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Public urged to unite in fight against terrorism
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has reiterated his hope that Indonesians will unite in the fight against terrorism and prevent youths from succumbing to extremist views leading to acts of terrorism
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resident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has reiterated his hope that Indonesians will unite in the fight against terrorism and prevent youths from succumbing to extremist views leading to acts of terrorism.
In his annual Independence Day address Friday, Yudhoyono said terrorists had launched a new offensive of heinous acts against their own country, including their president.
“Let us protect our citizens and youth from misleading, extremist views that may lead them to commit acts of terrorism,” he said.
“I would like to emphasize our country must not, and will not, be defeated by terrorism.”
Yudhoyono made his address at the House of Representative, with Vice President Jusuf Kalla, House Speaker Agung Laksono, legislators, foreign ambassadors and hundreds of top government officials in attendance.
Yudhoyono called on the public to inform police of any suspected terrorist activities in their communities. “These terrorists want us to be gripped by fear and, subsequently, to impede our daily activities,” he said.
A modern wave of terrorist attacks began with the 2002 Bali bombings, which killed 202 people, many of them foreigners.
The latest attacks were the near-simultaneous bombings of the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta, which killed nine people and injured more than 50.
Earlier Monday, National Police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri said police were still on the trail of five top terror suspects who had managed to escape three almost simultaneous raids last week.
The five are Noordin M. Top, Syaifudin Jaelani, Maruto, Bahrudin “Baridin” Latif, and a man identified only as S.
“The people we are after have played important roles in many terrorist activities,” Bambang said.
“We ask for the public's support in arresting them.”
On Wednesday, police seized suspected bomb-making material in Cimahpar village, Bogor. Bambang said the haul was now being examined.
Police are also investigating an email allegedly sent several days ago by Noordin to the blog of a student in Jember, East Java.
Yudhoyono also acknowledged some of the main factors for the continued terrorist activities were poverty, lack of education and social injustice.
“Therefore our strategy is to overcome the root causes of terrorism and eradicate acts of terrorism whenever and wherever they occur,” he said.
House Speaker Agung, in his opening speech at the plenary session, also called on the public to help fight terrorism. “We must fight, unite and double our vigilance in facing terrorism,” he said.
He warned that serious threats of terrorism remained, with the country's most wanted fugitive, Noordin, still on the lose.
Yudhoyono and Agung thanked the National Police for their counterterrorism efforts.
“Keep vigilant and eradicate terrorism down to its roots, wherever it is, whoever it is and whatever their motivations,” Yudhoyono said.
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) legislator Effendy Simbolon said the government did not need to thank the police, because catching terrorists was one of the things they were paid to do.
