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Police should still lead counterterrorism efforts: Chief
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Close talks -- National Police chief Gen.Badrodin Haiti (left) speaks with Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen.Gatot Nurmantyo before a limited Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Office in Jakarta on Jan.5
(thejakartapost.com/Wienda Parwitasari)
N
ational Police chief Gen.Badrodin Haiti asserted on Tuesday that the police should remain the leading force in the country’s efforts to combat terrorism.
He further said the Indonesian Military’s (TNI) role in counterterrorism measures, as stipulated in the draft revision of the 2003 Terrorism Law, should be discussed thoroughly because it did not have authority as a law enforcer.
"We are applying a criminal justice system [in counterterrorism], which means all law enforcement measures will end at the court and therefore the police are still the leading sector," Badrodin said as quoted by tribunnews.com in Jakarta on Tuesday.
He further said the military had also taken part in counterterrorism operations, such as Operation Tinombala in Poso, Central Sulawesi, in which police and military personnel cooperated to hunt down members of a terrorist group led by Santoso in the regency.
If the TNI stands independently and does not cooperate with the police in counterterrorism operations, its position is likely to be questioned since it does not have authority as a law enforcer, Badrodin said.
The House of Representatives' special committee on the deliberation of the draft revision of the law has been debating a plan to insert articles on the military’s role in counterterrorism measures. Human rights watchdogs have strongly criticized the plan, saying that an active military role in counterterrorism is prone to human rights violations. (afr/ebf)
