Indonesia Logs Zero Terrorist Attack in 2023, Says BNPT

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Head of the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT), Commissioner General Mohammed Rycko Amelza Dahniel reported zero terrorist attacks in the country throughout 2023 and until June 2024.

“Thank God, there has not been a single terrorist attack in Indonesia,” he said during a meeting with the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission III in the Senayan Parliament in Jakarta on Thursday, June 27.

Rycko said the law enforcement assisted by the National Police’s anti-terror squad (Densus 88) and the Indonesian Military (TNI) contributed to this accomplishment. He also acknowledged the vital role of public support in preventing terrorism threats.

He compared the situation to other nations that are experiencing heightened terrorism concerns, such as the Philippines, Malaysia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Somalia, Yemen, and Russia. He also highlighted Indonesia's improved position in the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) from 24th in 2022 and 2023 to 31st among countries with the highest terror threat.

However, he reminded the government that they must not be careless and complacent, emphasizing the ‘iceberg theory’, where the current calm might mask a larger threat of consolidating terror cells operating underground.

Rycko further mentioned the BNPT’s budget, which continues to face ongoing reductions within the State Budget (APBN). “The agency’s expanding responsibilities under Law No. 5 of 2018 and the rising threat of radical terrorism are not proportional to the decreasing budget every year, with Rp430 billion in 2023.”

Previously, the BNPT proposed an additional budget for the 2025 Fiscal Year from the indicative ceiling of Rp626.4 billion to Rp877 billion in a working meeting with the DPR's Commission III on June 10.

SULTAN ABDURRAHMAN

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