It should not be surprising at all that many, if not most, of the terrorist activities in Indonesia have been financed with overseas funds, especially from the Middle East.

Therefore stricter control should be enforced on banks and money transfers from that area, as well as from Malaysia, to both Islamic charitable foundations and to individual account holders in Indonesia with no known family or business ties in those areas.

"Cash *n Carry" delivery by personal couriers will of course be much harder, if almost impossible, to trace. However, if these funds continue to be channeled unabated to the parties concerned in Indonesia, where, despite all the past bombings and carnage, there still seems to be quite a number of sympathizers of terrorism in the name of Islam, then it looks like this country has a long way to go before this evil is eradicated.

V.T. Hopkins
Jakarta

After a four-year silence, terrorism is back in our country. Very active and effective. During these four years, according to media, there were many alerts on the Internet of predictions that South Jakarta would again become the target of Islam Jihadists.

Many were skeptical of this news, laughing at saying Jemaah Islamiyah has been destroyed long ago. Noordin Top was killed in an ambush. Facts show that in South Jakarta's Tebet Timur is an Islam Institute for counter-protection networks with other Islam colleges in Surabaya, Bandung, Batam and Ambon, and maybe outside Indonesia too.

The government cannot just say "don't to this or that" but should be able to deliver.

The President needs to fulfill promises he once made that he would bring to justice all those Islam Clerics behind terrorism, numbering in the thousands.

Terrorism can be fought not by police and the army alone. A war on terror requires coordination with intelligence networks and the elimination of government members in parliament who sympathize with Islam-terrorism as a medium of protection.

Imam Hermanto
Jakarta

Directly or indirectly, foreign involvement is present almost everywhere. In that sense, terrorism cannot be an exception. Although unwanted and unavoidable, it can be contained by maintaining continuous vigilance. There can be no room for complacency.

Foreign involvement begins by importing seeds of hatred and planting them in fertile grounds. Once the germination starts, the growth is nurtured by providing the right growth constituents.

The foreign involvement goes beyond the physical involvement of some foreign nations.

The influencing factors which have been around for a while have resurfaced and are gaining momentum. Clearly, foreign involvement has a vision to succeed, no matter how long it takes.

If we take this into consideration, and acknowledge the war against terror, then the role of military is indeed crucial. At the same time proper guidance is also needed to educate the general public.

Anand K Bapat
Jakarta

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