JAKARTA — Indonesia is proposing tougher anti-terror laws that would allow the detention of terror suspects without charges for up two years, amid warnings from terror experts of a potential backfire. "It is an extraordinary crime, it needs extraordinary measures," anti-terror chief Ansyaad Mbai told Agence France Presse (AFP) on Tuesday, September 8.
The Security Ministry has asked lawmakers for sweeping amendments to the current anti-terror law, enacted after the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, mostly foreigners.
The proposal would allow the detention of anyone believed to be involved in terrorism for 30 days, up from a current seven, without declaring him/her a suspect.
It would also enable the detention of a suspect for up to two years before appearing in court, up from 120 days in the current law. Preachers inciting or glorifying terror would be prosecuted under the new amendments, even if they were not involved in any terror act.
The anti-terror chief argues that this would bring Indonesia into line with many Western nations that have tough anti-terror laws.
"Why are all countries practicing very tough laws while our laws are very soft?"
The capital Jakarta was rocked on July 17 by suicide bombings targeting its luxury Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels.
The blasts, which killed seven people and injured 50 others, marked the end of a four-year hiatus in such attacks in the world's most populous Muslim country.
Around 85 percent of Indonesian’s 220-million population follow Islam.
Backfire
Rights groups warn that the plans are tougher than those enacted during the repressive days of former dictator Suharto. "When Indonesia had anti-subversive laws in the New Order era, the detention period was only 100 days," notes National Commission on Human Rights head Ifdhal Kasim.
"This is two years."
He insists that the proposed amendments are very harsh and violate human rights laws.
"We're worried that over two years, detainees can be tortured, they won't be able to communicate with their families," he said.
"This clearly isn't in line with the rule of law and human rights. This proposal is over the top."
Some terror experts fear a more draconian anti-terror law could radicalize more people and drive extremists underground.
"By creating a larger group of sympathizers you could be creating larger pools from which to draw radicals and creating larger pools in which radicals could hide," contends Jim Della Giacoma, International Crisis Group (ICG) Southeast Asia director.
"These are very hardworks to crack. They are very small in some ways, they all went to school together and all know each other."
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