BIN's potential overlap with Army commands queried
BIN's potential overlap with Army commands queried
Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Sandy Darmosumarto, The Jakarta Post,
Jakarta
An activist with a rights watchdog, which had reported in
December that the national intelligence body was already
beginning activities at the district level, questioned a
potential overlapping of functions with the military's
territorial commands.
"I am afraid Indonesia will turn into a police state. People
would be monitored by many intelligence bodies," Munir of
Imparsial said on Friday. The territorial commands of the
Indonesian Military (TNI) also have intelligence functions.
In December, Imparsial had warned that BIN had started
expanding its powers to the district level across the country.
Imparsial had noted that BIN had recruited officials at
regional administrations to support its operations in Bitung and
West Java, based on reports from its network.
"We fear that the move will turn public servants into agents
who meddle in social and political life," Munir said.
On Wednesday, State Minister for Administrative Reforms Feisal
Tamin disclosed the plan to allow BIN to open offices in all
provinces, regencies and municipalities across the country.
He said that the plan would be supported by a presidential
decree. According to Tamin, each of BIN's representative offices
would be under the auspices of both BIN headquarters and the
regional administration.
However, Coordinating Minister for Political and Security
Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that the plan had to first
secure approval from the Cabinet.
Last month West Java Governor R. Nuriana said the provincial
intelligence coordination body (Bakorinda) would be revived
pending directions from Jakarta. He said it was important given
the weakness in early detection, for instance, of terrorist
activities.
The lack of coordination among state intelligence agencies has
been criticized following the Oct. 12 Bali bombing that killed
202 people.
Following the Bali bombing President Megawati Soekarnoputri
appointed BIN as the sole coordinator for all intelligence
activities in the country.
On Friday Hermawan Sulistyo of the Indonesian Institute of
Sciences (LIPI) said that BIN should instead "improve its
coordination and the quality of their intelligence officers" as
its main obligation is to prevent high-profile crimes, such as
terrorist attacks.
"As coordinator, BIN must be able to guarantee that
intelligence officers from the National Police and the Indonesian
Military always report their findings to them," Hermawan said.
He warned that the plan to expand BIN would lead to state
interference in civilian life and would be prone to abuse.
"Officers could blackmail people or seek to put their
"enemies" in jail," Hermawan said, citing the 2003 antiterrorism
law which allows intelligence officers to arrest suspected
terrorists.
Prior to BIN, the New Order government set up the National
Coordinating Intelligence Agency (Bakin) to detect possible
spread of communism. It was later revamped by former president
Abdurrahman Wahid and renamed BIN.
Police said the expansion of BIN was not a problem. "The more
information we receive the better ... Other institutions besides
the police also possess intelligence units. There is a mutual
exchange of information," said National Police deputy spokesman,
Brig. Gen. Soenarko.