Farouk Arnaz – Terrorism experts defended a police program to fight radicalization on Thursday, dismissing an apparent setback and blemish to its reputation.

Two of the suspects in the July 17 hotel bombings in Jakarta had been involved in Densus 88's so-called deradicalization program following a stint in jail for terrorism-related activities.

"The rehabilitation system has been a success," said analyst Sidney Jones from the Jakarta office of the International Crisis Group. "We cannot simply say it has failed just because people like Bagus [Budi Pranoto] and Air [Setiawan] were involved again with terrorist networks after they were released."

Bagus, who was named among four new targets of a manhunt on Wednesday, was jailed in 2005 for hiding terrorist leader Noordin M Top in 2004. Air, who was killed in a recent police raid on a house in Bekasi, was detained for involvement in the Australian Embassy bombing in Jakarta in 2004.

Jones said the program should adopt new strategies, such as requiring convicted terrorists to report regularly to police over a period of four to six years after they're released from jail. "We have to monitor them when they are released," she said.

Petrus Golose, the head of the National Police's cybercrime unit, said the antiterror programs also needed to be given a legal foundation to boost their effectiveness. H e was concerned that the deradicalization program remained "unofficial."

The comments were made during the launch of Petrus's book, titled "Deradicalizing Terrorists," at the University of Indonesia's Depok campus.

Petrus said Indonesia's model for fighting radicalization should employ a number of components. "The keys are: taking a humane approach and reaching out to the grass roots," Petrus said.

He said such efforts must also include good communication between law enforcement agencies, and that police needed to broaden their outreach to encompass anyone in the community who has been exposed to radicalism.

Ansyaad Mbai, the head of the antiterror desk at the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, agreed that efforts to curb radicalization needed stronger legal backing.

"It is urgent that the programs have a legal base because it has been proven that the deradicalization program worked to secure Indonesia for four years," Mbai said. He also pushed for an amendment to a 2003 law surrounding antiterrorism.

"We must review this law because it was meant to facilitate dealing with terrorist suspects. Our officers need more time to question and arrest suspects before they go to trial," he said.

Ali Fauzi, the younger brother of convicted Bali bomber Amrozi, said it was more important that the program be expanded. "After my brother's execution last November, no department of the government cared for us. They left us alone even though, as family members, we did nothing wrong."