Yuliasri Perdani, Jakarta – The government defended the controversial purchase of US$5.6 million worth of intelligence equipment from a UK-based company, saying the devices were not intended for spying.
Defense Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Sisriadi Iskandar said on Thursday that the Indonesian Military (TNI) would use the equipment, which was purchased from UK-based Gamma TSE Ltd., to communicate with Indonesian defense attaches around the globe.
"The devices are not for spying, but to protect communication between attaches and the TNI's Strategic Intelligence Agency [BAIS]," he said in a telephone interview.
Sisriadi, who declined to specify the purchased equipment, said that the devices' hardware and software were being installed at the attaches' offices and in Indonesia. "Individuals, who will operate the equipment, have received training overseas," he continued.
The purchase sparked concern that the TNI would abuse the savvy devices, which were procured with loans from the UK government. Politicians suspect the TNI is planning to wiretap political parties' communications during the run-up to the 2014 general election.
Meanwhile, five NGOs grouped under the Indonesian Civil Society warned against the bugging of activist and civilians' e-mails and phone.
"Gamma TSE Ltd. supplied surveillance equipment for ruling regimes, such as Bahrain, Bangladesh and Mexico. The devices have been used to spy on the public," Erwin Maulana from Imparsial, a member of the Indonesian Civil Society.
The latest case in Malaysia back in March, saw documents relating to the country's elections infected by Gamma's malicious software (malware). Erwin also suspected that the Defense Ministry purchased a complete package of intelligence equipment and not only counter surveillance, as the ministry claimed.
"According to our sources, the company usually sells a whole package on surveillance, recovery, digital forensics and other savvy monitoring products," he said.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Indonesian Civil Society called on the government and the House of Representatives to supervise the use of the equipment.
"The House should form a supervising team on the use of Gamma's technology. The team must listen to the public's complaints regarding damages inflicted by the technology," the group says.
The procurement project was approved by the House's Commission I on defense and foreign affairs last year.
Tubagus Hasanuddin, commission deputy chairman and retired two-star Army general, previously said that had planned to set up a special team to monitor how the military used the wiretapping devices in the months leading up to the 2014 elections.