Cabinet preparing decree to freeze terrorist assets<\/p>\n
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak
\nand Tiarma Siboro
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
The government appears set to issue a presidential
\ndecree on antiterrorism to enable it to access bank accounts of
\nindividuals or groups believed to have links with international
\nterrorists.<\/p>\n
Minister of Communications and Information Syamsul Mu'arif
\nstated after attending a coordination meeting of political and
\nsecurity ministers that intelligence officers were now preparing
\nto look into several suspicious bank accounts.<\/p>\n
\"Our intelligence people are launching an investigation of
\nseveral bank accounts which allegedly have links with terrorists
\nand soon we (the government) will issue the antiterrorism
\ndecree.<\/p>\n
\"Issuing the decree is necessary so that we will not violate
\nthe banking law,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Syamsul said he could not reveal the exact date that the
\ndecree would be issued.<\/p>\n
He explained that the directive would be a temporary measure
\nwhile Indonesia officially creates an antiterrorism law.<\/p>\n
The government is currently debating whether to ratify United
\nNations Security Council Resolution No. 1373 on the suppression
\nof the financing of terrorism or to write a new antiterrorism
\nbill.<\/p>\n
The UN Security Council issued the resolution following the
\nSept. 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S.<\/p>\n
Following the resolution, the U.S. government called on its
\nallies, including Indonesia, to cut off funding sources from
\nterrorist groups.<\/p>\n
The U.S. government also distributed a list of 26 terrorist-
\nrelated organizations to all allied countries. That list includes
\nOsama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, the Abu Sayyaf group in the
\nPhilippines and the Salafist Group in Algeria.<\/p>\n
Some Western media reported earlier that a number of
\nIndonesian groups with apparent links to al-Qaeda had been
\nidentified.<\/p>\n
However, Bank Indonesia said that it could not freeze bank
\naccounts without official notification from prosecutors, police
\nor the courts.<\/p>\n
The central bank argued that bank law No. 10\/1998 did not
\nallow for the freezing of any accounts unless the owner is
\nofficially a suspect or proven guilty in a criminal case.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza
\nMahendra said his office preferred to draft an Indonesian
\nantiterrorism bill rather than endorsing the recent U.N Security
\nCouncil resolution.<\/p>\n
Yusril said his office had begun working on such a bill, but
\nwill not complete it until December at the earliest.<\/p>\n
He also added that during a trip to the U.S., he convinced
\nleaders there of Indonesia's strong commitment to fighting
\nterrorism, including cutting off financial sources.<\/p>\n
In return, Yusril said, the U.S. Federal Bureau of
\nInvestigation will assist Indonesian authorities in tracing
\ntainted money held in overseas banks.<\/p>\n
Yusril also said that the government and the House of
\nRepresentatives would expedite the deliberation of a money
\nlaundering bill, as required by Indonesia's donors.<\/p>\n
Yusril acknowledged that a delay in the passage of the money
\nlaundering bill could become a barrier for further loans to
\nIndonesia from donors grouped together in the Consultative Group
\non Indonesia (CGI).<\/p>\n
Members of CGI are slated to convene a meeting in Jakarta on
\nNov. 7 and 8 to determine the amount of money they will lend to
\nthe government for next year's budget.<\/p>",
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