Indonesia mulls suspending passport of citizens involved in terrorism overseas

The Indonesian government will withdraw passport of citizens who joined terrorist groups or terrorist acts in foreign countries in efforts to curb radicalism, a minister said on Friday.

The policy is part of a government plan to revise the anti-terrorism law after suicide bombings in the capital of Jakarta on Jan. 14 that killed 8 people and injured 19 others.

"For our citizens who are involved in terrorist acts overseas along with a terrorist group ... or join a drill for war in foreign countries, we will suspend their passports," Minister of Law and Human Rights Yasonna Laoly said.

Indonesia was evaluating its efforts to fight and prevent terrorism in the country following the attacks on a police station and a Starbucks coffee shop in downtown Jakarta last week.

It's deemed necessary to boost prevention by giving security authorities the power to carry out preventive actions, such as arrest of those suspected to launch terrorist attacks.

The government was proposing a revision of the anti-terrorism law, according to Security Chief Minister Luhut Panjaitan.

Lawmakers have hinted recently that they shared similar views with the government.

The government will monitor movements of former prisoners charged with terrorism, said Irfan Idris, spokesman of the national counter-terrorism agency or BNPT.

According to the spokesman, hundreds of terrorist prisoners and ex-prisoners are attempting to head for Syria to join Islamic State. Endit