Security system at vital assets still weak: Top security minister
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Vital assets and public places in the capital city of Jakarta are still at risk of possible terror attacks due to the absence of standard security equipment and systems, a top security minister warns.
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that the existing security systems at vital assets and public places were still inadequate because of the lack of professional personnel, necessary equipment and funds.
"The security system in state-owned installations and public facilities is not adequate to protect them from possible terrorist attacks, including the infiltration of terrorists into vital facilities," he said when making a field inspection of the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Cengkareng, west of here, on Thursday.
The airport was one of three vital assets and public facilities the minister visited. The two others were the House of Representatives building and compound in Central Jakarta and the state-owned Pertamina fuel depot in Plumpang, North Jakarta.
The police have warned of possible terror attacks in the city following the recent arrest of the Mustofa-led cell of terrorist group Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) here and in Central Java. Countries in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines, are on red alert for similar reasons.
The airport is a vital installation since hundreds of planes take off and land their daily, while thousands of passengers travel to and from the airport almost every day.
Security at the airport has been heightened following a blast that destroyed a room at a terminal on April 27 and injured several people. Police are still investigating the incident.
Susilo said the safety of aero-catering service was also a top priority because it could be used as a means to infiltrate the airport to hijack planes or plant explosives in sensitive locations in the vast area.
Susilo asserted that security personnel at the airport should be professional in handling security problems, including terror attacks.
He also expressed regret upon hearing complaints from security personnel at the airport that most high-profile government officials and VIP passengers frequently refuse to undergo a tighter security check as they find it inconvenient.
Security authorities have also bolstered security at the House compound on the eve of the Annual Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) scheduled from Aug. 1 to Aug. 10. A homemade bomb planted in the compound also exploded last month but there were no casualties.
Susilo said that the fuel depot in Plumpang was included in the list of terror targets but it was a key facility that supported activities in the city and its outskirts and, therefore, was a strategic asset that had to be protected with a better security system.
"Any attack on this place (depot) will create social and political instability," Susilo said.
Susilo and his entourage received reports from officials in the three facilities that only 85 percent of all security equipment in the locations was functioning.
The security facilities lacked skilled personnel, necessary equipment such as close-circuit television (CCTV), censor devices and metal detectors, he said.
Accompanying Susilo in the field inspection were Jakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen. Djoko Santoso, Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanegara and also Insp. Gen. Ansjaad Mbai, the head of the antiterrorist desk at the minister's office.
Susilo promised to propose a special budget to enhance the security system in vital facilities and crowded public facilities in the city "because the existing security system is still far from perfect."
"It is important to improve people's awareness of security issues because we all know the threat of terror attacks is mounting, crimes are increasing and transnational crimes have been on the rise (in the region).
"Therefore, we cannot assume that we are safe because certain places here have been attacked," said the minister.