Suicide bombings in December?

Suicide bombings in December?

From Media Indonesia

The planned suicide bombings in Indonesia's international hotels and alien settlements in December 2003, said to have been based on Indonesian intelligence information as quoted by The Sunday Times and The Strait Times, have triggered more polemics, speculation, interpretation and caused anxiety.

Some people have alleged that such reporting was just a conspiracy by foreigners to create socio-political chaos in Indonesia. Therefore, in order to prevent the information from being attributed to the National Intelligence Agency (BIN), it denied that the information carried in both papers had come from its officials.

Apart from the actual source of this information, there are positive aspects to ponder. First, the public will always be alert against the danger of terrorism. Second, the need has arisen to consolidate and reorder the working system of Indonesian intelligence for earlier detection of terrorist actions. Third, common understanding will develop among social, political, legislative and executive leaders concerning their shared responsibility to deal with terrorism.

We should avoid prejudice, mutual suspicion and baseless arguments by adopting an objective attitude. The fact that our country has lately become a target of terrorist operations should be admitted as our common weakness. Meanwhile, the legislative and executive circles themselves have not developed the same vision and perception regarding this matter.

YUNITA T. MUHIDIN Jakarta