Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Indonesia follows Thailand on phone-SIM registration (Action to combat terrorism)
Bangkok Post ^ | 29 October 2005 | Bangkok Post

Posted on 10/29/2005 2:53:23 PM PDT by Cornpone

Jakarta (dpa) - Indonesia ordered users of pre-paid cellular phone to be registered, a move aimed at aiding its efforts to combat terrorism, local media reports said Saturday.

Minister of Communications and Information Sofyan Djalil said a decision to register the prepaid cellular phone users was in anticipation of electronic crimes ranging from scams to terrorism. He said the registration process would start on Saturday and be completed by early April next year.

"There have been many complaints by people from housewives to state officials on electronic crimes. Therefore, the government decided to identify prepaid (phone) card users," the state-run Antara news agency quoted Djalil as saying.

He said cellular phone operators must deactivate cell phone numbers should customers fail to hand over their personal data by the deadline, and numbers would be deactivated should data be incorrect or fake.

Cellular phone operators must submit their data on customers to the Attorney General's Office, National Police and the communications ministry, in a bid to assist the investigation of special crimes, the Jakarta Post reported.

Only a small number of Indonesia's estimated 40 million mobile phone users do not use pre-paid phones. At present, prepaid cards for cellular phones are sold freely and customers are neither required to fill in a form nor submit a copy of their ID card.

Many cellular phone operators currently offer low-priced prepaid cards, starting from around the equivalent of two-dollars, in a highly competitive market.

It was the latest move by the Indonesian government to strengthen its efforts to combat terrorism, in the wake of the October 1 triple bombings on Bali, which left at least 23 people dead, including three alleged suicide bombers.

Anti-terror experts have suspected Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), the al-Qaeda-linked militant group also accused in other bombing attacks in Indonesia - the world's most populous Moslem nation - in recent years. The October attack was the second to hit Bali in three years.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, in a speech days after the October Bali blasts, said he wanted to see the country's powerful military take a more active role in fighting terrorism, a move triggering fears of a return to the days of military abuse under former authoritarian president Suharto before he was ousted in 1998.

Leaders of the Indonesian armed forces, known by its local acronym TNI, immediately ordered their local forces re-activated, a tactic strongly criticized by human rights campaigners during Suharto's New Order regime for giving the military the right to spy on the country's own citizens.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: cellphones; indonesia; ji; mobile; phones; prepaidcellphones; sim; terror; terrorism; thailand
Hopefully this will have some impact on the use of mobile phones as triggers for remotely detonated devices.
1 posted on 10/29/2005 2:53:24 PM PDT by Cornpone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Cornpone
Hopefully this will have some impact on the use of mobile phones as triggers for remotely detonated devices.

Probably no impact, but it will help the government keep track of their (law abiding) citizens.

2 posted on 10/29/2005 3:11:12 PM PDT by cryptical
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cryptical
Probably no impact, but it will help the government keep track of their (law abiding) citizens.

In a country where phony IDs are as available as candy the likelihood of it helping is minimal.

Even with registration, a stolen phone is easy to come by, and anyone planning to use them for remote detonators can overcome any such obstacles.

What's next? Registration of Garage Door Openers, Remote Car Door Locks, TV Remote Controls?

3 posted on 10/29/2005 3:24:08 PM PDT by adamsjas
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson