Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Coordinating Minister for Law, Security and Political Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan said forming a national cyber agency would become one of the main priorities of his office.

"We already have the embryo, therefore, we will give priority to the forming of a national cyber agency," Luhut told reporters after a meeting of ministers under his coordination here on Tuesday.

Luhut said he knew much about cyber world defense, adding the issue has become public debate and it had been officially discussed several times.

The idea to form a national cyber body was first raised by previous coordinating minister for law, security and political affairs Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno early March, 2015.

At that time Tedjo said the government would form a national cyber body to protect all government institutions including the president from being illegally tapped.

Former contractor of U.S. intelligence agency Edward Snowden had said Australia and New Zealand had illegally tapped telecommunication via the networks of Indonesias largest cellular telecommunications operator.

In mid June 2015, Tedjo said the government was preparing an academic manuscript on plan to form a national cyber agency .

"Currently we are preparing the manuscript and after thaty we will make a draft for a presidential decree," Tedjo said.

The national cyber body would be directly under the president.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2015