Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – The country's more assertive role in the regional and global arena, on top of its rich natural resources, have turned the country into a magnet for foreign espionage activities, says a top intelligence official.
National Intelligence Agency (BIN) head Lt. Gen. (ret.) Marciano Norman said the number of foreign intelligence officials, both in formal channels and in covert operations, appeared to be on the rise.
"Formally, foreign intelligence agencies operating in Indonesia declare details about their agents to us. Similar procedures apply to BIN agents operating in foreign countries. But there are also many agents in disguise. The BIN knows these people and where they are operating," Marciano told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.
He said the intensity of foreign undercover espionage activities had increased as Indonesia's position was elevated at the regional and global levels. Marciano added many of these agents tried to take advantage of the country.
"To these undercover agents, [I say] just go ahead, as long as you do not violate the laws. Otherwise, you will be subject to the law. Any foreigners who don't declare themselves as intelligence agents but carry out intelligence operations must be treated as persona non grata," Marciano said, adding that the agency had always kept an eye on the movement of these individuals.
"All states that are friendly to Indonesia have this kind of agents operating here," he added.
While refusing to give more details, Marciano shrugged off speculation that the number of undercover foreign spies operating in the country was in the hundreds of thousands.
Formal foreign agents, he said, usually operate to serve citizens of their respective countries who reside in Indonesia. "They come to us whenever certain political or security developments occur. They have consultation with us on how the situation could affect the lives of their fellow countrymen currently in Indonesia," Marciano said.
"They even come to us and ask for permission if they want to go to regions for certain intelligence interests," he said.
Helmy Fauzi, a member of House of Representatives' Commission I overseeing defense and foreign affairs, called on the government to improve its surveillance capacities in border areas and points of entrance, to deal with the intensifying operations of foreign agents.
"It's no longer a secret that we have many blank spots that are out of our radar coverage areas. This is an example of how vulnerable we are to the unauthorized entrance of foreign espionage activities," he told the Post on Sunday. "Indonesia is an easy target for foreign remote sensing used for intelligence."
Helmy also urged BIN to enhance its counter-intelligence efforts to compensate for its shortcomings in the border areas.
The House member also suspected most foreign agents were disguised as activists and journalists and ran their operations in the eastern regions of Indonesia.
"Some foreign NGOs, we must admit, must be put under closer scrutiny, particularly those that carry out almost all of their activities in Eastern Indonesia," Helmy said.
"This kind of organization, regardless of its mission to help local residents, must be suspected of having a hidden motivation to serve the interests of its home country. Assistance to locals could be aimed at generating sympathy for the sake of a foreign country's mission," he said.
Helmy, however, said not all foreign NGOs should be subject to surveillance. "There are international NGOs who are consistently critical, not only of Indonesia, but also of their own nations. These kinds of organizations have little possibility of being infiltrated by foreign intelligence activities," he said.