The Temanggung saga, which ended with the death of a terrorist suspect believed to be Noordin M. Top, has shown once again the increasing ability of Indonesia's police force to combat terrorism. Combined with the shooting and capture of several other terrorist suspects in Jati Asih, Bekasi, it is clear the Indonesian police, especially the counterterror unit Detachment 88 (D88), deserve two thumbs up for its effort to eradicate threats.
The police should not be deterred by pessimistic or cynical views in some circles among the elite and wider society. Since the Bali bombing in October 2002, the Indonesian Police have come a long way and today D88 is one of the most capable counterterrorism units in the world.
Much has been achieved in the last seven years. Hundreds of suspected and convicted terrorists have been arrested and jailed in that period. We should not forget that one of the most dangerous terrorist leaders, Dr. Azahari Husin, was also killed by the D88 in November 2005.
Your comments:
Sorry, do you think the police deserve two thumbs up?
It was not Noordin Top. The police claimed it was. They say they had followed Noordin for one week, so they let him get away. They said he slept in a graveyard in the week they were following him and they did not simply walk up and arrest him. They did not storm the little house but shot it up. They did not use tear gas to flush the person out but threw rocks onto the roof. Two thumbs up for what?
Porto
Lisbon
I really cannot support the notion that the police deserve praise in this case. Of course the police should have everybody's support, but not as suggested in this article, which seems to suggest they can do no wrong.
According to one report in this paper, the police stated that Noordin was tailed for some days prior to the siege and was observed eating and sleeping in a grave yard. Why was he not apprehended during this time? Many people have asked very relevant questions about the siege. Why was there no attempt to negotiate based on the possibility that innocent people or hostages were in the house? Why was tear gas not used initially?
As there has been no credible claim of responsibility made for the recent bombings, why was apprehending Noordin for interrogation not made a top priority?
It would appear that the author of this article is more interested in flattering the police than giving an unbiased assessment of the series of events leading up to and including the siege.
Denni Hooping
Jakarta
Usually good police work would involve knowing where the person was they needed to capture, not shooting randomly then check the identity later. Come on, get the real man.
Affan Usman
Jakarta
Although the dead terrorist is not Noordin, it is just a matter of time before the counterterror police get to him.
Clearly Noordin is very skilled at hiding himself among the Indonesian population, particularly in Central Java.
I believe the authorities knows where in the community to search for Noordin's hiding place.
Widya Utama
Bergen, Norway
