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| Southeast Asia |
| Indonesia to beef up security |
| 2010-08-11 |
| [Straits Times] INDONESIA'S President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Tuesday asked police and the military to beef up security following the detention of radical cleric Abu Bakar Bashir this week and capture of several Islamic militants. Detachment 88, the police anti-terror unit, has captured more than 100 suspects and confiscated ammunition, weapons, and explosives following the discovery in February of a militants' training camp in the jungle in Aceh province. Police said in May they had uncovered a plot by militants to assassinate the president and other government officials at the August 17 independence day ceremony. The militants had planned a series of attacks on government officials and foreigners as part of a coup to turn Indonesia into a syariah state. On Monday, police detained firebrand Islamic cleric Bashir, saying he had links to the Aceh militants group. Several other men were detained at the weekend in western Java, and police found explosives at a house used by some of them. 'I heard that this is not the first time that there is a threat (to attack) when we are celebrating our independence, Mr Yudhoyono told his ministers. 'I hope the threat will not discourage us from celebrating...but the police, with the help of the military, must increase security because our principle is we must not be defeated by crime.' |
| Posted by:Fred |