Terror threats not shared with police: Officers
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The National Police disclosed on Monday that foreign missions have not shared information concerning possible terrorist threats against foreign interests here in retaliation for the United States-led attack on Iraq.
"There is no such sharing of information between the police and foreign missions regarding the issue," police spokesman Sr. Comr. Zainuri Lubis told The Jakarta Post.
The police always cooperate with foreign countries in handling certain issues, said Zainuri. He was referring to the current joint team involving the National Police and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to investigate the Oct. 12, 2002 terror attack in Bali, which claimed at least 202 lives, and the involvement of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the probe into an ambush near Freeport mining site in Papua in August last year.
Concerning the Iraq war, the police have only cooperated with security officers of foreign missions here in anticipating of an escalation in demonstrations against the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, he said.
Following the move by the American and Australian governments, the British embassy warned its citizens on Monday of a possible terrorist attack in Surabaya or elsewhere in the country in connection with the Iraq war.
Citing "credible information", Australia advised its nationals not to visit Surabaya and of a possible terror attack on or about March 23. No incident occurred in the city on that date.
The U.S. Embassy has also warned that the war against Iraq could prompt further terrorist attacks in Indonesia following the Bali blasts last October that killed 202 people, mainly foreigners.
Spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Stanley Harsha, refused to comment on the issue. However, he said the U.S. government "has developed good cooperation with the police in a bid to protect its citizens and interests here".
A spokesperson for the British Embassy also refused to comment on the matter, while the Australian Embassy spokesman could not be reached for comment.
Separately, Jakarta regretted the recent warnings from the foreign governments, saying that the warnings do not reflect the actual peaceful situation in the country.
"We acknowledge the obligation of foreign countries to protect their citizens, and should they have any information regarding security please share it with us," spokesman of the foreign affairs ministry, Marty Natalegawa, told the Post
The police refuted the possibility that warnings from several countries were linked to possible terrorist attacks in the country.
"We found no indication of such a planned attack," said Insp. Gen. Erwin Mappaseng, the National Police's intelligence head.
He pointed to the recent investigation of a ship, in which terrorists had reportedly planted a bomb, in East Java's capital of Surabaya.
Sources said that the police obtained the information on a possible bombing of a ship from locals on Friday. On Saturday morning, the police combed the ship, which travels between Makassar and Surabaya, only to find that the report was a hoax.
Marty said that the government refused to relate the current rallies with terrorist activities saying that the protesters were "honest and law-abiding citizens, who oppose the war".
He said that current antiwar rallies were also happening in many countries around the globe and so far none of the demonstrators had resorted to violence.
The country has seen continuous antiwar rallies that have, on the whole, proceeded peacefully.