Sutanto calls on ASEAN countries to stay alert for terror attacks

Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

National Police chief Gen. Sutanto called on Southeast Asian countries on Thursday to be vigilant in the face of possible terror attacks following a series of bombings here.

Sutanto said closer cooperation between police forces in the region was necessary as terrorists worked beyond state boundaries.

Indonesia has been fighting the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist network Jamaah Islamiyah, which operates across Southeast Asia.

"We continue to obtain and receive information that international terrorists are involved in many attacks and bomb blasts in Indonesia. Their involvement extends to the provision of training, finance, bomb making materials and personnel," Sutanto told an international police forum.

Chiefs of ASEAN and Australian police forces are attending the two-day meeting, which concludes on Friday.

Sutanto pleaded with police chiefs for assistance in combating terrorism in the region by strengthening cooperation and coordination between them.

He did not elaborate on his statement, but asserted that there was an urgent need to establish a working level mechanism for the effective exchange of information and prompt cooperation.

Sutanto suggested the adoption of a post-terrorist attack procedure that would serve as the basis for effective collaboration between an affected country and other ASEAN countries, or with non-ASEAN countries that are in a position to provide assistance.

"Specialist police units such as terrorism strike units, crime scene forensic units, bomb expert units, victim identification units, special intelligence units and technical surveillance units have been supplied by police forces around the globe, including some ASEAN member countries and the Australian Federal Police in the past," Sutanto said.

Such multinational collaboration was last seen in Bali after three suicide bombers attacked in three restaurants in Jimbaran and Kuta on Oct. 1, killing 20 other people.

Sutanto also invited police officers from ASEAN countries and Australia to share ideas and knowledge at the police antiterror training center in Semarang, Central Java.

The meeting comes on the heels of a police raid on the hide- out of fugitive terrorist suspect Azahari bin Husin, who was responsible for three major bomb attacks in the country that killed hundreds of people over the past three years. Azahari died in the shoot-out, while the police are still hunting down his Malaysian compatriot Noordin M. Top.

Sutanto had warned of possible retaliation by Noordin and the rest of his network.

In video footage shown at the official residence of Vice President Jusuf Kalla on Wednesday, a hooded man believed to be Noordin threatened American, Australian, British and Italian nationals in the country since they were considered torturing Muslims around the world.

Responding to the threat, Sutanto said it was the police's responsibility to protect people living in the country, regardless of their nationalities.

He also urged Noordin to give himself up to the police since his partner had died.

"We hope that he realizes what he has been doing is wrong and immediately surrenders himself to the police," Sutanto said.

In a separate interview, Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. I Made Mangku Pastika expressed optimism that terrorism activities would decline following Azahari's death. However, police should stay alert for possible attacks from Azahari's followers, he added.