Jakarta – Indonesia is to establish counter-terrorism units to deal with regional security threats, according to the chief of the nation's armed forces.

Admiral A. S. Widodo told a press conference yesterday that the miltary (TNI) itself assured the readiness of its operations. One way was by improving anti-terrorism abilities through the anti-terror units already operated by the TNI.

"There should be efforts to guarantee no use of Indonesian territory for the interest of international terrorist networks," he said. And he stressed the importance of intelligence-sharing with foreign countries.

Indonesia has been repeatedly criticised for not doing enough in a regional crackdown on suspected terrorist networks in the wake of the Sept 11 attacks on the United States.

Earlier yesterday, President Megawati Sukarnoputri had spoken of the need for a strong military. She was speaking at the State Palace to mark the closing of a two-day TNI leadership meeting.

"It seems no one of us wants to have a weak armed force," she said. The TNI had to regain strength and remain defender of the state. "The image and honour of the Indonesian military means that you have the strength to enforce the law and at the same time show respect for human rights," she said.