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| Southeast Asia |
| Indonesia struggles to grapple with terror threat |
| 2005-10-08 |
| In Java, one of Southeast Asia's most-wanted fugitives slips away hours before a police raid. In the same central Indonesian island, an Islamic school started by the reputed spiritual leader of the region's most feared militant group operates undisturbed by authorities. The group he allegedly inspires has not been outlawed. Philippines authorities, meanwhile, suspect members of the same group - al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah - could be planning to reopen training camps for Islamic fighters and are busy fund-raising in the Middle East for further terror attacks. The Oct. 1 bombings in Bali - the second on the resort island in three years - raises a question: Has the world's most populous Muslim nation done enough to fight Southeast Asia's leading terrorist group? The implications extend far beyond Indonesian shores. Jemaah Islamiyah has had ideological and financial links with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida and forms a key part of the global web of Islamic militancy. ``Unfortunately, the most aggressive and arguably most dangerous guys are still on the loose,'' Ken Conboy, a Jakarta-based security expert, said of Jemaah Islamiyah's current leadership. ``They still present a significant danger.'' Indonesia's anti-terror effort has come a long way since Oct. 12, 2002, when two bombs at Bali nightclubs killed 202 people - and awoke the country to the threat posed by Jemaah Islamiyah, based here since the fall of the Suharto dictatorship in 1998. Authorities have moved decisively since then, arresting some 300 terror suspects, shattering Jemaah Islamiyah's network and prosecuting important members - notably its reputed spiritual head, Abu Bakar Bashir. In addition, Jakarta instituted the death penalty for terrorism, formed a training school for anti-militant security agents and established a government anti-terror unit. Five terror convicts have been sentenced to death. ``If you look at the last three years, the pattern of arrests by the police and the way they've been able to go after the network has been pretty good,'' says Sidney Jones, a Jemaah Islamiyah expert with the Brussels-based International Crisis Group. ``You can't say that the work hasn't been effective.'' But it hasn't stopped the bloodshed. The first Bali bombings were followed by blasts in Jakarta at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in August 2003, killing 12, and the Australian Embassy in September 2004, killing 10. Then came the Oct. 1 assault: three coordinated blasts by suicide bombers at restaurants in the crowded Kuta district, popular with foreign tourists. The explosions killed 20 people, most Indonesians, in addition to three attackers. On Friday, a suspected mastermind of that attack - nicknamed ``Moneyman'' - evaded a pre-dawn raid on his hideout, police said. Malaysian-born Noordin Mohamed Top is believed to be a key leader, fund-raiser and recruiter for Jemaah Islamiyah. Police said they got a tip that Noordin, 35, was hiding in Purwantoro, a remote district in central Java province but delayed the raid for several hours because they feared he might be armed with explosives. Officers stormed in at 4 a.m. only to learn that Noordin had fled about three hours earlier. Experts say Jemaah Islamiyah has been adept at switching tactics in the face of the crackdown, exploiting links with smaller regional groups formed over many years to enlist outsiders to carry out attacks. It also maintains links with like-minded killers in other countries. A Philippines National Security Council document obtained by The Associated Press said about 25 Jemaah Islamiyah members were still active in the country's south, where they have operated training camps in conjunction with Philippine guerrillas. Although crackdowns in the Philippines and Indonesia have disrupted the training, the classified document, dated Aug. 9, said the network ``continues to thrive in the southern Philippines owing to the support it receives'' from Muslim militant groups in the area. A separate National Security Council document showed that a suspect in the 2002 Bali bombing, Umar Patek, was in the area and apparently seeking funds in the Middle East for attacks. The document said he may also be trying to recruit bombers from Indonesia. The enduring ability of Jemaah Islamiyah and its surrogates to strike with deadly efficiency has focused attention on what some critics call flaws in Indonesia's anti-terror efforts. Jakarta hasn't cracked down on Islamic schools suspected of encouraging extremism. Bashir, for example, founded a school in Java - Al-Mukmin - which is still operating, although Bashir is in prison for conspiracy in the 2002 bombing. ``As long as the schools are intact, you will see the JI able to replace themselves,'' said Rohan Gunaratna, head of terrorism research at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies, Singapore. Other critics, notably Australia, which lost 88 citizens in the 2002 bombings, point to problems with the criminal justice system - including Bashir's mere 30-month sentence and the recent shortening of it by 4 months. Jakarta has also faced criticism for refusing to outlaw Jemaah Islamiyah. Indonesian officials argue that the terror network's amorphous and secretive nature makes it difficult to prove whether individuals are members or not, meaning that banning the group would have no effect toward eradicating terrorism. ``So far, we see JI as nonexistent. It is an underground movement,'' said Andi Malarangeng, spokesman for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. ``We can only ban an established organization, one that has an office or something like that.'' Authorities also point to civil liberties concerns in moving against terrorist groups - a touchy subject in a country emerging from decades of dictatorship and a long history of abuse of military and police powers. Foreign Ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa argues the government cannot target any Islamic school, or madrassa, without proof of links to terrorism. Such moves, he said, would create divisions when the nation needs to unite to fight terror. ``The last thing we want is not only a distracting debate on if to outlaw JI or go after these madrassas, but also giving the impression of disunity,'' he said. Natalegawa said the government hoped to encourage moderate Islamic elements that oppose violence. Um Kulsum, head of an Islamic school on Bali, claims to be such a moderate. But she frowns in disbelief when asked if some madrassas incite extremism. ``I don't believe that kind of school exists, because Islam doesn't teach violence,'' she said. ``Maybe the perpetrators of the bombings are smart, but they are heartless.'' |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #5 Zenster, Tony Blair admitted Kyoto not only isn't going to happen, but probably wasn't the best way to approach the problem. Other miracles can happen, too. ;-) |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-10-08 21:34 |
| #4 Reducing Bashir's sentence is the only glaring commitment Indonesia has made with respect to terrorism. And it ain't a good one. Their refusal to outlaw JI solely on the basis of what its name signifies pushes them to the top of the old Christmas list too. At some point the Western world will have to realize that any nations which are dragging their feet in combating Islamist terrorism effectively relinquish their sovereignty due to the patent threat they pose to all other countries. Sadly, it will probably take a nuclear terrorist attack (or three) before world leaders even begin to consider such an outlandish notion. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2005-10-08 16:39 |
| #3 Either they go after them now or go after them later. That's the only choice. I believe Indonesia has found a third option, "harboring". |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2005-10-08 15:27 |
| #2 Either they go after them now or go after them later. That's the only choice. |
| Posted by: wxjames 2005-10-08 14:47 |
| #1 Total unmitigated 100% pure al Guardian bullshit. If the Indos wanted to curtail or contain terrorism they could do it. Hell, they're a world-renowned safe haven for terrs. "If you look at the last three years, the pattern of arrests by the police and the way they've been able to go after the network has been pretty good," says Sidney Jones, a Jemaah Islamiyah expert with the Brussels-based International Crisis Group. "You can't say that the work hasn't been effective." ROFL. Yewbetcha. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-10-08 10:09 |