Kinanti Pinta Karana – Police in Bekasi will approach "suspicious" people wearing Islamic veils after experts floated the possibility that terror suspect Noordin M Top could be disguising himself as a woman, the local police chief said on Tuesday.
The police will conduct a "persuasive operation" to anticipate the possibility of veil-clad terrorists, Bekasi Police Chief Commissioner Mas Guntur Laope said.
"A persuasive operation means that we will approach the suspicious person in a friendly manner and ask them questions such as where they're from, what they're doing, and so on," Guntur said.
Suspicious persons spotted by the police in public areas will be approached by female police officers and asked questions. If the person's voice "sounds like a man's," he said, the policewoman may ask the person to remove their head and face coverings.
This would happen in private and in front of a female police officer only, he added.
Guntur said the operation would only target people that looked suspicious. "We will look at the posture first and the way they carry themselves. A woman walks differently than a man so if we see a person in a veil with manly gestures, we will approach them."
Bekasi Police decided to take preventive measures after experts said that the most wanted terrorist in Indonesia, Noordin M Top, frequently disguised himself by wearing a woman's burka or a veil.
The police are cooperating with neighborhood heads around Bekasi to pay more attention to suspicious behavior after the discovery of 500 kilograms of explosives at a house in Jatiasih, Bekasi, during a police raid earlier this month.
"We took the Jatiasih case as an example," Guntur said. "When neighbors saw something suspicious, they went to the neighborhood head who then reported it to the police."
The Mayor of Bekasi, Mochtar Mohammad, has said earlier that he would support any efforts to secure Bekasi from terrorist activities as long as human rights are not violated.
Mochtar said Bekasi is often used as a place to plan acts of terrorism because it is close to the capital. "I have ordered authorities to support police's efforts including conducting searches," he said.
Nawawi Bahrudin from the International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development said that the searches can only be conducted if the police already have supporting evidence from an investigation.
"Otherwise, it is feared that there will be discrimination or even prejudice against women who wear burkas and veils. Police have to find a way to maintain security that does not conflict with people's clothing choices," he said. (Additional reporting by Antara)