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TNI asks lawmakers to redefine concept of terrorism
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On alert -- The National Police's Densus 88 counterterrorism squad personnel stand guard during a security operation against terrorists recently. (Persda Network/Bina Harnansa)
T
he Indonesian Military (TNI) has called on the House of Representatives to redefine the concept of terrorism in the draft revision of the 2003 Terrorism Law, saying terrorism should no longer be considered a crime so that the TNI could get involved in counterterrorism efforts.
TNI chief of staff Vice Adm. Didit Herdiawan said terrorism should be considered an act of aggression against the country, especially because terrorist groups had developed their own military organizations, recruitment and paramilitary training activities, which posed dangerous risks and threatened Indonesian territory.
"Terrorism should not be considered merely a general crime. It should be anticipated from the beginning by all parties, including the TNI [...] Military measures cannot be separated from counterterrorism," Didit said during a hearing with the House on Thursday.
The military's Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS) chief Maj. Gen. Yayat Sudrajat said combating terrorism should be the main task of the TNI.
He said the roles of BAIS needed to be optimized to allow the early detection of activities of terrorist cells that interconnected with an international network.
Yayat said with its strategic intelligence operation task force that had a presence in border areas such as Aceh, Papua, Poso (Central Sulawesi), and Ambon (Maluku), BAIS could strengthen coordination and information sharing with both internal and foreign intelligence agencies to detect the movement of terrorist cells.
"The TNI's involvement in counterterrorism should be made proportional and clear in the terrorism bill," Yayat said. (ebf)
