Indonesia, South Korea stage drill to prevent terrorist strikes
22/12/2008 16:15
Indonesia and South Korea today started a month-long joint anti-terrorist
exercise on the outskirts of Jakarta to prevent terrorist attacks during the
upcoming holidays in their countries, spokesman of Indonesian military Brig.
General Bibit Sontoso said in Jakarta.
Indonesia has been vulnerable to
terrorist attacks during Christmas and New Year Eve, as the country has
experienced coordinated-massive blasts since 2000, when blasts hit scores of
churches and injured a number of people.
The drill taking place at Bogor town
was participated by more than 120 Indonesian military officers and 30 South
Korean military personnel, said the spokesman.
"Terrorism is still an
international threat, we must prevent terrorist attacks like that in Mumbai,
India," he told Xinhua.
The terrorist strikes in India's Mumbai last month
killed over 170 people.
"Therefore, we must boost our international
cooperation and capability," said Santoso.
Among the trainers are military
officers from Indonesian special unit force, he said.
During the exercise,
Indonesian special force for presidential security attempted to seize a control
on a building occupied by terrorists and another simulation was securing a
president from terrorist attacks, he said.
The other simulation was carried
out by the South Korean troops to handle terrorist strikes, said Santoso.
The
drill was carried out days after a two-day massive anti-terror exercise by the
Indonesian military and police in some cities nationwide.
Indonesian police
would have boosted security ahead of Christmas and the New Year Eve by
dispatching over 147,000 personnel across the country, with the focus of the
security on churches, mall shopping center and other places where mass gather,
National Police Spokesman Abubakar Natraprawira said.
Indonesia had been hit
by a series of major terrorist attacks from 2000 to 2005, including the Bali
bombings in 2002 and 2005, hotel explosion in 2003 and Australian embassy
bombing in 2004, killing more than 250 people.
The international militant
network of the Jemaah Islamiyah was widely believed behind the deadly
strikes.
Xinhua
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