Activists on Sunday voiced their opposition to a number of articles in the draft intelligence bill, including one that enables intelligence officers to conduct seven days of "intensive questioning".

Usman Hamid from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) said the article allows for a dangerous amount of authority allotted to intelligence personnel.
â??That will just repeat the practices of the New Order,â? Usman said, as quoted by tempointeraktif.com. Usman was referring to the many alleged arrests that violated human rights during Soehartoâ??s rule over the country, which ended in 1998.

Confinement for a week for no reason without access to lawyers is a violation of human rights, Usman said. Activists demanded the government postpone its aim to pass the bill by July. Legislators are at odds regarding the â??intensive questioningâ? authority in the draft bill.

The Democratic Partyâ??s Hayono Isman said intelligence officers should be given special authority to arrest for preventionâ??s sake, while Tubagus Hasanuddin rejected the idea. Tubagas said the government wanted officers to arrest people secretly without any official orders.

â??People taken to a secret place, thatâ??s just the same as kidnapping,â? Tubagus said. Another article in the intelligence bill drawing criticism is the proposed authority to wiretap.