Anton Aliabbas, Jakarta – The plan to reactivate the TNI’s (Indonesian military) territorial commands has been greeted by condemnation. The coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), Usman Hamid, believes it is irrelevant to reactivate the territorial commands to prevent terrorism because the TNI already has enough regional intelligence networks.

“In terms of the legislation of course it allows the TNI to assist in preventing and averting terrorists. But if the mistake is with the problem of coordination, it means it’s BIN’s [National Intelligence Agency] mistake, not the TNI”, said Hamid at a press conference at the Kontras’ offices on Jalan Borobudur in Meteng, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday October 5.

Hamid explained that the TNI’s intelligence network could already be found at every Regional Military Command (Kodam) in Indonesia and they have already been integrated into the community. In addition to this, the Anti-Terrorism Law already provides extra powers and capabilities to the TNI to prevent criminal acts of terrorism.

It is because of this that Hamid believes that steps to reactivate the territorial commands are only to improve the TNI’s public image. “They want to create an image that the TNI is still needed by society”, said Hamid.

The TNI’s plan to reactivate the territorial commands is in response to a request by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that the TNI be involved in the war against terrorism and the planned reactivation of the commands down to the lowest level is only in the context of dealing with terrorism. (gtp)

[Translated by James Balowski.]