TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
New antiterror policy sparks fears of witch hunt
A new presidential regulation in Indonesia will enable people to watch and report individuals and acts of violent extremism and terrorism in their neighborhoods.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Security officers dismantle signage belonging to the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) as they close down the hard-line group's headquarters in Petamburan, Central Jakarta, on Dec. 30, 2020, after its official disbandment by the government. (Antara/Akbar Nugroho Gumay)
T
he government has issued a presidential regulation that will enable people to watch and report individuals and acts of violent extremism and terrorism in their neighborhoods, a move that rights activists have cautioned could lead to wrongful arrests and division among the public.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo signed on Jan. 6 Presidential Regulation No. 7/2021 on a national action plan containing strategies to mitigate violent extremism that could lead to terrorism.
According to a copy obtained by The Jakarta Post, the regulation provides broad guidelines for government institutions to run the action plan with the people, including a plan to train residents under a community policing program.
“Participants of the community policing training program will support violent extremism and terrorism prevention efforts,” the regulation said.
The National Police and the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) will be in charge of the training program and raising public awareness on acts of violent extremism and terrorism.
With the country having suffered from various acts of terrorism for decades, the government under President Jokowi has improved Indonesia’s counterterrorism efforts, including by making revisions to the Terrorism Law that extend the detention period for suspects and expands the Indonesian Military’s (TNI) involvement in counterterrorism operations.
Read also: Govt frees cleric linked to Bali bombing
