Rendy A. Witular, Jakarta – A relatively secluded 5-hectare compound located in South Sentul district, Bogor, West Java, houses the country's high-profile State Intelligence Institute (STIN).
While no signs identify the compound, locals ranging from ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers to shopkeepers are familiar with the compound, which they dub the "BIN school".
Upon entering the compound, warning signs reading "taking photos are prohibited" can be seen in several corners.
Established in 2004 during the term of then National Intelligence Body (BIN) chief AM Hendropriyono, STIN graduates have an equivalent four-year university degree, and are contracted as civil servants and future BIN officials.
The agency spends at least Rp 5 billion (US$568,000) annually on the school, which has complete facilities from a tennis court to a gym.
Every year, BIN officials scout 30 to 40 top-notch students from the country's most prestigious high schools, particularly from Taruna Nusantara school in Magelang, Central Java, to enter the program.
At STIN, the students are sworn to secrecy, live in an exclusive boarding house and learn to become spies from masters of the profession. The students are also believed to master several foreign languages as well as an international perspective.
"You are seeing the best breed of male and female spies. They are tall and in good shape, they are smart and have an exceptional manner. In the real world you'd be surprised to discover that they are spies," said an STIN instructor, who refused to be named over fear of his safety. "However, their analysis capabilities need more sharpening. And their handbooks need to be renewed because they're using an obsolete version," he said.
There is currently a plan to adopt the latest handbooks used by high-profile British spy agency MI5.
It remains unclear as to how BIN handles the mental fragility of students, as most students at their age usually enjoy more social freedom.
It is also unclear whether the families of the students understand the importance of confidentiality and the consequences the students will face if this is breached. The school's first and second batch graduate ceremony was held in 2009, with each batch producing around 30 graduates from two programs: for agents and for analysts.
However, secrecy on the identity of graduates was poor. Upon graduation, the students' parents, siblings and grandparents were invited to attend the graduation ceremony at the school's compound.
Several photos of the graduates with their parents, however, can easily be found on the Internet through Google search engine, exposing the future agents' identities to the public.
Every year, BIN recruits around 50 full-time agents, around 30 of which are sourced from STIN while the remaining are recruited from universities, the State Code Institute (STSN) or the military and police force. The STSN was set up in 2002, mostly for BIN's supporting staff.
The new recruits undergo a management traineeship like that conducted in the private sector.
The full-time agents are stationed in various ministries, state companies and other sectors. Some are even tasked to infiltrate political parties and radical Islamic groups – becoming their members for more than 10 years.
They are also tasked to recruit informants and second-layer agents in various sectors including journalists, activists, foreign emissaries and businesspeople. While stationed overseas, the personnel usually claim to be businessmen.
[Additional reporting by Jerry Adiguna.]