Special Prisons for Terrorists Wouldn't Solve Terrorism in Indonesia

Vice President Jusuf Kalla has emphasized that building special prisons for terrorists would not solve the problem of terrorism in Indonesia, and would rather bring the nabbed terrorists together at one place.

"As I have been saying earlier, we would not build a special prison on the line of Guantanamo Bay, a special terrorists' custody facility as the US did, because it would not solve the problem," he said here on Friday.

Prisons for perpetrators of terror attacks were definitely required to have more tight and strict security, but it does not mean that they must all be put together in one place.

Kalla said any special prison for terrorists would only pose more danger to the society, and Guantanamo prison was an example of this.

The plan to revise Law number 15 of 2003 regarding "Eradication of Terrorism" included a discussion on establishing special prisons for terror accused in Indonesia.

However, the government did not include that discourse in the article to effect revisions in the law.

The member of House Commission III, Nasir Djamil, said there was no need to treat terrorists in any special way by building such special prisons for them.

Rather, they should be placed in common prisons but in special cells or blocks which keep them separate from other prisoners.

"If there are special prisons, than who will be responsible to oversee these? Such authority only belongs to the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights," Djamil stated.

He explained that radical doctrines should be countered by some real action, such as ensuring development in eastern Indonesia and removing imbalances in society.

Shoring up intelligence network and sleuthing would also help in ensuring that the situation remains conducive throughout the country.

Cooperation among security authorities handling terrorist prisoners should be improved so that they are able to prevent any spread of radical ideology inside the prisons.