REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia would need a new law to act against foreign terrorist fighters (FTF) and hate speech related to terrorism, an official of the National Agency for Combating Terrorism (BNPT) said. "We cannot yet punish FTF because there is no law on this," BNPT deputy head of enforcement Inspector General Arief Dharmawan said here on Thursday.

He added that the government is still working on revising law 15/2003 on a crackdown on terrorism. "But we do not know when it will be finished. I hope the revision could be completed soon and approved as a new law. We should not let another Thamrin bombing happen again, though we do not yet have laws to handle such terrorism acts," he said.

Issues regarding FTF, Arief emphasized, should be tackled immediately, with the growing risk of terrorism, which has also became a global concern. It requires joint actions among states and institutions, though without intervening each other's interests.

Earlier on Wednesday, BNPT held a meeting with a Focus Group Discussion on FTF and hate speech related to terrorist acts, in a bid to formulate legal measures. The meeting was attended by representatives of BNPT, Commission III of the House of Representatives, Special Detachment 88, the Attorney General's Office, judges, the immigration office, and representatives of the International Centre for Counter Terrorism (ICCT) that included Dr Christope Paulussen, Sangita Jaghai, and Rene Elkerbout.

Arief said the legal formula would become a counter measure against the flow of Indonesian FTFs returning from Iraq, in particular because of ISIS leaders' calls for their followers to continue the fight in their respective countries, after Mosul was captured by Iraqi forces. 

Such a situation, he added, must be considered with the fact that some Indonesians have joined the fighting in Iraq and Syria, not to mention the ISIS supporters at home. "Although the number is not significant, the existence of Indonesians joining ISIS is still a threat. We have bad experiences with those returning from Afghanistan," he said.

In addition to FTF, Arief said, the country has also faced a serious threat from widespread hate speech in social media, which harmed certain individuals, ignited hatreds, and urges others to violate the law. "This must be strictly handled because many terrorism acts were started through cyber friendships," he said.

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