House Likely to Approve Involvement of Military in Countering Terrorism
Jakarta. The House of Representatives is likely to approve the involvement of the military in countering terrorism, a lawmaker said on Thursday (25/08) amid public controversy surrounding the anti-terrorism law revision.
The revision of the Anti-Terrorism Law seeks to connect it with the Law on the Indonesian Military (TNI) to allow the army to assist the police during operations.
"The military involvement is not rejected at all if it takes the form of assisting the police. I am convinced that most lawmakers agree on it," said Arsul Sani, a member of House of Representatives Commission III, which oversees legal affairs.
The TNI Law stipulates that under presidential instruction, soldiers can take part in non-combat operations to assist police officers. The military, however, demand greater autonomy in countering terrorism.
"If the involvement is not in the form of assistance, as proposed by the military, it would certainly be rejected," Arsul said.
The police have warned against the active involvement of the army, saying it could lead to abuse of power and compromise legal certainty in the case of mistakes by soldiers.
Human rights activists say the law revision may cause a shift in the country's approach to terrorism, from criminal justice to what they have called "a war model."
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