Terror fight must include everyone, Sultan says

Terror fight must include everyone, Sultan says

Sri Wahyuni and Haidir Anwar Tanjung, The Jakarta Post,
Yogyakarta/Pekanbaru

Yogyakarta Governor Sultan Hamengkubuwono X said on Monday that
empowering people with security training would be the best way to
deal with terrorism.

In an address to provincial officials, councillors and
security officers attending a coordination meeting,
Hamengkubuwono acknowledged the pivotal role of the ordinary
person in combating terrorism due to the limited strength of
security personnel.

"Bali-like incidents can happen anywhere in the country.
Therefore, it's important for us to protect the community as well
as to empower them so that they will be able to protect
themselves," the governor said.

"It's now time to develop a system to detect any changes in
the community that may lead to a trend of incidents in this
province."

The meeting, attended by 500 people, including district heads,
was held in response to the Bali bombings that killed nearly 200
people, mostly foreigners.

Also present were Yogyakarta Police chief Brig. Gen. Y. Wahyu
Saronto and Commander of the 072/Pamungkas Military Resort
overseeing Yogyakarta, Col. Suwarno.

Saronto shared Hamengkubuwono's opinion on the importance of
networking among the local government, security forces and the
community.

"In China, security forces can even hear a needle falling.
Why? Because they set up a tight-knit network that involves
people in the lowest administrative levels," he said.

Calling the present security condition in Yogyakarta abnormal
and resembling the situation in the 1980s when terrorist acts
were rampant in the province, Col. Suwarno said it was better to
spend energy on prevention rather than the cure.

He therefore call all elements in the community to reinstate
traditional communication means and night patrols in the wake of
the terrorist threats.

Bomb threats targeting shopping malls and hotels have become
more frequent in the province lately, but have so far proven to
be hoaxes. Police say the perpetrators of the threats call from
telephone booths.

"That's why we have also increased cooperation with Telkom to
anticipate bomb threats," Saronto said, referring to the state
telecommunications company.

Meanwhile, Riau began to feel the effects of the Bali bombing
as a delegation of French investors postponed their visit to
Pekanbaru for talks on a railway project in the oil-rich
province.

Head of the Riau Promotion and Investment Office, Herliyan
Saleh, said on Monday that businesspeople were scheduled to begin
a survey of the location of the project on Sunday.

He said the French Embassy had written to the provincial
administration to request a delay to the trip.

"We understand that the delay was related to the incident in
Bali. They were afraid of a repeat of the tragedy, although it
doesn't mean that they have canceled the project," he said.

Herliyan said a group of Chinese investors had earlier
indefinitely delayed a visit to sign a cooperation on
infrastructure development due to the bomb attacks in Bali.