Regional offices to revitalize network: BIN

Regional offices to revitalize network: BIN

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

State Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Hendropriyono said on
Monday that the planned establishment of his agency's branches at
the provincial, municipal and regental levels was aimed at
revitalizing the office.

Speaking publicly for the first time on Monday regarding the
plan, Hendropriyono said the move was designed to inject new life
into intelligence offices across the country.

"We already have the network up to the municipal level, but we
need to revitalize the system," Hendropriyono said before
attending a Cabinet meeting with President Megawati
Soekarnoputri.

"The posts are already there, but some have no personnel,
while some need to be strengthened," said the retired three-star
Army general.

However, he refused to disclose the number of existing
personnel on the field and possible additional people to
strengthen the intelligence community.

Hendropriyono first floated the idea to set up intelligence
offices at the municipal level following the deadly Bali bombing
that killed more than 200 people on Oct. 12, 2002.

For some, the terrorist attack as well as several ensuing bomb
attacks pointed to poor performance on the part of intelligence
agencies.

After receiving Presidential Instruction No. 5/2002 that
reinstated BIN's coordinating authority, Hendropriyono said that
coordination should begin at the grassroots level.

With the coordinating authority, intelligence officers from
the police, military and prosecutor's office should report the
results of their intelligence analysis to BIN.

Hendropriyono said the government would still discuss the
legal basis for the establishment of these offices.

A staff member at the State Secretariat said on Monday that
BIN had not yet submitted a written proposal on the planned
establishment of intelligence offices at the provincial and
municipal and regental levels.

"They (BIN office) should submit the draft first before we can
do anything with it and so far we have not received a draft from
them," the official told The Jakarta Post.

The debate over the establishment of these intelligence
offices came to the fore again after State Minister for
Administrative Reforms Feisal Tamim said that President Megawati
was ready to sign a decree to officiate the branches.

He said last week that the decree would detail the structure
of the offices and appoint regional government leaders as
supervisors of the intelligence community.

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, however, expressed concern over the
plan, saying that such a move should obtain approval from the
Cabinet.