"Indeed, I have called for an article on compensation for victims of terrorism in the draft revision of the law on terrorism. The draft is now in the hands of DPR. The decision about it is pending as the article is still in the draft revised law, so formally we cannot as yet extend the aid," coordinating minister for political, security and legal affairs Wiranto said.
He said that if the law was not revised immediately, it would affect the extension of aid.
However, on humanitarian grounds, the government decided to extend the aid to victims, as in the case of terror incident in Samarinda recently.
"We know that the victims may not come from rich families, and so we decided to extend an aid to the bombing victims in Samarinda. There were three children being treated in the hospital and another one who died in the incident," he stated.
Wiranto said the aid was aimed at reducing the burden of the families of the victims.
"Hence, based on the initiative of security agencies, especially the National Agency for Counter-Terrorism (BNPT), I have ordered one of my staff members to directly check the extension of the aid," he said.
House Speaker Ade Komarudin has said that he had set a target to finish the revision of Law Number 14 of 2003 on eradication of terrorism for early next year.
"The target is set for early next year. The session period started on November 16, and I will ask the faction chairmen to extend the session on the draft revised law that will end on December 9," he said on Monday.
Four children under 5 years of age were wounded following a molotov cocktail attack on Oikumene Church in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, on November 13.
The children were playing around the church, awaiting their parents after the Sunday service, when a man threw a molotov cocktail at the church. The children were injured in the attack.
One of the children, 2.5-year-old Intan Olivia Marbun, died after being treated for 70 percent burns on her body.
The police have arrested five suspects in connection with the incident.
"These are all new comers. Only Juhanda (who carried out the attack) is an old resident," head of public relations division of the Indonesia Police headquarters, Inspector General Boy Rafli Amar, said here on Thursday.
Juhanda is an ex-terrorism convict jailed for three years and six months since May 2011 over the terror attack at Puspitek in Tangerang, Banten province, in West Java. He was released on probation after receiving an Eid al Fitr remission on July 28, 2014.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2016
