Antiterror spooks to team up in provinces
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Denpasar
The government said on Monday it would form multi-agency intelligence teams in provinces throughout the country to prevent further terrorist attacks, a move some fear could revive the repressive Soeharto-era measures against freedom of expression.
Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo A.S. said the teams would comprise officials from the State Intelligence Agency, the Military Strategic Intelligence Agency, the National Police and the Indonesian Military.
"The intelligence teams will be attached to every provincial police headquarters, particularly those in conflict areas such as Central Sulawesi, Maluku and Papua," Widodo said.
Other major provinces highly vulnerable to terrorist attacks included Jakarta, East Java, Bali and North Sumatra, he said.
The plan was decided in a limited Cabinet meeting led by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, to strengthen security operations against terrorists in the country.
It came ahead of the Christmas and New Year celebrations and followed warnings by several countries of imminent attacks on Western targets in Indonesia.
"We are keeping contact with these countries to take preventive measures against any possible terrorist strikes," Widodo said.
"With the establishment of the intelligence team, we want to ensure peaceful celebrations of Christmas and New Year," said National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar, who attended the Cabinet meeting.
Earlier this week, police discovered nine homemade bombs in public bus in Bandung, West Java. The findings came few days after bomb and gun attacks on two churches in Palu, Central Sulawesi, ahead of Christmas.
On Monday, a rusty, inactive grenade found at the Hilton Hotel's compound in South Jakarta sparking a security alert.
Da'i assured Christians they need not be afraid of performing prayers on Christmas Eve. He said the police would be on full alert during the year-end holiday season, deploying two-thirds of total personnel.
"Should your churches not yet be guarded by police, please inform the nearest police stations, so we can provide security on Christmas Eve," he said.
However, Da'i would not rule out possible further strikes by extremists as two suspected terror masterminds, Azahari bin Husin and Noordin Mohd. Top, remain at large.
In anticipation of the influx of domestic and foreign tourists into Bali during the Christmas and Year New holidays, Bali Police said they would deploy some 7,000 officers there.
Spokesman Sr. Comr. A.S. Reniban said the officers would guard known crime spots. Two powerful bombs detonated on the island in 2002 killed 202 people, mostly Western tourists.
Hotels in Denpasar, Jimbaran and Nusa Dua said they were further improving their security systems in order to thwart terror attacks.
Bali Hilton International Hotel public relations manager Happy Soebianto said the hotel was increasing the number of international security personnel to prevent and detect possible terror threats including those detonated by cell phone signals.
The Grand Hyatt Bali and the Westin said they had made similar arrangements.