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Southeast Asia

Terror Suspects Linked To Poso

2013-05-12

[JakartaPost] The National Police's counterterrorism unit, Densus 88, conducted a series of successful overnight operations against bully boyz with links to the Abu Omar and Autad Rawa groups, the police say. The 20 terror suspects -- seven killed and 13 incarcerated I ain't sayin' nuttin' widdout me mout'piece! -- in the raids across Java are linked to the groups that collect money to support the activities of mujahidin (those engaged in jihad) in Poso, Central Sulawesi. Early investigations indicated that the men had been involved in armed robberies at Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) offices in three cities. "They stole Rp 790 million [US$81,192] from BRI in Batang and Rp 630 million from BRI Grobogan [both in Central Java]; and Rp 460 million from BRI Lampung. They also attempted to burn down Glodok Market in West Jakarta," said National Police front man Brig. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar on Thursday as quoted by Antara news agency. The suspects carried out various initiatives to collect money, including robbery. "Four alleged bully boyz were planning a robbery in Kebumen [Central Java], when they were arrested in an overnight raid in the regency," said Boy. It is alleged that one suspect, Abu Roban alias Untung, had been involved in some robbery cases -- a jewelry store in Tambora, West Jakarta; as well as the three BRI offices -- before Densus 88 officers killed him in Batang. Police linked the suspects with Santoso, who is believed to be behind a series of attacks in Poso over the past few years. Santoso himself is a former member of a terror group led by Basri, a member of the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) group. Basri surrendered to police after a shootout on Feb. 1, 2007, in Poso where a Mohammedan-Christian conflict killed at least 1,000 people over the course of 1998 to 2002. On Wednesday and Thursday, Densus 88 personnel raided areas in Batang, Kebumen and Kendal in Central Java; Bandung in West Java; and Banten. During the raids, the officers rubbed out seven suspects and 3 others were captured alive. "The terror suspects killed during the raids were identified as Abu Roban, Bastari, Toni, Bayu alias Ucup, Budi alias Angga, Junet alias Encek and Sarame," Boy announced. The suspects captured alive in Jakarta were Agus Widharto, Agung, Endang, Faisal alias Boim and Iman. Iwan and Puryanto were arrested in Kendal. While four others -- Budi, Farel, Slamet and Wagiono -- were apprehended in Kebumen. The two suspects arrested in Bandung were Haris Fauzi alias Jablud and William Maksum, alias Acum alias Dadan. The bodies of the three dead men were flown to Dr. Sukamto Police Hospital in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta, on Thursday after being examined at Bhayangkara Hospital in Semarang. "They're dead, Jim." "Dr. Quincy, however do you do it?!" During the raid in Ciputat, Densus 88 officers confiscated Rp 25.48 million, while in the Bandung raid, the police found two revolvers, an FN Browning pistol, hundreds of bullets and Rp 6 million in cash. But not a shutter gun in the bunch, nor a crossfire, nor Mahmoud the Weasel calling in the tip. The Rab are still Grand Champions at this kind of thing. In Kendal, the police seized one revolver, nine bullets, a notebook and a USB, ...that last being particularly exciting... while in Kebumen they found two pipe bombs, grenades and FN pistols, in a house in Kembaran hamlet. Some residents in Kembaran said that the entourage of alleged bully boyz had only stayed for around 10 days in the hamlet and they had introduced themselves as jamu (herbal medicine) sellers. Oddly enough, said one resident, the only herbs they had in stock were opium, ganja, and qat, all of which they steadfastly refused to part with. Following the raids, West Java Police called on the owners of boarding houses to check the identity of their tenants. "The owners must have copies of their occupants to avoid unexpected occurrences," West Java Police front man Sr. Comr. Martinus Sitompul said. "We also asked the public to increase their awareness by organizing night patrols." Some of the villagers in Kembaran, Kebumen regency, had returned to their houses by Thursday afternoon. One of them, Hastuti, said her family had taken refuge at a relative's house on Wednesday night. Others began repairing the damage inflicted on their houses following the shoot out between Densus 88 personnel and the alleged terrorists. Ah ha! They did have a crossfire, after all! Things are looking up. Santoso's link to a series of terror attacks September 2012: police arrest a man named Hasan alias Wendi with suspected links to a Surakarta-based terrorist group at Pantoloan Port in Palu, Central Sulawesi. Hasan had reportedly participated at a military training conducted by Santoso in Poso where he was reportedly taught how to assemble explosives. May 25, 2011: the shooting of three coppers in front of a Bank Central Asia (BCA) branch in Palu. Two dead, one injured. Oct. 8, 2012: the murder of two coppers, Andi Sappa and Sudirman, in Tamanjeka hamlet, Poso Pesisir. Oct. 9, 2012: a kaboom at a community hall in Kawua subdistrict, Poso. Nov. 15, 2012: the shooting of Poso Pesisir Utara Police chief First Insp. Bastian Taruklabi. Dec. 20, 2012: the shooting of six police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) members in North Poso Pesisir. Three dead and three others injured.

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Southeast Asia

Suspects Reveal Terror Plot on Indonesian Parliament

2012-09-09

[An Nahar] Arrested Indonesian terror suspects have revealed plots on the parliament building and to attack police in the name of jihad, a bigwig said Friday. Two different terror groups planned to attack the country's parliament in Jakarta and plotted bomb and gunfire attacks on police in the central Java city of Solo, the country's counter-terrorism agency's chief Ansyad Mbai said. "We worked with the anti-terror police squad to intensify hunting for suspects still on the lam and also stepped up security measures to anticipate any possible attacks," he told Agence La Belle France La Belle France. Bayu Setiono, 22, who was incarcerated Please don't kill me! following a shootout last week in Solo that left two terrorist suspects and an anti-terror officer dead, said his group plotted more attacks. "Our plan is to break up Solo like what happened in Ambon and Poso. We want to uphold Islamic Sharia and create a Moslem caliphate in Indonesia," he said referring to violence between Moslems and Christians, killing thousands in early 2000. In an interrogation video released by police on Thursday, Setiono said they targeted police as they were considered as infidels for arresting and killing Islamist hard boys. Another terror suspect said he surveyed the parliament building three times before he was incarcerated Please don't kill me! by police in July, the senior anti-terror official Mbai told AFP without giving details about what stage the plot had reached. "There are several small groups which their underground works are not related to each other, but they all came from the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) and the Jemaah Anshorut Tauhid (JAT)," he added. JAT, dubbed a terrorist organization by the United States, was founded in 2008 by incarcerated Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! radical holy man Abu Bakar Bashir ... Leader of the Indonesian Mujahedeen Council and proprietor of the al-Mukmin madrassah in Ngruki. The spriritual head of Jemaah Islamiya, which he denies exists. Bashir was jugged and then released in the wake of the 2002 Bali bombings, which he blamed on a conspiracy among the U.S., Israel, and Australia ... Moslem-majority Indonesia suffered a series of deadly attacks over the last decade by terror network JI -- blamed for the Bali bombings in 2002 that left 202 dead. There has not been a major incident since 2009 but experts believe small cells are still ready to attack. Police on Thursday launched a manhunt after finding kabooms at a house in Jakarta.

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Southeast Asia

Indonesian police seize jihad VCDs from terror suspect

2010-08-08

The National Police has confiscated at least three VCDs on jihad from a terror suspect arrested in the West Java regency of Subang on Saturday. Local neighborhood chief Yayat told kompas.com the VCDs were titled “Al Aqsha liberation series-solution to Palestinian crisis”, “Afghanistan jihad-The journey of the oppressed”, and “Tears shed from Chechnya”. Subang police arrested AG, his wife and a relative on Saturday. The police also seized a motorcycle. West Java police chief Insp. Gen. Sutarman said a total of five people were arrested in Bandung city, Subang regency, Padalarang in West Bandung regency and Cileunyi in Bandung regency on Saturday. Sutarman said the five people were allegedly involved in acts of terrorism in the country in the last few years. He added the arrests proved terror cells formed by Jamaah Islamiyah operators Noordin M. Top and Azahari bin Husin had remained alive.

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Southeast Asia

Indonesia: Terror suspects charged with forgery

2009-07-01

[ADN Kronos] Five Singaporeans arrested by the Indonesian police for alleged involvement in terrorism have had their charge downgraded to immigration forgery. An unnamed counterterrorism source said the suspects had been monitored for months before their arrest. The police announced last week they had arrested five Singaporeans -- Syamsul Anwar alias Somad bin Soban, Ahmad Kastari, Husaini Ismail, his wife and a child -- as well as an Indonesian identified as Syaifuddin Zuhry, in three different locations. However, after a series of intensive investigations, the police announced that the suspects were only seeking safe refuge within Indonesia. "They will be charged with document forgery, immigration violation and various other offenses," national police chief of detectives Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji said Monday. The police previously suspected the group of being involved in an attempt to bomb Changi International Airport and several other strategic locations several years ago. Susno said the five foreigners were fugitives running from Singapore government, but did not elaborate what crimes they had committed in their homelands. "They are currently being detained by the regional police," Susno said. The national police will hand over the suspects to the Foreign Affairs Ministry so their deportation can be arranged, Susno said. He said Zuhry, the Indonesian citizen, would be the only individual to be charged with terrorism activities in Lampung. The police believe Zuhry was closely related to fugitive Malaysian terror suspect Noordin M Top. A source at the counterterror detachment said the suspects had been monitored for months before finally being arrested. Meanwhile, police spokesman Abubakar Nataprawira said the police were still investigating the case and had not come to an official conclusion yet. Separately, intelligence expert Dino Chrisbon said the scenario was similar to the arrest of Mas Slamet bin Kastari, a member of Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), in Riau in 2003. JI has been linked with the Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people and injured around 300 others, mostly foreigners, in 2002. Even though Zuhry was on Singapore's most-wanted list for plotting terrorist attacks in the neighboring island state, the Indonesian government only charged him with breaching immigration regulations due to a false passport in his possession.

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Terror Networks

Islamist terror: A Banglaview

2008-06-07

Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury For Australia the trajectory of terrorism in Southeast Asia is of particular concern. And in many ways developments in Southeast Asia mirror those globally. Considerable progress has been made in counter-terrorism efforts. The political will to deal with terrorism is stronger today than in the aftermath of the first Bali bombings in October 2002. Better cooperation is occurring among security forces and intelligence agencies. Capacity building programs by Australia and others are bearing fruit. Key leaders have been arrested or killed. I have mentioned the arrest of Hambali, the main link between Jemaah Islamiyah and Al Qaida and a key player in the first Bali attack. Last year Azahari — also closely involved in the Bali 1 bombing — was killed. And around 300 Jemaah Islamiyah members have been arrested in Indonesia. Nevertheless, Jemaah Islamiyah remains a capable and resilient terrorist group. It retains links with Al Qaida but it is not dependent on Al Qaida for either funding or operational support. Under pressure it has become more decentralized in its structure and operational planning. But its strategic objectives and its targeting of Australia and the West are unchanged. Jemaah Islamiyah has continued to carry out attacks, most recently the second Bali bombing which targeted Westerners including Australians, but actually killed many more Indonesians. Jemaah Islamiyah can draw on a pool of trained bomb makers and a larger pool of sympathizers who can provide logistical support for a core of operational planners. This situation will not change soon, despite the general abhorrence of the overwhelming majority of Indonesians towards Jemaah Islamiyah’s methods and goals. There are several other issues to which we must play close attention in Southeast Asia. One of the key elements of Al Qaida’s method has been to globalize what are essentially local disputes and portray what are nationalist or ethnic conflicts as being part of a more important, and strategic global jihad. So we need to be alert to whether Al Qaida or Jemaah Islamiyah are succeeding in injecting themselves into the separatist conflicts in the southern Philippines and southern Thailand. In the Philippines this is already the case with Jemaah Islamiyah’s links into the southern Philippines giving it a longer strategic reach. In return for safe haven and a certain strategic depth, Jemaah Islamiyah has provided groups in the south with terrorist training. This relationship has extended the capabilities of all participating groups. In contrast we have seen little evidence so far that Jemaah Islamiyah or Al Qaida has managed to inject itself into the separatist conflict in southern Thailand, although the longer the conflict continues, the greater opportunity there will be for outside groups to interfere. The war against terror is a misleading metaphor because it suggests there will be a decisive moment when we know whether we face victory or defeat. The reality is that this will be a long and incremental struggle waged on many fronts. Part of the struggle will involve finding and eliminating terrorists and constraining their support bases. But at a broader level it will also involve blunting the appeal of violent extremism by giving potential recruits a greater sense of hope than the nihilism which lies at the core of terrorist psychology. It is in this area that economic and political factors intersect with the drivers of terrorism. Open societies delivering on the economic aspirations of their citizens are not a guarantee against terrorism. But they will go a large way towards blunting the appeal of extremists. Democracies are more likely to be responsive to the grievances that can lead people to adopt violence. They are more likely to implement the economic reforms which will not only increase the size of the pie but share it more equitably. In the long run democracy can break the political and economic hold of narrow elites, allow the kind of civil society that permits free expression, and reduce the corruption that plagues authoritarian societies. But democratization cannot be an immediate panacea. Firstly, groups like Al Qaida are not going to lay down their arms and participate in a democratic process. For Zawahiri and Zarqawi, democracy puts human law ahead of ‘God’s law’ and is therefore abhorrent. They hate Islamist groups that participate in the democratic process as much as they hate the Middle East’s current regimes. Terrorists would probably still target those governments — even with such Islamist groups in power — just as they target the democratically elected government in Iraq. Since new democracies would probably be supported by the West, then the West too will remain a target. Secondly, democratization can in the short term increase strategic uncertainty. Due to the lack of secular or liberal political parties in the Middle East, it is probable that Islamist parties of some stripe would win many elections. And we simply don’t know what a group like the Muslim Brotherhood would be like in power. The recent success of Hamas in the Palestinian elections illustrates these points. Certainly one can argue that the responsibility of governing should be a moderating influence in the long term. But whether this turns out to be the case in the short to medium term in the Middle East is by no means certain. And thirdly, radicals can exploit political space in democracies, especially newly emerging ones: space which authoritarian regimes would deny them. A militant Islamist fringe is now present in post-Suharto democratic Indonesia; a fringe which seeks to intimidate mainstream Muslims and non-Muslims alike, and parts of which is feeding recruits to Jamaah Islamiyah. Few Indonesians agree with their ideology, and even fewer with their methods. But enough are at least sympathizing with the Islamists’ narrative of Muslim victim hood and “Western conspiracy” to make counterterrorism co-operation with Western countries politically sensitive. While terrorism - even in the form of suicide attacks — is not an Islamic phenomenon by definition, it cannot be ignored that the lion’s share of terrorist acts and the most devastating of them in recent years have been perpetrated in the name of Islam. This fact has sparked a fundamental debate both in the West and within the Muslim world regarding the link between these acts and the teachings of Islam. Most Western analysts are hesitant to identify such acts with the bona fide teachings of one of the world’s great religions and prefer to view them as a perversion of a religion that is essentially peace-loving and tolerant. Western leaders have reiterated time and again that the war against terrorism has nothing to do with Islam. It is a war against evil. Modern international Islamist terrorism is a natural offshoot of twentieth-century Islamic fundamentalism. The “Islamic Movement” emerged in the Arab world and British-ruled India as a response to the dismal state of Muslim society in those countries: social injustice, rejection of traditional mores, acceptance of foreign domination and culture. It perceives the malaise of modern Muslim societies as having strayed from the “straight path” and the solution to all ills in a return to the original mores of Islam. The problems addressed may be social or political: inequality, corruption, and oppression. But in traditional Islam — and certainly in the worldview of the Islamic fundamentalist — there is no separation between the political and the religious. Islam is, in essence, both religion and regime and no area of human activity is outside its remit. Be the nature of the problem as it may, “Islam is the solution.” The underlying element in the radical Islamist worldview is a historic and dichotomist: Perfection lies in the ways of the Prophet of Islam and the events of his time; therefore, religious innovations, philosophical relativism, and intellectual or political pluralism are anathema. In such a worldview, there can exist only two camps — Dar al-Islam and Dar al-Harb — which are pitted against each other until the final victory of Islam. These concepts are carried to their extreme conclusion by the radicals; however, they have deep roots in mainstream Islam. While the trigger for “Islamic awakening” was frequently the meeting with the West, Islamic-motivated rebellions against colonial powers rarely involved individuals from other Muslim countries or broke out of the confines of the territories over which they were fighting. Until the 1980s, most fundamentalist movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood were inward-looking; Western superiority was viewed as the result of Muslims having forsaken the teachings of the Prophet. Therefore, the remedy was, first, “re-Islamization” of Muslim society and restoration of an Islamic government, based on Islamic law [Shariah]. In this context, jihad was aimed mainly against “apostate” Muslim governments and societies, while the historic offensive jihad of the Muslim world against the infidels was put in abeyance [at least until the restoration of the caliphate].

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Southeast Asia

Islamists jailed for beheading schoolgirls

2007-04-09

Three militant Islamists have been given prison sentences of up to 20 years for the beheadings of three Christian schoolgirls in 2005, welcome news to the Christians in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, according to a report from Christian Solidarity Worldwide. "We are pleased that justice has finally prevailed following the brutal attack on the three schoolgirls in 2005," said Mervyn Thomas, president of CSW. "However, the pattern of violence continues in Indonesia. We urge both the Christian and Muslim communities to work with the authorities in Central Sulawesi to put an end to this cycle of attacks once and for all. "We also ask the authorities to ensure that minorities are treated fairly and equally by the judiciary," he said. His concerns were echoed by others in the region, where several Christians also now are on trial for alleged terrorist activities, but they are facing a potential death penalty, officials reported. They were arrested for the murders of two Muslim men during demonstrations that followed the executions of three Christians last September, officials said. Islamist Hasanuddin, the son- in-law of Islamist militant leader Adnan Arsal, reportedly has trained in the Philippines with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. He said the attack on the schoolgirls was in revenge for Christians killing Muslims during the early stages of the sectarian conflict in Central Sulawesi. Hasanuddin was given 20 years in prison for masterminding the attack in October 2005 in which the three girls were beheaded, and a fourth was seriously injured. According to CSW, his accomplices, Lilik Purnomo and Irwanto Irano, each got 14 years in prison. "Whilst the Christian community in the area welcomes the verdict, they are concerned that this and a recent crackdown on militants in the area will result in the authorities imposing harsher penalties on Christians in an attempt to be seen to treat both communities equally," CSW said. Noviana Malewa, after treatments to minimize scarring from the machete attack The schoolgirls were attacked while on their way to school that morning. The fourth, Noviana Malewa, was slashed horribly on her neck and face but managed to flee the area and survive. The militants put the heads of the three girls in plastic bags and dumped them in nearby villages with notes stating, "We still need another 100 heads. Blood for blood, a life for life and a head for a head." As WND reported, Noviana and three of her friends were walking on a school path Oct. 29, 2005, when they were assaulted by radical Islamic jihadists wielding machetes. Noviana fought back as she was struck, then fell to the ground and rolled down into a ravine. Above, she heard her friends screaming. She later had to be hidden in a Christian village and guarded by police because her testimony was needed in court, and the radical Muslims who had killed her friends still were hunting her. Authorities said Theresia Morangke, 15, Yarni Sambue, 15, and Alfita Poliwo, 17, were killed in the attack. Reports in the Jakarta Post said the Islamic suspects confessed to the fatal attack. Authorities reported the suspects have ties to Noordin Top, considered a key leader of the al-Qaida-linked group Jamaah Islamiyah.

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Southeast Asia

Radical Cleric Says Acquittal Is A "Blow To The West"

2006-12-22

Jakarta, 22 Dec. (AKI) - Militant Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir on Friday said the Indonesian Supreme Court ruling clearing him of any part in the 2002 Bali bombings was set-back for the West True and a warning that attempts by Western nations to meddle in Indonesia would fail.False "This is evidvence that even though all this time the West think they can subjugate Indonesia, there are still some Muslims and Indonesians who have the courage to convey the truth," Bashir told Eslhinta radio in a telephone interview. The "truth", of course, being conveyed by vehicles ladened with Semtex and fanatical jihadis. Bali hai ho! Thursday's ruling - which also ordered authorities to "rehabilitate" the 69-year-old cleric's reputation - is largely symbolic, as Bashir was Jakarta's Cipinang Penitentiary on 14 June after completing 26 months of a 30-month jail sentence for being part of a conspiracy behind the nightclub bombings. Does that include an Australian ad campaign? A panel of judges at the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the white-bearded, bespectacled Muslim cleric was not involved in the 2002 bomb attacks on Bali that killed 202 people, mostly Western tourists. Presiding judge German Hoediarto said the verdict was handed down after investigating the testimony from 30 witnesses. "They all said Bashir was not involved in the case," Hoediarto told the Detikcom news portal. Thirty witnesses conveyed the "truth"! And if you can't believe 30 islamist jihadis swearing on a stack of Qur'ans, who can you believe? Bashir had filed a case review to the court a few weeks before his release from prison and after Bali bombing death row convict Amrozi bin Nurhasyim retracted his statement that the cleric endorsed a plot to bomb the resort island. Everything's goin' smooth as clockwork. How many virgins was he promised again? Lawyer Mahendradatta, acting for Bashir said his client responded to the verdict calmly. "Alhamdulillah. This is all the will of God," the lawyer said, quoting Bashir. "And we're five minutes ahead of schedule, too." Insh'allan. Let's do lunch. The lawyer told Antara he would discuss a possible compensation lawsuit with other members of the defence team following the court ruling. The verdict, Mahendradatta said, confirmed allegations there was a "plot to weaken Muslims" in Indonesia. Translation: "Weak" Muslims, it is time to carefully consider your future prospects. We won and the government is going to subsidize our future ... endeavors. Choose wisely. Police antiterror investigators said bin Nurhasyim and his accomplice Mubarok had met with Bashir before the Bali bombings and that the cleric had given them permission to launch an attack in Bali. The two terrorists militants later testified in the Cilacap District Court that they did not meet with the cleric before the bombings. Amrozi said the initial testimony had been forced out of him by police. Bashir has been accused by Australia and the United States of being the spiritual leader of the regional Jamaah Islamiyah terror network blamed for the Bali attacks and a series of other blasts in Indonesia. Bashir has consistently denied any connection to that or other attacks blamed on the southeast Asian militant group, Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) whose objective is the creation of an Islamic 'caliphate' in the region.

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Southeast Asia

Bashir to be sprung next week

2006-06-06

An Indonesian militant cleric imprisoned in connection with the 2002 Bali bombings will return home after his release next week so that he can resume his teachings at the infamous Ngruki school, his lawyer said. Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, the alleged spiritual leader of the al-Qaeda-linked militant group Jamaah Islamiyah, helped found the boarding school in Central Java province more than three decades ago. Many of Indonesia's convicted terrorists attended theschool. Ba'asyir, who has denied any involvement in militant acts, will be freed on June 14 after completing 26 months of his 30-month sentence for conspiracy in the Bali nightclub blasts that killed 202 people, many of them foreign tourists, governmentofficials said Monday. Several months were cut from his sentence for good behavior. Bashir plans to return to Solo, a town 400 kilometers east of the capital Jakarta, so he "can get medical attention and teach again at Ngruki," his lawyer, Mahendradata, told The Associated Press. Mahendradata said he hoped the government would not bow to foreign pressure by finding another reason to keep the 68-year-old cleric behind bars. Australia, which lost 88 citizens in the Bali blasts, has said repeatedly in the past that the original sentence was too short, and U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld will be meeting with Indonesia's president and top security chiefs later Tuesday. It was not clear if Bashir would be on the agenda.

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Southeast Asia

5 JI members busted in Sulawesi, 2 linked to Top

2006-05-08

Indonesian police are questioning five men arrested on Indonesia's Sulawesi Island over possible links to terrorism, officials said Monday. Central Sulawesi police chief Brig. Gen. Oegroseno said two of the five confessed they have links with Noordin M. Top, regarded as a key leader of the al-Qaeda-linked group Jamaah Islamiyah (JI). He said the five men were arrested by a special anti-terror unit late Friday in Tolitoli regency of Central Sulawesi province. They were being questioned in Palu, the capital of the province. "We will send them to Jakarta's national police headquarters for further investigation," said Oegroseno. He said the two who confessed said they helped Noordin hide from police in Semarang, Central Java. He declined to reveal their identity, but said they were food vendors who came from Java three months ago.

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Southeast Asia

State Dept report on terrorism focuses on SE Asia

2006-04-29

East Asian countries made progress last year in battling terrorists, but threats remain, particularly in Southeast Asia, where efforts are hampered by weak rule of law and poor security, the U.S. State Department said. In Friday's annual report on worldwide terrorism, the State Department pointed to Southeast Asia as a "major front in the global war on terror," saying a clearer picture of the relationship between al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) and local Islamic extremists has emerged through investigations and testimony in court cases. Worldwide, Iran was described as the most active state sponsor of terrorism. The report tallied about 11,000 terror attacks in 2005, with about 3,500 of those occurring in Iraq. The report praised the Indonesian government for demonstrating "a new urgency on counterterrorism," particularly after October's deadly terrorist bombings on the resort island of Bali, which killed 20 people. After a three-year manhunt, a November police raid in Indonesia killed Malaysian bomb maker Azahari bin Husin, a suspect in nearly every major terrorist attack in the country over the last five years. The report noted President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's appointment of a new national police chief to reform anti-corruption and counterterrorism measures. But efforts "remain hampered by weak rule of law, serious internal coordination problems, and systemic corruption that further limits already strained government resources," it said. The report singled out Laos as a potential safe haven for terrorists, saying the country is complacent about security despite the presence of a small domestic insurgency of about 1,000 to 2,000 people in a remote northern area. "Lao officials at many levels see terrorism as an issue of only marginal relevance to Laos," the report says. "They believe that Laos, as a small and neutral country, would not be targeted by terrorists." In the Philippines, the report cited growing cooperation among JI and the local groups Abu Sayyaf and the Rajah Solaiman Movement, made up of Christian converts to Islam, as a "major, and disturbing, trend." Near-simultaneous Valentine's Day bombings in Manila, Davao and General Santos City involved members of all three groups, killing eight people and injuring 150. The country arrested Rajah Solaiman leader Ahmad Santos and its second-in-command, and hasarrested or killed 83 suspected terrorists. But the lack of a law defining terrorism and a long backlog of cases have been hurdles to prosecuting terrorism cases, the report said. The report said there was no evidence of a link between militants in Thailand's restive south and JI or al-Qaeda, but "there is concern, however, that these groups may attempt to capitalize on the increasingly violent situation for their own purposes."

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Southeast Asia

How do loyalty and group power work in JI?

2006-04-07

Have you ever wondered how loyalty among jihadists gets started? Usually, we think of them as a product of a highly contagious ideology. But the stretch of their loyalty has a lot to do with the skillful use of group power. The idea is simple. If you want to bring about fundamental change in people's beliefs and behavior, a change that would endure and provide an example to others, you needed to form a group around you, where your beliefs can be practiced and articulated and nurtured. This helps to explain why jihadists are required to attend regular meetings, say weekly or monthly, and to adhere to a strict code of conduct. If they fail to live up to the group's standards, they are reminded of these standards and even punished. But what are the most effective groups that can bring about carnage? The answer might lie in the arrests by the Indonesian police in mid-2003 of the first Bali bombers. Fifteen jihadists were directly related to the attacks, another 35 were guilty of harboring fugitives or withholding information, and another 30 possessed explosives or firearms. In my reading, there are characteristics that distinguish each arrest. Those 15 jihadists who were directly related to the attack show us the fact that the group was aware that for a deadly operation, they had to keep themselves to a smaller group of people. So they were close knit, which was very important for a successful operation. Imagine if the group got too large, then they would not be able to share things in common and they would start to become strangers. The operation would not work because they could not maintain the loyalty of each member. In small groups, everybody knows each other and each person has a clear job distribution. As a result, most of the attacks, such as the JW Marriott Hotel, the Australian Embassy and the last year's Bali bombings, were carried out by a small group of hard-core loyalists. National Police chief Gen. Sutanto said that Noordin and his followers remained hard to catch because they were "highly mobile and because they had a small team", allowing them to easily elude arrest. While the other 35 who were guilty of harboring fugitives or withholding information in the first Bali blast may not have necessarily agreed with the attack, they shared some degree of loyalty to the group. An example of this category is the grandson of Achmad Dahlan, the founder of Muhammadiyah, Achmad Roichan, alias Saad, who was arrested in April 2003 for withholding information on the whereabouts of Bali bomber Mukhlas. Roichan is slender and composed. He talks slowly, with a slight Javanese accent. He has a kind of wry, ironic charm that is utterly winning. In my interviews with him in a Jakarta prison last year, he said he openly disagreed with the motive behind the Bali blasts. But he had fought with Mukhlas in Afghanistan from 1985 to 1988, and that created loyalty to the group. Next on the list would be Herlambang, alias Subai, a 33-year-old Javanese who was arrested in December 2002 for harboring Bali bombers Sawad, Imam Samudra and Abdul Ghoni after the attack. He is now in Krobokan Prison in Bali serving a six-year term. He was not directly involved in the attack and may have disagreed with it. But loyalty to the group triggered him to provide sanctuary for the bombers. Psychologists here in Brussels tell us much about this phenomenon: When people are asked to consider evidence and make decisions in a group, they come to very different conclusions than when they are asked the same questions alone. Once we are part of a group, we are all susceptible to peer pressure and social norms. "Peer pressure is much more powerful than a concept of boss. Many, many times more powerful. People want to live up to what is expected of them," these psychologists explain. Historically, loyalty between members of regional terrorist group Jamaah Islamiyah seems to have been assumed within the group and has adjusted to internal needs, external shocks and demographic changes. For that reason, many who are familiar with the group's workings were not surprised to learn that Abu Dujana has become the reported current leader of JI. According to Petrus Reinhard Golose of Indonesia's counterterrorism task force, Abu Dujana is "the guy who leads and has good relations with al-Qaeda and is trusted". Abu Dujana, who is originally from a stronghold of Darul Islam in West Java, has proved his unquestionable loyalty to the group. He fought in Afghanistan together with Hambali. He shared his skills as a military trainer in the group's camp in Mindanao and allegedly worked closely with Abu Rusdan, a senior member of the group, before Rusdan's arrest. As a secretary for Rusdan, Dujana was deeply involved with the group, getting reports from members and arranging meetings. As for the international community, the real challenge is not merely to counter specific terrorist groups, but to always anticipate those individuals who might join a terror campaign because of an imagined connection with other people's struggles. These "emotional" connections represent one obscure but real and lasting legacy of events such as the current ethnic-religious insurgency in southern Thailand, the unfinished Moro movement in the Philippines, the ongoing Palestinian struggle in the Middle East and obviously the war in Iraq that has drastically boosted terrorism, instead of lessening it.

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Southeast Asia

Indonesian theologian sez pesantren can counter negative image of Islam

2006-02-18

Dr. Hosham Dawod, an Islamic theologian of Iraqi descent, was on a tour to five Islamic boarding schools, or pesantren, in East Java recently with the aim of repairing the negative image toward Islam. The theologian's visit to the Tebuireng Islamic boarding school in Jombang on Tuesday attracted the attention of students. Those, who were engrossed in reciting the Koran at the school's mosque, stopped to closely watch him leisurely walking toward the custodian's residence, KH Yusuf Hasyim, the youngest son of KH Hasyim Asy'ari, founder of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Muslim organization. "I'm here to discuss with scholars about many things, including Islamic teachings, which originated from the Middle East," said Dawod, who was accompanied by Emanuel Subangun from the Ganesha Foundation in Jakarta and Hery Haryanto, executive board chairman of the Indonesian Islamic Students Movement (PMII). The other four Islamic boarding schools visited by Dawod, who resides in Paris, were Ngalah in Pasuruan, Darul Ulum and Manbaul Ma'arif in Jombang and Lirboyo in Kediri. Dawod's visit is connected to the currently declining image of Muslims around the world, since terrorists, who claimed they were acting on behalf of Islam, hijacked planes and crashed them into buildings in New York City and Washington, DC on Sept. 11, 2001. Since that tragic day, Islam, which means "religion of salvation", cannot be separated from terrorism, especially when Osama bin Laden, leader of the al-Qaeda terrorist network who was allegedly responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks, has repeatedly carried out terror acts in the name of Islam. A number of bomb attacks that claimed the lives of hundreds in Indonesia have been perpetrated by similar means: Bali in 2002 and 2005, and the Hotel JW Marriott and the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. The attacks were purportedly perpetrated by the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) network, one of al-Qaeda's offshoots in Southeast Asia. Dr. Azahari -- killed during a raid in East Java three months ago -- and Noordin Top are said to be the masterminds behind these terror acts. The negative image of Islam, according to Dawod, is due to the attitude of Muslims themselves. In Europe, for instance, the image that has already been smeared by various incidents has been exacerbated, especially when Muslims demand a revision in the legal systems. "Of late, Muslims in European countries have called for a change in the judicial system, which they maintain should be more accommodating to Muslims' interests," Dawod, a theological researcher at the Centre Nationale Research Scientifique (CNRS), told The Jakarta Post. That is clearly not a wise move, especially as the judicial system in Europe has been enacted without accommodating interests of Islam since the beginning, when Islam had yet to exist on the European continent. Only years after the legal system was established, did Muslim migrant workers arrive in Europe. Dawod disclosed that in general, dialogs between Muslims and European governments were needed to enhance better understanding among both parties. Muslims, he explained, need to decide whether they want to understand and be aware that the legal system existed before the presence of Islam in Europe, or choose to return to their homeland or migrate to countries that are more accepting of Islam. On the other hand "European countries should be aware that they need to refurbish their legal system because there are a large number of Muslims whose rights should be considered," he asserted. The education systems used at pesantren in Indonesia, according to Dawod, can be used as a model to enhance understanding between Islam and non-Muslims. "I was amazed to find non-Muslim students and a number of foreign uztad (Islamic teachers), at the Pondok Ngalah pesantren in Pasuruan," said Dawod. Of the 8,000 students studying at the pesantren, 25 of them are non-Muslims and three of the teachers are Australians. "Its open attitude toward other faiths is a beneficial step to creating better understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims," said Dawod. Custodian of the Ngalah pesantren, KH Sholeh Bahruddin, disclosed the school's decision to accept non-Muslim students and the opportunity given to Australian teachers to teach there was an attempt to bolster religious tolerance. "Many non-Muslims visit our school to have dialogs on many issues. They are our friends too," said Sholeh. According to Sholeh, Muslims throughout the world believe that humans originated from one creation, Adam and Eve. "So, we're all brothers and sisters, and there's no reason for us to become enemies," he said. Caretaker of the Darul Ulum pesantren in Jombang, M. Zahrul Ashar Asumta, was of the opinion that visits by foreigners to Indonesia to see the education system in Islamic boarding schools first hand was an important step for the development of Islam, because the pesantren teaches many things in life based on religion, and far from the fearful image perceived by the West so far. "The perception of Islam should be straightened out," Zahrul, who is also the son of Darul Ulum's founder, KH As'ad Amar.

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