Counter intelligence bolstered following U.S. fears<\/p>\n
Further signs of a new breed of terrorism have been linked to
\nlast Tuesday's attack on America. The Jakarta Post's reporter
\nTiarma Siboro talked to former defense attache at the Indonesian
\nEmbassy in the United States (1997-1998) Maj.Gen. Sudradjat, now
\ndirector general of defense strategy at the Ministry of Defense.
\nA former secretary to then military chief Gen.(ret.) Benny
\nMoerdani, he graduated in 1971 from the military academy and
\nserved as the military attache in Britain (1994-1997). Sudradjat
\nwas also the military's information officer from 1999 to 2000.
\nThe following is an excerpt of the interview:<\/p>\n
Question:What kind of network is needed for the management of
\nsuch international-scale terrorism?<\/p>\n
Answer: Such highly skilled methods need relatively large
\nfunds for transportation, mobility and communication. And of
\ncourse all moves would have to be of the greatest secrecy. It
\nseems that these terrorists have large, but still limited funds.
\nHowever, they have deeply fanatic, extreme people with a very
\nstrong conviction in what they're doing.<\/p>\n
People like this are highly capable of maintaining
\nconfidentiality and this has led to difficulty in tracing them by
\nour intelligence people. Terrorism is largely clandestine and the
\nonly way to overcome them is through counterintelligence, either
\nby countries like ours or the U.S. and other states.
\nA number of groups have claimed credit for last Tuesday's attacks
\nlike Japan's Red Army, organizations in Palestine and even
\nIsraeli intelligence, Mossad. Which group could be the most
\nlikely to have been involved in last week's tragedy?<\/p>\n
Such organizations act individually and have their own
\nmotives. But when one of them carries out one action, others reap
\nthe benefit, mainly as a chance to proclaim their existence,
\nbecause once people are scared of them, they can dictate their
\nwill to the public, a state or a group.<\/p>\n
The evil thing is that whatever the motives, political or
\nideological, terrorist acts destroy human security and thus
\nbecome the enemy of human security and civilized modes of
\nbehavior such as abiding by the law and ethics and values of
\nhumanity and democracy, and not merely the enemy of their target
\ncountry.
\nHow do you see the accusations against Osama bin Laden?<\/p>\n
He is thought to have substantial funds and has declared war
\nagainst Israel and the U.S. Theoretically he is an enemy of the
\nU.S. and investigations will develop, though we'll never know
\nuntil there is evidence of the mastermind behind these attacks.<\/p>\n
So could last Tuesday's attacks spread elsewhere?<\/p>\n
The attacks in New York and Washington were carried out by
\nterrorist groups against the U.S. They will surely try to disrupt
\nU.S. interests. But there are also many terrorists against the
\ngovernments of Turkey, Israel or the Philippines, for instance.<\/p>\n
The terrorists who hit the U.S. may not target other
\ncountries, unless they are aiming at U.S. interests in other
\ncountries. Of course we'll have to watch for the likelihood of
\nthis happening in Indonesia, so it is in our interest to
\nanticipate and overcome this threat.<\/p>\n
The Central Intelligence Agency reportedly told the U.S.
\nCongress last year that international terrorists would thrive in
\ncountries in transition such as in Indonesia, particularly given
\nthe world's largest Muslim population here. Your comment?<\/p>\n
Until now there has not been any accusations from the U.S.
\ngovernment that what happened in Washington and New York was
\n\"Islamic terrorism.\"<\/p>\n
I personally do not see the relationship either ... Indonesia
\nhas officially condemned these actions. There are indeed
\nindications that the actors have Arabic names and are of Arabic
\nethnicity. This doesn't mean Islam, although the actors could be
\nMuslim ...<\/p>\n
We're also approaching religious leaders at the pesantren
\n(traditional Islamic boarding schools) to make them more aware of
\nthe outside world ...<\/p>\n
But Indonesia and other countries in Asia have been said to
\nshow indications as potential breeding grounds for terrorism.<\/p>\n
International terrorism is widespread, such as seen in the
\nactions of Japan's Red Army, a radical movement with nothing to
\ndo with their religion. Acts of terror indeed often use the
\nIslamic banner to attract sympathy, hence the fears that they
\nseek support from Muslim societies including Indonesia, given the
\nlarge Islamic population.<\/p>\n
For instance the bombing at the Atrium (in Jakarta). The
\nactors were from Malaysia and used the Islamic banner, but
\ninstead it was an insult to Islam. Indonesians have reacted
\nstrongly against such acts of terror and are against their
\ncountry becoming a breeding ground for terrorism.
\nBut we cannot ignore the above assumptions from the U.S. What has
\nbeen done in anticipation of such possibilities?<\/p>\n
Regarding the earlier appeal of the U.S. Embassy, or the U.S.
\ngovernment (that the Indonesian government provide tighter
\nsecurity for the U.S. presence here) our security people have
\nalready been on the alert; Muslims here have also been on guard
\nto prevent any facilitation to terrorists.<\/p>\n
Some time ago Indonesia faced terrorist acts such as the
\n(1981) hijacking of the Woyla aircraft in Thailand. This is one
\nform of terrorism that we've experienced, which was condemned by
\nall Muslims here.<\/p>\n
The indications raised by the U.S. reflect fears of its
\ngovernment. Indonesia has actually long engaged in
\ncounterintelligence ... against those involved in international
\nterrorism.<\/p>\n
With this confirmation from the U.S. Indonesia has increased
\nits counterintelligence activities. Of course this has to be done
\nthrough cooperation with other countries, including regional
\ncooperation.
\nWhat forms of terrorism must we look out for in Indonesia?<\/p>\n
The forms of terrorism here are disruptions to security such
\nas bombs; the political motives have not become quite clear yet.
\nThere are a number of cases related to the Free Aceh Movement,
\nwhich has the aspiration that Aceh should be an independent
\ncountry, and issues of justice -- the main ground for terrorism.<\/p>\n
To prevent the growth of domestic terrorism we must promote
\njustice. The second basis of terrorism is political divisions.
\nWe're experiencing political problems in Aceh, also in Irian Jaya
\nand to a lesser degree we have the social gap in Ambon (Maluku).<\/p>\n
Of course we must be able to overcome all these through
\ncounterintelligence, a firm upholding of the law and a stable
\npolitical environment.
\nThe military and police, such as in Aceh, have also been
\nconsidered a source of terror. Your comment?<\/p>\n
As in Aceh, the military and the police are doing their job in
\nline with Presidential Decree no. 4\/2001 (issued by former
\npresident Abdurrahman Wahid to restore order in Aceh).<\/p>\n
Some people may get the image that the military\/police
\npresence is a form of terror. This is not entirely right because
\nwhat's happening there is a multifarious issue. In Aceh obviously
\nmuch of the terror involves the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) whose
\nmembers sometimes disguise themselves as military\/police members.
\nThey're strong in information warfare and people could succumb to
\ntheir campaigns and accuse the military and police of terror.
\nHowever the murders in Idi Rayeuk (in August this year when at
\nleast 20 died in the district south of East Aceh's capital,
\nLangsa) were clearly extraordinary acts of terror that involved
\nGAM.<\/p>\n
The presence of the military and police is to capture armed
\npeople in Aceh. Of course this involves small-scale combat, when
\ntheir actions are on a par with those of GAM; they frighten
\npeople and make them think there is terror among them.<\/p>",
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