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‘No need to form new intelligence body’
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Imparsial executive director Al Araf (left) and Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS) deputy coordinator for strategy and mobilization Puri Kencana Putri speak at a press conference in Jakarta on Monday. (thejakartapost.com/Viriya Paramita Singgih)
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nstead of establishing a new intelligence agency, the Defense Ministry should have coordinated with the existing bodies in order to prevent overlapping functions, a human rights activist has said.
Currently, the country has the National Police's Security Intelligence Agency (Baintelkam), the military's Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS) as well as the National Intelligence Agency (BIN).
“Ideally, the Defense Ministry should communicate with Indonesian Military commander Gatot Nurmantyo. Then, based on the president’s decision, they could place BAIS under the Defense Ministry,” human rights watchdog Imparsial executive director Al Araf said in Jakarta on Monday.
With such a move, the military commander would only control combat intelligence in the battalion and territorial intelligence, he said, adding that the government has failed to establish a clear division of work among the existing intelligence agencies.
Each agency needs to work on a specific issue: law enforcement, home affairs or foreign affairs, Al Araf said. “However, currently BIN and BAIS are doing the same job, including taking care of home and foreign affairs,” he said. (vps/bbn)
