"We need to remain cautious with the rise of cyber-narcoterrorism groups, as funding terrorist activities is one of their purposes," Soesatyo noted in a press statement that ANTARA quoted in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Soesatyo believes that to deal with the potential threats of cyber-narcoterrorists, the Indonesian Government could not solely rely on one specific institution, and such elements should instead be jointly handled by several related agencies.
The institutions are the Communication and Informatics Ministry (Kominfo), State Intelligence Agency (BIN), National Cyber and Encryption Agency (BSSN), and the National Police's Cybercrime Directorate, he stated.
"All these agencies must be united to address the cyber-narcoterrorists' threats," he remarked while appealing to both state and non-state actors to pay serious attention to drug offences in Indonesia.
The government's firm actions and community members' active participation in the war on drugs are indispensable to eradicate drug abuse and trafficking in the country, he emphasized.
According to the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), Indonesia's prevalence of drug misuse until the end of 2023 stood at 3.3 million, or 1.73 percentage point of its population aged between 15 and 64 years old.
Soesatyo remarked that some 173 in every 10 thousand people in Indonesia consume illicit drugs, while the number of individuals in the age bracket of 15 and 64 years that had ever misused drugs in 2023 was recorded at 4.24 million.
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Regarding the threats of terrorism, ANTARA reported earlier that Indonesia has been a target of terrorist attacks since 2000, and the spread of radicalism and terrorism continues to threaten the country.
In May 2018, for instance, a church in the East Java city of Surabaya was attacked by terrorists, while on January 14, 2016, ISIS supporters in Indonesia had launched a suicide bombing and shooting attack in Jakarta, resulting in the deaths of eight people, including three civilians.
The incident added to the list of deadly assaults conducted by terrorist cells in Indonesia.
Related news: BNPT records decline in terror attacks in Indonesia
Translator: Fauzi, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
Copyright © ANTARA 2024
