Police want tougher laws against terrorism

National police spokesman Insp. Gen. Nanan Soekarna said here Thursday that Indonesia should have regulations that authorize security officials to apprehend and detain anyone who has colluded in any way with terrorist groups.

With the country’s most wanted terrorist, Noordin M. Top, still on the lose and dozens of his supporters across Java apparently able to keep him hidden, another bomb attack from his Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) faction remains a serious threat, he said.

Nana cited the fact that neighboring countries like Malaysia and Singapore, which have such strong laws, have managed to eradicate terrorism.

“The terrorists don't have the opportunity to live in their countries,” he said recently.

Both Malaysia and Singapore enact the Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows their security officers to apprehend people they believed have links with terrorism.