'Fight against terrorism goes on'

'Fight against terrorism goes on'

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post,
New York/Jakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri has insisted that despite
increasing protests, her government will continue to take
preemptive measures against terrorism in Indonesia and to keep
hard-line groups under surveillance in an effort to prevent
further terror attacks in the future.

Speaking in front of the Indonesian community here on Monday
evening local time, the President said that the country has been
consistently fighting against terrorism -- a task made especially
necessary by the string of terrorist attacks that had occurred
inside the country.

"We will continue taking the necessary measures against
terrorist suspects according to the law, and to monitor
particular hard-line groups that may be planning to launch terror
attacks," said Megawati, who was applauded by the dozens of
Indonesians in attendance.

The President, who is accompanied by 70 government officials
and legislators, is here to deliver a speech on terrorism and
multilateralism to the 58th session of the UN General Assembly.

Megawati also defended the recent arrests by police of 18
people suspected of having links to the recent terrorist attacks
or those who were allegedly involved or convicted of involvement
in the attacks.

She told her audience that Indonesia has enacted a strict
antiterror law and other regulations to deal with terrorism at
home, and transnational crimes involving other countries.

"We have transparently announced how many people have been
detained under the new law," she said, adding that the police had
arrested 18 people alleged to be linked to the Aug. 5 JW Marriott
Hotel bombing in Jakarta and other bombs in the past.

The key suspects in Oct. 12, 2002 Bali blasts have been
sentenced to death while an accomplice was given a life sentence
and many others were punished with terms of between four and 16
years imprisonment

The police have insisted they are hunting down a number of
people, including the main suspects who were still at large, for
their roles in the terrorist attacks.

A number of Muslim organizations have protested the recent
arrests of 18 terrorist suspects and called for their release as
the claim the arrests were not conducted in line with due
process.

Hundreds of Muslims grouped in the Muslim Solidarity Alliance
(ASOUM) staged a protest at police headquarters and the
provincial legislative council in the East Java city of Surabaya,
demanding that the police release the detainees.

The protesters claimed the police had abducted the suspects
and said this would jeopardize the Muslim people's future in
Indonesia.

The police in Semarang announced on Tuesday that they had
released two of three suspects arrested in Karanganyar due to
lack of evidence. With the releases, the police are still
detaining 16 suspects, who are still undergoing intensive
interrogation.

A number of wives of the detained suspects submitted protests
with the Crescent Star Party (PBB) faction in the House of
Representatives, and called on the police to release all the
suspects.

Meanwhile, the President guaranteed the safety of investors in
Indonesia during a dialog with the America Business Society.

"We are continuing to tracking down the perpetrators,
dismantle their cells and bring them to the court in accordance
with our law," she said.

The President said that this kind of crime should not be
related to a particular religion or race as "Terror may happen
anytime, anywhere and may be committed by anyone."

Asked to comment on Vice President Hamzah Haz's close ties
with certain hard-liners, and a recent statement in which he
called the United States "the king of terrorists", the President
said: "What the Vice President has said is really his personal
opinion, while the government remains consistent in the fight
against terrorism."

National Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said at a hearing
with the House of Representatives Commission II on security and
home affairs on Tuesday that the police have released four of the
17 detainees -- not 18, as reported recently.

But he declined to provide details about the four who were
released.

Da'i defended the arrests, saying the detainees were hiding
information, harboring Bali bombing suspects or planning other
terror attacks.

Asked about the manner in which the arrests were carried out,
Da'i said the controversy stemmed from a misunderstanding of the
2003 Antiterrorism Law and the Criminal Law Procedures Code
(KUHAP), which allows the police only one day to interrogate a
detainee.

The Antiterrorism Law allows the police seven days to arrest
someone allegedly involved in terror acts.

Da'i said warrants would be issued before an arrest in future
to avoid a similar controversy.