors for the suspension as of Thursday afternoon.

"But it hasn't passed the 10,000 mark," he said as quoted by wartakota.tribunnews.com.

Protests following the announcement of Ahok’s prison sentence continue to escalate.

Slamet said people had come to submit their IDs after a booth was opened up at City Hall on Thursday morning.

Approximately 500 Indonesians living abroad also sent pictures of their IDs in support, he said.

People from other cities, including Jefritson Riwu Kore, the mayor-elect of Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, also directly visited City Hall to offer copies of their IDs.

"Jakartans are not the only ones willing to vouch for Ahok," he said.