Beware of invisible enemies

Not many of us, perhaps, realize that those terrorists guilty of bombing innocent people on Bali and elsewhere, are in fact invisible enemies of the state and society. Even after repeated warnings from intelligence sources, including from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono himself, of the possibility of such cowardly attacks, they could not be prevented.

The police and intelligence services have been looking for more than three years for the masterminds of the killing, but only a few (not the top culprits) have been arrested. The reason is simply because the enemies are "invisible". They can, as proven repeatedly, strike anywhere, at any time and in any form they wish.

Therefore, to combat invisible enemies, those responsible for their arrests must also make themselves invisible, by disguise and by increasing the number of invisible agents who must be super-intelligent, super-active, well paid and extremely watchful.

As invisible as their presence is, their motives are as obscure as the night. Many can only guess as to which organization they belong. It is more serious if the bombings are directed to cause harm to the state. Which group are they aiming at? The question of which interests they want to destroy has remained unanswered until now.

If their motives are religious then this holy month of Ramadhan is the right time for all religious leaders to campaign for an end to such attacks, especially in Islamic boarding schools through out the country.

The Army may join in the hunt but it seems that another army of informers is needed.

GANDHI SUKARDI Jakarta