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Alleged terrorists should be detained for 2 years: Govt
The government proposed here Monday to amend the Indonesia's terrorism law to improve the capacity of the Indonesia Military (TNI) and police to handle terrorism, proposing an extension of the detention period for people arrested without charge to two years
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he government proposed here Monday to amend the Indonesia's terrorism law to improve the capacity of the Indonesia Military (TNI) and police to handle terrorism, proposing an extension of the detention period for people arrested without charge to two years.
The current terror law stipulates that police can detain people without charge for up to seven days.
As part of the plan, which most legislators expressed their agreement with on Monday, the government also wants the police and the TNI to be able to arrest those considered to have preached hatred or glorified terrorism.
The proposal to the House of Representatives was made just several weeks after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the TNI needed to take a more active role in fighting terrorism in Indonesia.
“We need to amend articles on the role of the TNI, the intelligence agency and police. We need to optimize their roles,” Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo Adi Sucipto said during a meeting with House Commission I on defense, in Jakarta on Monday.
The current law was not enough to support the government in its fight against terrorism, Widodo said.
Ansyaad Mbai, the head of the counterterrorism desk at the Office of the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, said that one of the most critical clauses to be amended was the one stipulating the minimum detention period for people allegedly involved in terrorism.
“The current seven-day maximum period for detaining people without charge is no longer suitable.
The period is too short for police to investigate these people properly,” he said.
“We suggest the minimum period of detention be increased to two years,” he added.
Ansyaad also said there had to be a clause stipulating that people who preach hatred and openly support acts of terrorism could be criminally charged.
Recent moves to monitor sermons have been harshly criticised.
“It is a fact that there are groups that preach hatred against people with different beliefs and perceptions. Those group leaders have to be made accountable for their actions. There should be a mechanism to criminally charge them with a minimum of 10 years' imprisonment,” he said.
While most legislators agree to the proposal to strengthen the law and increase the role of the TNI in fighting terrorism, they differ in how strong the law should be and how deeply the TNI should be involved.
Legislator Andreas Pareira of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said that the House needed to elaborate on the amendment request.
Yusron Ihza Mahendra from the Crescent Star Party (PBB), said he fully supported moves to empower the TNI to fight terrorism.
Presidential advisor Lt. Gen. (ret) Agus Wijdojo said the amendment of the law and TNI’s involvement in the fight against terrorism must be conducted carefully with very clear regulations to avoid a backlash against security forces from the public, who may accuse them of violating human rights or bringing back practices of the New Order.
During the 32 years of Soeharto’s New Order regime, the military was given authority to arrest and "process" anyone accused of subversion.
Thousands of people were extra judicially arrested or abducted by the military during that time. (hdt)
