Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Indonesia's fight against terrorists questioned

BALI, Indonesia - In Bali, one of Southeast Asia's most-wanted fugitives slips away hours before a police raid.

In central Indonesia, 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 fundraising 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 Indonesia. Jemaah Islamiyah has had ideological and financial links with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida and is 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 security expert based in Jakarta, Indonesia, said of Jemaah Islamiyah's current leadership. "They still present a significant danger."

Indonesia's antiterror 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 in Indonesia since the fall of the Suharto dictatorship in 1998.

Authorities have moved decisively since then, arresting 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 antimilitant security agents and established a government antiterror 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," said Sidney Jones, a Jemaah Islamiyah expert with the International Crisis Group in Brussels. "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 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 predawn raid on his Bali hideout, police said. Malaysian-born Noordin Mohamed Top is believed to be a key leader, fundraiser 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.

There was no way to independently confirm if the man who escaped Friday was in fact Noordin, but Abdul Madjid, a police chief in the city of Solo, said police were convinced it was him.

Experts say Jemaah Islamiyah has been adept at switching tactics in the face of the crackdown, exploiting links with smaller regional groups 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.

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 has focused attention on what some critics call flaws in Indonesia's antiterror efforts.

Jakarta hasn't cracked down on Islamic schools suspected of encouraging extremism. Bashir, for example, founded a school in Java that is still operating, although Bashir is in prison for conspiracy in the 2002 bombing.

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 41/2 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, 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, a 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 said the government cannot target any Islamic school without proof of links to terrorism. Such moves, he said, would create divisions when the nation needs unity to fight terror.

He said the government hoped to encourage moderate Islamic elements that oppose violence.

[Last modified October 8, 2005, 01:27:10]