Jakarta – The House of Representatives passed a draft bill on the ratification of the Nuclear Terrorism Convention into a law in a plenary meeting on Tuesday.

Agus Gumiwang, the head of Commission I, which oversees defense, said the law would regulate nuclear terrorism prevention and control. The convention also listed activities that could be classified as nuclear terrorism.

"Someone can be considered to be complicit in terrorism if he or she obtains radioactive substances illegally, damages a facility or participates in those actions," said Agus as quoted by kompas.com.

He further said the ratification of the convention would be beneficial to the nation and confirm the country's commitment to world safety and peace. Agus said the ratification was in line with the nation's free and active foreign policy.

"With the ratification of this convention, it will be possible to develop infrastructure related to nuclear security; multilateral cooperation and collaboration on terrorism prevention and control; nuclear safety; institutional capacity building and information sharing," he said.

Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said the law was part of Indonesia's commitment to ensure the country was free from nuclear weapons and radioactive substances. "This is our effort to protect society from nuclear threats," said Marty. (ebf)