Security tightened at key facilities<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government appealed to the public to stay calm but vigilant
\nin the face of renewed terror attacks targeting Indonesia, while
\nordering security to be tightened at key installations across the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
\nSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono said people were asked to conduct their
\nroutine daily activities but were asked to immediately report to
\nsecurity officers whenever they noted anything suspicious.<\/p>\n
\"We ask people to remain calm and keep an eye out for anything
\nsuspicious that may lead to acts of terror,\" Susilo told a press
\nbriefing.<\/p>\n
\"I must underline this because security authorities in
\nSoutheast Asia have informed us that acts of terror are likely to
\ncontinue in the future and are targeting countries, including
\nIndonesia.\"<\/p>\n
Susilo said he had called for heightened security at all
\ngovernment buildings and public facilities and ordered that all
\nthese premises be guarded by professional security officers.<\/p>\n
\"(The measures) also include tighter security at government
\ninstitutions that keep weapons, ammunition and explosives,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He further asked the country's intelligence, immigration and
\ncustoms and tax officials to improve coordination.<\/p>\n
Security measures will be intensified at seaports and airports
\nacross the country, particularly in Greater Jakarta and Central
\nJava, where police captured nine suspected members of the Jamaah
\nIslamiyah terrorist group, said Susilo.<\/p>\n
JI, a regional terrorist group that has been linked to al-
\nQaeda, is said to be responsible for last year's Bali bombings
\nwhich killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.<\/p>\n
Before the Bali blasts, senior government officials --
\nincluding Susilo and Vice president Hamzah Haz -- routinely
\ndenied that terrorists were targeting the world's most populous
\nMuslim nation.<\/p>\n
The government's move on Wednesday came on the heels of a
\nfresh bomb blast that rocked the House of Representatives
\ncompound on Monday, while a suspected JI leader Fathur Rohman al-
\nGhozi escaped from Cramp Crame prison in the Philippines.<\/p>\n
The two events took place only days after the police announced
\nthat they had arrested nine JI members led by a man identified as
\nMustofa and seized more than 1,000 detonators and other
\nexplosives, assault rifles and ammunition after a nationwide
\ncrackdown on terrorist cells in 11 cities in Java between July 4
\nand July 11.<\/p>\n
Around 30 suspected JI members are facing charges of terrorism
\nat district courts in Denpasar, the South Sulawesi capital of
\nMakassar and the East Java town of Lamomgan. Susilo asserted that
\nthe trial had made Indonesia more vulnerable to terrorist attacks
\ncompared to its Southeast Asian neighbors.<\/p>\n
Some of the defendants are also being charged with
\nmasterminding a series of blasts in Jakarta and other places in
\n2000 and 2001, including alleged JI leader Abu Bakar Ba'asyir.<\/p>\n
A series of blasts had taken place in Jakarta and the North
\nSumatra capital of Medan before the explosion in the House
\ncompound.<\/p>\n
The police have yet to name any suspects in the House blast,
\nwhich caused no injuries.<\/p>\n
\"In October, Indonesia will also host the ASEAN Summit in
\nDenpasar, and of course, many parties may use this event to
\ncreate terror,\" Susilo said.<\/p>\n
Indonesia will also hold the annual convention of the
\nPeople's Consultative Assembly between Aug. 1 and Aug. 10.<\/p>\n
Susilo said the government offensive against Free Aceh
\nMovement (GAM) rebels may spark acts of terror perpetrated by the
\nseparatists to draw both national and international attention.<\/p>\n
But when asked whether JI or GAM were responsible for the
\nrecent blast in the House compound, Susilo said: \"It could be any
\ngroup. We don't know yet. Let's just wait for the results of the
\npolice investigation.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/security-tightened-at-key-facilities-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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