TNI, NAT'L POLICE TO HOLD JOINT COUNTER-TERRORISM EXERCISE

Jakarta, March 5 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI) and the National Police are to conduct a joint counter-terrorism exercise later this March, a military spokesman said.

The joint counter-terrorism exercise would be the second held by the two institutions so far with the first having taken place in 2008, Commodore Sagom Tamboen, head of the TNI Headquarters' public information service, said here Friday.

The exercise was initially scheduled for 2009 but it was postponed until this year because both sides were preoccupied with other matters.

"This year's joint exercise will be carried out using the same formula as in 2008 when all security personnel took part in activities to tackle several kinds of possible acts of terrorism," he said.

In the 2008 exercise, the activities were focused on ways to secure the president during a working trip by an airplane and ship, and during visits to the stock exchange and a hotel.

The activities in this year's joint exercise would take place at several locations, namely a ship passing through the Malacca strait, the Jakarta Stock Exchange, the Sultan hotel and Halim Perdana Kusuma airport.