Govt gets thumb-up over terrorist network bust<\/p>\n
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government's crackdown against an alleged terrorist network
\noperating in the country has won praise from analysts and the
\nUnited States.<\/p>\n
Kusnanto Anggoro of the Centre for Strategic and International
\nStudies (CSIS) said the recent arrest of 18 alleged Jamaah
\nIslamiyah (JI) members and the ongoing trial of JI leader Abu
\nBakar Ba'asyir, as well as the impending trial of suspected
\nterrorists responsible for the Bali bombings, proved that the
\nadministration of President Megawati Soekarnoputri was serious in
\ncombating terrorism.<\/p>\n
"The government should maintain its current measures against
\nterrorism in the near future as the action has increased its
\ncredibility," said Kusnanto.<\/p>\n
"As long as the measures against terrorists are taken with
\nsolid proof like has been the case so far, the people and the
\npolitical parties will support rather than reject the
\ngovernment's actions," he said.<\/p>\n
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell also praised Indonesia's
\nmoves against terrorism, including the trial of Ba'asyir for
\ntreason, saying that Indonesia had finally woken up to the threat
\nof terrorism within its borders.<\/p>\n
The United States pressured the government to crack down on
\nterror suspects after launching its antiterror war, which was
\ntriggered by the Sept. 11 attacks.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has "finally awakened to the threat of terrorism
\nwithin its own borders and has worked hard and arrested many of
\nthe perpetrators of the terrible Bali bombing and brought to
\njustice the leader of one of the terrorist organizations that
\nclaimed responsibility," Powell was quoted by Agence France-
\nPresse as saying in a speech to the United States Asia-Pacific
\nCouncil.<\/p>\n
According to Kusnanto, although the political atmosphere would
\nheat up next year amid the election campaign, with its good track
\nrecord so far, the government should not hesitate to strengthen
\nits efforts to combat terrorism.<\/p>\n
Following the deadly Bali bombing on Oct. 12, which killed
\nover 200 people and injured more than 350 others, the government
\ndrafted an antiterrorism regulation providing for the death
\nsentence for the perpetrators of terrorism. The regulation was
\nlater incorporated into the terrorism bill by the House of
\nRepresentatives, and has since been passed into law.<\/p>\n
The police have also arrested dozens of the suspected
\nperpetrators of the Bali bombings, including those from JI. Their
\ntrials are expected to start next month in Denpasar, Bali.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, Ba'asyir went on trial in Jakarta on charges of
\ntreason, which is punishable with life imprisonment.<\/p>\n
On the same day, the police announced the arrest of 18 JI
\nmembers as part of its counterterrorism measures.<\/p>\n
JI is also implicated in a string of other attacks, and has
\nbeen linked by some observers to the al-Qaeda network of Osama
\nbin Laden.<\/p>\n
Hermawan Sulistyo of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences
\n(LIPI) concurred with Kusnanto.<\/p>\n
"The government gained the opportunity to crack down on
\nterrorism at home after the Bali bombing, and looks likely to
\ncontinue these efforts," he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-gets-thumb-up-over-terrorist-network-bust-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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