Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – Articles stipulating that intelligence bodies must obtain permission from a district court chief to intercept communications have been dropped in the most recent version of the much-criticized intelligence bill.

A new article that appeared in the bill dated Sep. 24 obtained by The Jakarta Post stated that the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) is only obliged to inform a district court chief before wiretapping anyone deemed a threat to state security.

The wiretapping includes telephone calls, text messages, faxes, emails and social network postings.

A member of the legislative committee on the bill, Tubagus Hasanuddin of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, however, claimed that the articles in the bill could still change despite the House of Representatives' plan to pass the bill into law by the end of October.

"Discussions on the issue were still hot, both among lawmakers and between the government and us. One thing for sure is that interception must go through a district court," he said on Thursday. "Whether the BIN must seek approval or is only required to inform the court is still being discussed."

Another article that was previously a hot topic was the intelligence agency's authority to arrest and interrogate suspects. Following strong lobbying by activists, the articles concerning such authority have been dropped, according to the latest revision of the bill.