House told to pass intel bill after bombing

The House should pass its long-deliberated intelligence reform bill in the wake of the suicide bombing of a police mosque on Friday, a senior politician says.

"I believe that the intelligence law will contribute positively to our efforts to end terrorism in the future. Thus I strongly expect our lawmaker colleagues to finish deliberating the bill immediately," Regional Representatives Council Irman Gusman leaders told journalists on Saturday.

House Commission I has been debating the bill, which, among others things, contains contentious passages that would allow the nation's intelligence agencies to arrest or eavesdrop on people with court orders - something activists contend evoked president Soeharto's strong-armed rule during the New Order.