South Sulawesi forms anti-terrorism forum

The National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) has set up a Coordination Forum for the Prevention of Terrorism (FKPT) in South Sulawesi to prevent the propagation of radical ideas closely associated with terrorism.

The terrorism-prevention program is carried out by building a cooperation network with local communities in a bid to detect any radical doctrines and launching efforts to counter them.

The FKPT members were drawn from stakeholders, including the police, community leaders, religious leaders, the national intelligent agency and NGOs, said BNPT prevention, protection and deradicalism division deputy head Agus Surya Bakti on Tuesday in Makassar.

BNPT has been forming FKPT in a number of regions across the country since 2011. The South Sulawesi FKPT is the 18th of its kind in Indonesia. BNPT plans four more forums by the end of the year.

Agus said that terrorists today had shifted their targets. “They [terrorists] no longer target only foreigners, but also the state apparatus,” said Agus, adding that the terrorists had also “changed” their weapons from using highly destructive massive bombs to small-scale bombs, grenades and also chemical weapons, which are more difficult to detect.

The radical terrorist groups, Agus said, targeted youths as members and used the Internet to spread their teaching and ideology.

“If the people realize this and start to become proactive in protecting their relatives and regions from radical ideas, then we can counter the spread of terrorism,” Agus continued.

Based on National Police data, Agus said 25 of 300 terror convicts reportedly got involved again in terrorism after being released from detention.

Source: the Jakarta Post