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.