'U.S. has no right to bring war on terror to RI'

'U.S. has no right to bring war on terror to RI'

Agencies, Jakarta

Terrorists may have the potential to set up in Indonesia but
that does not give the United States the right to bring its war
on terrorism to the world's most populous Muslim country,
Indonesia's intelligence chief said.

But A.M. Hendropriyono, quoted by the official Antara news
agency on Tuesday, also said working with the United States to
combat terrorism was in Indonesia's national interests.

The comments mark growing public acceptance by officials that
the vast Indonesian archipelago could be infiltrated by militants
such as Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.

Malaysia and Singapore have arrested groups of alleged Islamic
militants over the last month, linking them with al-Qaeda and
saying they also had cells in Indonesia, although Jakarta says
there is no evidence of any ties to local Muslim groups.

"We have to admit that Indonesia could become a pocket for
terrorism, so we need to work together (with the U.S.). But that
does not mean the United States can make the archipelago of
Indonesia part of its war," Hendropriyono said late on Monday.

In a recent newspaper interview, U.S. Deputy Secretary of
Defense Paul Wolfowitz said in the next phase of the U.S. war on
terrorism Washington would focus on keeping terrorists out of
places like Somalia, Yemen, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Indonesia has come under the spotlight due to fears al-Qaeda
would encounter little difficulty infiltrating Indonesia because
of its poverty, communal violence, poor law enforcement and the
emergence in recent years of a number of small radical Muslim
groups.

Arguably the country's sprawling geography -- stretching more
than 5,000 km (3,100 miles) from the northern entrance of the
Strait of Malacca to western New Guinea and encompassing more
than 17,000 mostly uninhabited islands -- makes Indonesia
tempting for terrorists seeking remote bases.

Echoing Jakarta's line, Hendropriyono said international
terrorism was the enemy of the global community. He did not
mention al-Qaeda.

National police spokesman Saleh Saaf said on Saturday it would
be fairly easy for militants to slip into the archipelago.

Washington launched its war on Afghanistan to hunt down bin
Laden and members of al-Qaeda, accusing them of undertaking the
Sept. 11 air attacks that killed around 3,000 people in the
United States.

Many mainstream Islamic leaders and political say that despite
its many problems, Indonesia will not become a breeding ground
for extremist pan-Islamic groups.

Hendropriyono last month sparked confusion by saying al-Qaeda
had once been in the Poso area of Central Sulawesi, scene of
violence between Muslims and Christians, but was now gone.

He appeared to base those remarks on information provided by
Spanish authorities probing the al-Qaeda network.

Amien Rais, head of Indonesia's People's Consultative
Assembly, has said that Hendropriyono had since told him there
was no evidence.

In the West Java capital of Bandung police have detained 10
youths who are members of an illegal group called the Indonesian
Islamic State (NII), a police detective said here Tuesday.

They were caught during a gathering in a rented house here
Sunday, Comr. Zaunul Arifin said.

Parents, whose children had joined NII, have grouped
themselves and lodged complaints with the police, saying their
children's behavior has drastically changed after joining the
illegal group, Zaunul said.