Jakarta – Indonesia will reactivate a grass-roots domestic spy network as part of its fight against terrorism, which critics have seen as a return to the oppressive polices of the Suharto era.

Home Affairs Minister Mohammad Ma'ruf said the government would set up a Regional Intelligence Community (Kominda) in every district and province to coordinate intelligence gathering activities there, the Jakarta Post reported.

Ma'ruf has tried to defuse criticism by saying the committee would not spy on citizens and would not have the power to arrest or detain anyone.

"This agency will only serve as coordinating body for the intelligence agencies in local governments. It will only tackle administrative issues," Ma'ruf was quoted as saying on the margins of a hearing with a parliamentary commission.

The home affairs ministry spokesman could not be immediately reached for comment.

A decree on the creation of the committees issued on May 11 described Kominda's task as "planning, seeking, gathering, coordinating and communicating information or intelligence from various sources on potential, indications or incidents that are threats to the national stability in the region."

The committee would also make recommendations to the governor or district head regarding policies concerning early detection, warning and prevention of threats to national stability.

Committee members would include representatives of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), military, police, prosecutors' and immigration offices, the customs office and the local administration.

Opposition to the plan has been strong with critics warning that the return of such a grass-roots spy network echoed the pervasive intelligence-gathering mechanism under the three-decade rule of former dictator Suharto. The system was disbanded in 2000 by then president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid.

The report said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had given his support for the reactivation of intelligence-gathering in the regions.