Intelligence body yet to catch source of rumors<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP); The State Intelligence Coordinating Body (Bakin)
\nadmitted that it was having difficulty tracking the source of
\nrumors which it claims were responsible for the recent plunge of
\nIndonesia's financial markets.<\/p>\n
Bakin's deputy chief, Nurhadi Purwosaputro, said his office
\nwas conducting an investigation over the rumors, which he said
\nwere aimed to weaken the Indonesian economy.<\/p>\n
\"It is difficult to find the source of those rumors,\" he said
\nhere Saturday. \"But one thing for sure is that the rumors were
\npremeditated.\"<\/p>\n
Nurhadi made the statement in response to the weakening rupiah
\nagainst the U.S. dollar.<\/p>\n
The rupiah had fallen following rumors of President Soeharto's
\nailing health Thursday and Friday. Earlier, foreign reports had
\neven speculated that Soeharto was on his deathbed.<\/p>\n
None of the rumors have proven to be true.<\/p>\n
Nurhadi said people should not worry about the ongoing
\nmonetary crisis, maintaining that the crisis had also hit other
\ncountries with stronger economies.<\/p>\n
\"Perhaps, it's an era of monetary crises,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He urged the nation to be financially introspective and take
\nthe necessary action to rescue the state's economy.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the chairman of the 30-million-strong Nahdlatul
\nUlama (NU) Moslem organization, Abdurrahman Wahid, suggested the
\ngovernment take immediate action to stem the monetary crisis.<\/p>\n
\"The government should strive to bring back as many dollars as
\npossible to the country,\" Abdurrahman, better known as Gus Dur,
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Separately, deputy chairman of the National Commission on
\nHuman Rights, Marzuki Darusman, called on the government to take
\nserious, and not cosmetic, steps to tackle the crisis.<\/p>\n
\"It has become a habit here that whenever there is a state
\nproblem it is usually not fundamentally settled,\" he said. \"No
\nwonder we sometimes encounter similar problems in the
\nfuture.\"<\/p>\n
The Armed Forces vowed last week to track down those who
\ncirculated rumors which it said had threatened the country's
\neconomy and political stability.<\/p>\n
House Speaker Harmoko also said last week that Indonesians are
\nprone to rumors.<\/p>\n
Political observers have often pointed out that one of the
\nreasons why people believed rumors was because of the poor
\nchannel available for them to convey their aspiration and
\ncritical assessment of situation. (imn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/intelligence-body-yet-to-catch-source-of-rumors-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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