REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia needs to improve its surveillance technology to prevent wire-tapping incidents from recurring, according to experts.

Since it is perceived as a country that is extremely vulnerable to wire-tapping, Indonesia must upgrade its surveillance technology to prevent spying by Australia or the United States.

"Even developed countries with sophisticated communication technology, who are US allies, can be wire-tapped. How much greater are the chances of wire-tapping for developing countries such as Indonesia?" Diponegoro University observer of international relations Hermini S. noted in Semarang, Central Java, on Wednesday.

She said that it was important for Indonesia to improve its surveillance technology rather than expelling US and Australian diplomats from Indonesia.

"Indonesia needs to take resolute action, but it also has to think of the impact of such action. The 'persona non grata' response will have a negative impact on Indonesia's foreign policy," she added.

Hermini also cautioned the government against being reckless in addressing wire-tapping by other countries.

"Wire-tapping by other countries violates our country's sovereignty, but the government should think clearly and not be reckless when it takes further steps," she said.

Meanwhile, a House of Representatives member from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Fachri Hamzah, has asked the government not to become emotional in its response to the wire-tapping allegations. Instead, it should introspect over its internal flaws, he said.

Commenting on the government's decision to recall the Indonesian ambassador to Australia, Fachri said it highlighted the disappointment Indonesia felt over the wire-tapping.

But he added that the government should be rational, not emotional, in its response.

"We need to consider whether the State Code Agency (Lemsaneg) and the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) worked properly. If they did, how could wire-tapping have taken place?" he asked.

However, Tantowi Yahya, a member of the House of Representatives' Commission I, argued that the wire-tapping activities could not be attributed to weaknesses within the State Intelligence Agency.

"I do not agree that the wire-tapping occurred because our intelligence agencies are weak," Tantowi stated on Wednesday.

According to Tantowi, the acts of spying carried out by America and Australia were highly sophisticated and could not have been prevented by Indonesia's intelligence agencies, which even intelligence officials in some developed nations were unable to prevent.

"We can see that even some European countries, such as France and Germany, which have far more advanced surveillance equipment than Indonesia, have been wire-tapped by the United States," he noted.

"It means that to date, there is no technology that can completely prevent such spying by the United States or Australia," he added.

However, Tantowi urged the State Intelligence Agency to draw lessons from the wire-tapping episode and improve its capabilities to ensure state security.

"The wire-tapping incident needs to be a lesson for the intelligence agencies of Indonesia to upgrade their technology," Tantowi said.

Another House Commission-I member, Hayono Isman, believed Indonesia's intelligence agencies needed to improve their capabilities to prevent similar incidents from recurring.

Hayono noted that, going forward, the House's Commission-I would also pay more attention to the issue of budgeting for the State Intelligence Agency.

"We will fully support whatever budget is needed to ensure that our intelligence is able to improve its performance and capabilities to prevent a repeat of such incidents," he added.

Political and intelligence analyst and retired Army Major General Glenny Kairupan agreed that Indonesia needed to improve its counter-intelligence program.

"In line with the technological advancements in wire-tapping, spying and counter-spying have become common. The only way to deal with it is to be ready to carry out counter-spying when they spy on us," Kairupan added.

Glenny Kairupan, a former officer at the Directorate B dealing with Foreign Affairs of the then Armed Forces' Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS), pointed out that in view of these incidents, Indonesia must improve the counter-intelligence activities of its intelligence agencies.

"We cannot isolate ourselves anymore. Moreover, in principle, all technological equipment that transmits information through the air has the potential to be tapped, let alone those that use cables," he pointed out.

He added that there is nothing new about wire-tapping and that it had occurred in the past.

Meanwhile, State Intelligence Agency Chief Marciano Norman announced on Wednesday that Australia would no longer carry out any wire-tapping on Indonesian officials.

"BIN has communicated directly with Australian intelligence, and they have said there will be no wire-tapping now or in the future. That is their stand. They assured us that there will be no more wire-tapping," he revealed at the presidential office.

Marciano further stated that based on the information he had received, data showed that violations in connection with telephone tapping activities involving President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and other officials occurred from 2007 to 2009.

"I think no party would ever declare them, but based on the information we have received, violations did occur during that period," he added.

He explained that as per intelligence cooperation activities carried out between the two countries, wire-tapping was allowed only on individuals who were considered capable of disrupting the security and stability of the two countries. Such activities also must be coordinated with the intelligence agency of the country concerned.

However, wire-tapping of any other individual is a violation, Marciano added. (Otniel Tamindael)

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