'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.