Not easy to define terrorism: Police

JAKARTA: National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar and Deputy Attorney General Fachri Nasution gave inputs on Wednesday to a House committee deliberating the terrorism bill.

Da'i said it was not easy to define terrorism, therefore articles in the bill should instead spell out crimes which could be charged under the law.

The police chief emphasized that a meeting of police chiefs from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) had identified eight crimes that could be categorized as terrorist actions.

They are terrorism, drug trade, arms smuggling, people- smuggling, money laundering, sea piracy, cyber crime, and economic crimes.

Although those acts could be charged under articles in the criminal code and the emergency law, the terrorism bill was still required to create a deterrent effect, Da'i said. --JP