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Outrage over U.S. visitor registry
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Indonesia has reacted with outrage over its inclusion on a list of countries whose citizens must register and be fingerprinted when visiting the United States. The U.S. requirements were introduced as part of its anti-terrorism program and have already been applied to visitors from various countries, most of them Muslim. On Thursday U.S. Justice Department officials said Indonesia, Bangladesh, Kuwait, Egypt and Jordan were to be added to the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System. They join 20 other countries already on the list, including North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia. In addition, under the domestic portion of the program, nationals from those countries already in the United States are also required to register. The compulsory registration -- which applies to males 16 years old or over -- has been strongly defended by U.S. Senior Justice officials. One senior official said the program had "stopped and identified terrorists," but also acknowledged that no terrorism-related charges had been laid. (U.S. defends program) But Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country and an ally in the U.S.-led war on terror, has lashed out at the program, branding it discriminatory. "We find it difficult to comprehend, and we deeply regret the decision as it is discriminatory in the sense that it targeted certain countries without a clear reason," Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa said. "It also has potential to cause problems to individuals who had nothing to do with the terrorism issue." Natalegawa added there had been no discussion of the U.S. registration move with Indonesia, and Jakarta would be seeking clarification of the matter with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly when he visits the country on Friday. Indonesia was criticized by several governments and analysts for its so-called lackluster contribution to the global campaign against terrorism sparked by the September 11, 2001 attacks. But it regained approval for its investigation and a series of arrests that followed the October 12 bombings in Bali which killed almost 200 people. Several of the suspects arrested in connection with the blasts have ties to Jemaah Islamiyah, a regional Muslim militant network of the al Qaeda terrorist organization. Reuters contributed to this report.
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