BIN accuses foreigners of spying agenda in Aceh

Kurniawan Hari The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

State Intelligence Agency (BIN) head Syamsir Siregar has called on the government to be alert to possible spying from foreign forces deployed in tsunami-devastated Aceh for relief aid operations.

However, the government should not necessarily overreact the suspicions, he told a hearing with the House of Representatives' Commission I for defense and intelligence affairs in Jakarta on Thursday.

"Of course, the United States government has its interests and it will use this opportunity to closely monitor the geographic conditions of Aceh and the Strait of Malacca," Syamsir said without further elaborating.

Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono and Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto attended the hearing.

Syamsir said the United States had wanted a long time to deploy its military personnel in the Strait of Malacca, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes near Sumatra island, an area where piracy runs virtually unchecked.

Australia also had similar an intention to establish its presence in the Strait, he said.

"We should not be extremely suspicious of their presence (in Aceh). We need their practical support to handle the catastrophe aftermath," Syamsir was quoted by Antara news agency as saying.

The presence of the foreign military forces should encourage the Indonesian government improve its readiness to anticipate possible emergency situations in the future.

International affairs expert Hikmahanto Juwono, from the University of Indonesia, said that as a "warning", such a statement by the chief intelligence officer was normal.

Hikmahanto, however, urged Indonesian Military (TNI) soldiers and volunteers to enhance their capacities so as to soon take the lead in the emergency relief operations in Aceh.

"Should the foreign troops carry out espionage missions during the humanitarian operations, it would be a shameful act," he told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Syamsir said BIN had obtained the identity and data of all foreign volunteers working on humanitarian activities in Aceh, including U.S. journalist William Nessen.

The BIN chief blamed immigration officials for allowing Nessen to enter Indonesia, although he was banned from entering the country after allegedly committing an immigration offense in 2003.

Meanwhile, TNI chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto told Thursday's hearing that he would present "tokens of appreciation" to the families of the soldiers killed in the Dec. 26 earthquake-tsunami in Aceh and North Sumatra where more than 160,000 died.

Similar presentations would also be made to soldiers who had joined the relief aid operations.

At least 61 soldiers were killed and 290 others were missing in the tsunami. Forty-six wives of troops died and 265 others are missing, while 107 children have been reported killed while the fate of 542 others remains unknown.

Endriartono said the TNI had deployed 45,000 troops in Aceh, two-thirds of which were assigned to focus on humanitarian operations.

The remaining others were tasked with safeguard the distributions of aid for tsunami victims, and continue th crack down on separatist rebels, he said.