Indonesia's anti-terror laws on combating terrorism is the worst among others in the world, hampering authorities to eliminate the threat and allowing terrorists to grow in the most populous Muslim country, top officials said Wednesday.

But, those from radical Muslim groups strongly oppose the implementation of a tough anti-terror law, saying that it could violate human rights.

Ansyaad Mbai, head of anti terror desk of Indonesian Coordinating Ministry of Politics, Law and Security, said that the country's security authorities had lack of authorities to take a preemptive action on those suspected to plot terrorist strikes.

He mentioned neighboring Malaysia and Singapore, where the frequent of the terrorist acts have been less than in Indonesia.

"Clearly, I said that our law against the fighting of terrorism is the worst in the world," he said in a seminar here.

"The Malaysian people do not worry too much there, because its law is firm," Mbai added.

The head anti-terror desk said that Malaysian authority could arrest those suspected of planning to launch a terrorist strike under the country's Internal Security Act.

Mbai cited that the Indonesian police or intelligence have been always facing public resistance in their work to foil the possible terrorist acts.

"The police has been severely reprimanded before they took a firm act on terrorists, our intelligence has been stripped naked, (our law) is the weakest in the weakest in the world," he said.

Indonesia has imposed the anti-terror law of 2003 and the law of conduct as the legal base to fight terrorism.

The anti-terror law can not be implemented retroactively after the country's Constitutional Court lifted its retroactively in 2004, making the law can not be used to charged those involved in Bali bombings in 2002.

Mbai said that the country's law of conduct, which was a completely copy of the Dutch colonial in 18 centuries, has been criticized by international that it was not up to date anymore.

"The law (code of penal) in French has 13 times been revised since 1986," while Indonesia's law has not, he said.

He said the most extreme example was the article number 184 of the law, which requires at least two out of the five categories of evidence to be presented in court, while the French law only requires one.

Separately, Spokesman of the Indonesian radical Mujaheddin Council (MMI) Fauzan al-Anshori strongly oppose the excessive anti- terrorism law, saying it could violate human rights.

"It is very bad, the implementation will against the human rights," he told Xinhua.

Besides, it could be misused by authorities to achieve their interest to harm others, said Fauzan.

"Then individual freedom can be harmed, it can be used by regime to attacks rivals, due to no surveillance," he said.

Indonesia had weathered poor experience on the anti-subversive law under the administration of former president Soeharto for 32 years. The law had been used to paralyze anti-government activists. The law then was lifted by the parliament.

Source: Xinhua