Decree readied to freeze terrorist assets<\/p>\n
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak and Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/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
\"We are already preparing it since a while ago and it is hoped
\nthat the draft bill can be handed to the President in December
\nfor her to forward to the House of Representatives for debate,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Yusril, however, gave no details of the draft bill.<\/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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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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