Indonesia halts Formula E race at monument venue

Indonesia has slammed the brakes on plans to hold a Formula E race at the national monument in Jakarta, forcing organisers to look for a new venue.

Authorities said the electric motorcar race, scheduled for June 6, posed a risk to the cultural site which features a road that rings a 123 metre (430 foot) tower symbolising the former Dutch colony's independence struggle.

"Monas (National Monument) is a cultural site that needs to be protected and the race area would need to be asphalted," Indonesia's State Secretariat secretary Setya Utama said Friday.

The announcement comes weeks after plans to cut nearly 200 trees at the site in a revitalisation bid was criticised by the national government.

Race organisers said they had picked the central location for the 2020 Jakarta E-Prix to honour the heritage site.

"We are now assessing a number of alternative venues," organiser spokesman Hilbram Dunar told AFP.