Counter-Terrorist Drills Take Place Across Indonesia
By Kenneth Conboy
Starting Friday and culminating on Sunday (21 December), Indonesia held a series of joint counter-terrorism exercises across the country. Sunday’s drills took place at six locations: Jakarta, Bali, Surabaya, Semarang, Jogjakarta, and the Strait of Malacca. They involved simulated clashes with terrorists, hostage-takings, and rescues.
In Jakarta, members of Unit 81 (part of the army’s Special Forces) and Special Detachment 88 (from the police) fast-roped onto the roof of the five-star Borobudur Hotel before blasting through windows to rescue hotel guests taken "hostage."
In the Strait of Malacca, counter-terrorist commandos from the navy stormed a passenger ship that had been seized in a mock attack.
In Semarang, counter-terrorist squads retook a power-plant, killing five terrorists and capturing two others.
In Surabaya, drills took place at the city’s international airport, the Sheraton Hotel, and the Shangri-La Hotel.
The weekend’s exercises were obviously inspired in large part by what happened in Mumbai. In addition, following some two-dozen deadly church bombings during Christmas Eve 2000 by the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist organization, Indonesian security forces normally go on high alert during the Christmas and New Year holidays.
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