RI studies U.S. aid to fight terrorism

RI studies U.S. aid to fight terrorism

Indonesia had received several offers of assistance from
the United States to help it crack down on the international
terrorist movement, Foreign Affairs Minister Hassan Wirayuda said
on Monday.

He said that Indonesia was in the process of assessing the
proposals on intelligence information exchange, police training
courses and training in the banking sector to help track down
terrorism funding.

The U.S. has allocated US$10 million for the assistance.

"We are still assessing our limitations, what we need in
combating terrorism together with the international community,"
Hassan told reporters after meeting with the Chief Minister of
Australia's Northern Territory, Clare Martin.

The U.S. offered to provide specialized training for both the
police and immigration officials to investigate and curb
terrorist acts, he said.

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said earlier that Indonesia was not
under any pressure to step up efforts in investigating terrorist
acts, saying that any such efforts would be aimed mainly at
addressing national security concerns.

The National Police have yet to identify any terrorist groups
operating in the country, with both their chief and the Minister
of Defense saying that investigations were still underway.

Indonesia came under the international spotlight recently when
a man claiming to be an Indonesian citizen was arrested in the
Philippines two weeks ago for his alleged links with the al-Qaeda
movement.

Last week, Susilo told reporters that the results of
investigations into terrorist links in the country, if any, would
be announced soon. --JP