Indonesia forms new anti-terror body
Coordinating agency that will report directly to President will put more emphasis on preventive measures By Salim Osman, Indonesia Correspondent <http://www.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/image/20091210/ST_IMAGES_SOTERROR1 1.jpg> A special army unit conducting an anti-terror drill in Banda Aceh recently. The new agency's board will have representatives from the military and government departments that have roles in the fight against terrorism. -- PHOTO: REUTERS JAKARTA: Indonesia will escalate its war against violent extremism by setting up a new agency to coordinate counter-terrorism work by a variety of agencies. Officials said the Badan Koordinasi Pemberantasan Terrorisme, or Counter-Terrorism Coordinating Agency, will go into action next month, fulfilling a campaign promise made by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. 'The agency will be the supreme body for counter-terrorism that reports directly to the President,' said retired police inspector-general Ansyaad Mbai, head of the anti-terror desk at the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs. While rooting out terrorists and routing their cells remain its key tasks, the new agency will put greater emphasis on prevention. This will include rehabilitating detained terrorists so that they do not return to their old ways after leaving prison, and clamping down on religious radicalism. 'Besides law enforcement work, the new outfit will work closely with civil society groups in preventing terrorism,' said Mr Ansyaad. 'Counter-terrorism work must not be left to the police alone. 'Other agencies in the country such as the military and the religious department, as well as civil society groups, also have their roles in this national effort. We need to address the problem in a more comprehensive way.' The new agency will be an upgrade of the anti-terror desk which was set up just a month after the first Bali bombing that killed about 200 people in October 2002. That desk was set up by Dr Yudhoyono, then the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs in the Megawati administration. Nahdlatul Ulama chairman Hasyim Muzadi welcomed plans for an anti-terror body that works with civil society groups, saying the defeat of terrorism would not be possible using only the traditional security approach. 'All steps must be taken, including the curbing of dangerous ideologies that help spread the message of terrorism to hearts and minds, as well as the approach of law enforcement to punish terrorists,' he said. But analyst Al Araf of rights group Imparsial said the new agency was unnecessary. 'The police have been able to deal with the terrorism problem successfully,' he said. 'There is no need for a new body.' Explaining the work of the new agency, Mr Ansyaad said representatives from the military and several government departments with roles in fighting terror will sit on the board of the new agency. It will be headed by the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, but day-to-day operations will be run by an executive director. Mr Ansyaad said the new agency would help overcome the limitations of his anti-terror desk, which has worked with the police for seven years. 'We have been concentrating too much on investigating terror cases but neglecting the preventive aspects of counter-terrorism,' he said. There is also a need to tap the potential of the military's intelligence network in detecting terrorists and their cells in remote parts of the country. Key moderate Muslim figures will be sought to help counter the spread of terrorist ideology, he said. It will be a contest of ideas. The new agency will also push for tougher laws against terrorism and stem the growth of radicalism. 'Our laws are softer than those in Singapore and Malaysia,' Mr Ansyaad said. 'That is why Indonesia has been called a hotbed for terrorists. 'We also allow radical clerics to have free rein to preach. Publishers are free to produce radical books, and there are no restrictions on hardline groups organising military training. 'We hope to come out with something to keep a tight rein on them in order to reduce radicalism in our society.' <mailto:sa...@sph.com.sg> sa...@sph.com.sg [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
