Govt guarantees safety of foreigners
Govt guarantees safety of foreigners
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The government is taking measures to ensure the security of
foreigners and their interests in the country as protests against
the United States heighten over its plan to attack Iraq.
Coordinating Minister for Security and Political Affairs
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Thursday that the government
fully guaranteed the safety of foreign citizens and interests
here and was ready to deal with any possible reactions to the
U.S. attacks on Iraq.
"We guarantee the safety of foreign citizens and interests
here as it is our obligation to ensure their security in the
country," Susilo said after a meeting with President Megawati
Soekarnoputri.
He said that the government was taking necessary steps to
protect vital facilities such as those of major U.S. oil and
mining firms in the event of war.
Susilo, however, was quick to add that the decision to ensure
the safety of foreigners and their interests in the country did
not mean that the government supported the U.S. policy.
"This is a nonpolitical issue as it is our obligation to
safeguard vital installations and public places in the country,"
Susilo stressed.
However, he refused to go into the details of the
preparations, saying only that the military was responsible for
the security of vital installations, while police were
responsible for public places.
Indonesia, the world's biggest Muslim country, saw waves of
anti-Western protests in 2001 after the U.S. and its allies
attacked Afghanistan in November 2001.
Some militant groups also conducted sweeping operations
against westerners in several parts of the country, prompting
foreign missions, firms, and schools to suspend their operations
and evacuate their nationals out of Indonesia.
The sweepings also kept badly-needed foreign investment at
bay, depriving the country of an early economic recovery.
Some militant groups have started staging street rallies to
protest the U.S. plan to attack Iraq.
Susilo said on Thursday that the government was fully aware of
the situation and was prepared to handle any eventuality should
anti-American protests go beyond street protests.
"We will accommodate people's aspirations and will not
restrict street rallies, but we are ready to prevent any possible
domestic upheaval," he said.
Susilo said that so far the country's intelligence has yet to
indicate any possible backlash against U.S. interests in the
country, nor any request from the U.S. and its allies for more
security officers.
"Even without those early indications we will still prepare
for any possible outcomes," he remarked.
Meanwhile, chairman of the country's second biggest Muslim
organization Muhammadiyah Syafii Maarif warned on Thursday that
any attack by the U.S. and its allies on Iraq would fuel Muslim
radicalism around the globe.
"We cannot imagine the consequences. It will not only
radicalize Indonesians but also people in the Middle East or even
in France and Germany," Syafii was quoted by AFP as saying.
"It's a crime against humanity and will cause universal
restlessness," he said. Muhammadiyah claims to have around 30
million members.
Syafii also called on President Megawati Soekarnoputri to
speak out strongly against possible attacks on Iraq.
"The government must make known its stance by making powerful
statements. Be a little aggressive," he said.
As he spoke to the media, scores of Muslim youths picketed the
U.S. Embassy in Jakarta.
Syafii and the chairman of Indonesia's largest Muslim
organization Nahdlatul Ulama, Hasyim Muzadi, have rejected an
invitation from the U.S. Congress to attend a National Prayer
Breakfast next month.
They cited the possible war against Iraq and new U.S.
immigration rules deemed to be discriminatory against Indonesians
as the reasons for their refusal to attend the prayer meeting.