Govt seeks public support in war on terror

Govt seeks public support in war on terror

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Badly stung by continuing negative publicity about its
approach to terrorism, the government went on the offensive on
Monday, stressing it was doing all it could to fight the
terrorist threat.

Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono assembled 10 Cabinet members and Indonesian Military
(TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto to brief Indonesia's main
media organizations about the seriousness of the government's
counter-terrorism efforts.

Indonesia's position has been clear and consistent, Susilo
said at the briefing held at National Police Headquarters. "The
government is committed to stopping, containing and fighting
terrorism."

The government had followed up on all intelligence supplied by
foreign governments, and had taken all the necessary steps
consistent with its commitment, he said.

However, he said the government could not take legal action
against suspects solely based on intelligence information.

He underlined President Megawati Soekarnoputri's warning that
in fighting against terrorism, the government should not engage
in acts of terror itself.

The government planned to introduce a bill on terrorism to the
House of Representatives soon which, if enacted, would give the
authorities greater power to deal with such threats, he added.

Present at the briefing were Coordinating Minister for the
Economy Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti, Coordinating Minister for
People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla, Minister of Home Affairs Hari
Sabarno, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda, Minister of
Defense Matori Abdul Djalil, Minister of Justice and Human Rights
Yusril Ihza Mahendra, National Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar,
TNI Chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto and State Minister of
Communication and Information Syamsul Mu'arif.

Absent was the chief of the National Intelligence Agency
(BIN), Lt. Gen. (ret.) AM Hendropriyono, who has led the
government's campaign against terrorism since it became a major
international issue in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks
in the United States. Hendropriyono was in the Middle East.

Indonesia's campaign, unlike that of its neighbors, has been
low key and largely limited to intelligence operations. The
government is wary of the negative response that might come from
the predominantly Muslim population if it acted without evidence
against radical Islamic groups.

On Tuesday, Susilo and fellow Cabinet members plan to brief
religious leaders on the same issue, signifying a fresh approach
to the government's handling of terrorism, one that involves
greater public participation, and probably more transparency.

At Monday's briefing, media representatives were shown a
documentary video of young men undergoing military training and
receiving their weapons afterwards, and a demonstration of an
attack on a house.

Da'i said the document was part of a collection found in the
possession of Seyam Reda, a German national of Arabic descent
arrested this month on suspicion of terrorist activities.

"We have no idea where and when the video was shot. But we're
investigating," he said.

Critics have accused the government of being ambivalent in
dealing with the threat of terrorism.

On the one hand, there are those who criticized the government
for failing to arrest radical Islamic figures whose names have
repeatedly come up during the investigation of terrorist suspects
in Malaysia and Singapore. On the other hand, there are those who
criticize the government for giving in easily to international
pressure.

The latest case involved an article in Time magazine in which
American intelligence suggests an imminent strike on American
targets in Indonesia on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attack.

Time said the report was based on a confession made by Omar
al-Faruq, who was deported by Indonesia and apparently arrested
by the U.S. authorities. The report said Faruq was the local
operative of al-Qaeda, the organization blamed for the Sept. 11
attacks.

The report created a furor here, with politicians and
religious leaders accusing the magazine of spreading
disinformation propaganda for the U.S. government.

Susilo said the government received the same report quoted in
the magazine, and had treated all the information as intelligence
that needed further investigation.

"The Indonesian government does not have to respond to Time's
report," he said.

Susilo said the government had obtained approval from the
United States for a joint questioning of al-Faruq.

"Politically, we would like to say that Indonesia's interest
in the questioning of Omar al-Faruq is very crucial and the U.S.
government has agreed with this request," he said.