The National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) has requested the support of the House of Representatives in establishing a headquarters in Jakarta to ease its task of monitoring suspected terrorists.

BNPT's current office in Sentul, West Java, is quite far from the capital, which results in inefficiency, BNPT chief Comr. Gen. Tito Karnavian said during a hearing with House Commission III on legal affairs on Wednesday. The Sentul office also serves as the agency's training ground and for deradicalization programs.

"Please help us get an office in Jakarta. It is difficult to coordinate with other government agencies, especially if there is an emergency in Jakarta," he said.

The new office could be a new building or space on the premises of another government agency, Tito added.

The BNPT also plans to build a terrorism crisis center in the new premises, in line with a 2010 presidential regulation.

The crisis center will ease monitoring the movements of suspected terrorists, particularly in a number of cities susceptible to terrorist attacks, such as Jakarta, Bandung in West Java, Bali and Surabaya in East Java, Tito said.

The center would be also systematically connected to all stakeholders in respective roles in counterterrorism in Indonesia, he added.

Commission III member Adies Kadir from the Golkar Party faction questioned the government's support of the BNPT, considering the lack of facilities but the expectation for the agency to counter terrorism.

"How can the BNPT maximize its efforts when it is not supported by facilities from the government?" Adies commented during the hearing.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker Herman Hery voiced support for the BNPT and suggested it use the former building of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to meet its immediate needs.

The antigraft commission moved to a new building on Jl. Kuningan Persada in South Jakarta, which was inaugurated by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Dec. 29, 2015. The KPK previously said that its old building on Jl. Rasuna Said would be used as anti-corruption training center that could also be used by other government agencies.

Source:
courtesy of THE JAKARTA POST

by Marguerite Afra Sapiie

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