Terror threats not shared with police: Officers

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.