Security guard checks the trunk of a car before it entered an office building, in Jakarta, Indonesia

By Kazi Mahmood, IOL Southeast Asia correspondent

Kuala Lumpur, August 8 (IslamOnline.net) - The aftermath of the bombing of the U.S.-run JW Marriott Hotel on Tuesday, August 5, will lead to infringements on privacy once stricter and new security measures are in place in Indonesia to prevent more terror attacks, media sources reported on Friday, August 8.

Insp. Gen. Ansjaad Mbai, head of the antiterrorist desk at the Office of the Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs, said the policy would be applied right across the country, reported the Jakarta Post.

Ansjaad said the measures would mean that everywhere in the country will be considered to be at risk from terror attacks, adding that it is a wake-up call for all Indonesians.

The public should know that the threat of terrorism is all around us, Mbai said. “We do not mean to create panic, but the people have to realize that their families, friends or even themselves could become the victims of these acts of terror”.

Ansjaad said the police would intensify ID card checks and, if necessary, raid places about which they were suspicious, including homes, without warrants, raising more fears in the country that human rights gains after the fall of former dictator Suharto will be lost due to these measures.

Other sources in Jakarta told IOL that road blocks, police checks across streets and busy roads or even popular areas in the city and other cities all over Indonesia will become a reality in the largest Muslim nation on earth.

Security officers will intensify these checks and the police may altogether create special task forces that would carry such checks and would share intelligence with the regular police force.

Rights movements are already complaining that such intrusions into the privacy of the people would not stop the bombing spree in the country, saying that there are deeper problems that are causing terrorism to surge in a country of 212 million people.

Some student’s organizations in Jakarta have also criticized the decision to launch an all out check on IDs and belongings in the streets and buildings because it will violate privacy.

Preemptive Action

However, Ansjaad insisted that no one will be exempted even if they are state officials. “People should see this as preemptive action rather than intrusions into their privacy,” he added.

Authorities said that they have no choice but to opt for early detection of such potential dangers as bombings and other attacks in Indonesia.

The government has decided to implement new security measures, including sharing of intelligence between police and immigration as well as the military.

“With these measures, Indonesia is fully entering the new age of controls and checks to which the people are not used to here,” said a student participating in a rally in the street.

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the policy might not be popular among rights activists, but it was essential to prevent even more deaths at the hands of the terrorists, said the Jakarta Post.

At least 10 people were killed and 149 others injured in the Marriott Hotel bombing. Police have linked the attackers with the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist network, which is allegedly connected with Al-Qaeda and has been blamed for the Bali bombings.

Ansjaad said local governments would be encouraged to ensure that those living in their jurisdictions were alert to the terror threat, which not only targeted foreign interests but was "a real threat to everyone here in Indonesia".

He added that people will also be urged to strengthen neighborhood security systems, including preventing vehicles from entering their areas unless they were searched,

However, activists in Jakarta told IOL that this will be difficult to implement in remote areas, even in Jakarta itself.

“Indonesia will never become a police state, the failure to control terrorism in the country is the responsibility of the government of Megawati Sukarnoputri, not the people,” said another student, who called on the President to resign.

There is a strong anti-U.S. and anti-Western sentiment in Indonesia and this will not help the authorities win the war they are waging against terrorism, Isa Selamat, a writer from Indonesia and an observer of Indonesian affairs living in Kuala Lumpur said to IOL.

He added that Indonesia has severe problems to deal with and controlling every nook and corner of the country will not prevent terror.

“It’s the main policies of the country, the war against Aceh and the attacks against Muslims and Islam that has to stop, and then we might see clearly,” said Isa Selamat.

Nothing To Do With Islam

Meanwhile, the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, the country's two largest Muslim organizations, condemned the bomb attack on JW Marriott Hotel and called on people to remain calm.

In their joint statement issued on Wednesday, the two groups that has approximately 75 million followers, asked community leaders and observers to refrain from speculating on what caused or who perpetrated the act of terror that claimed at least 14 lives, but to leave it to the police.

They called on people to remain calm and ignore provocation and speculation.

The series of bombings across the country this year revealed the government's weakness in investigating and preventing the crimes, the statement said, adding that the Marriott bombing had nothing to do with Islam.