Terrorists 'selling phone cards'<\/p>\n
Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Terrorists in Indonesia are facing funding problems and are
\nresorting to selling mobile phone vouchers to raise cash after
\nmoney from Saudi Arabia was cut off last year, National Police
\nchief Gen. Sutanto said on Monday.<\/p>\n
Sutanto said that the funding from a terrorist cell in Saudi
\nArabia was disrupted after security authorities arrested last
\nyear a man identified only by his initials, \"AS\", who had been
\nreceiving the funds from couriers.<\/p>\n
\"They (terrorists) now face difficulties in obtaining money to
\nfinance their operations with the arrest of this man. We've cut
\ntheir access to money,\" Sutanto told the House of Representatives
\nCommission III on legal affairs.<\/p>\n
Police believe terrorists are obtaining money legally by
\nselling mobile phone vouchers, a business that has mushroomed in
\nthe country.<\/p>\n
\"They (terrorists) can reap profits amounting to Rp 5 million
\n(US$500) a day,\" Sutanto said.<\/p>\n
Tactics had changed since the Bali bomb attacks in 2000,
\nSutanto said. Then a perpetrator, Imam Samudra, had raised funds
\nthrough robberies. Imam is now on a death row.<\/p>\n
Sutanto's comments confirm the views of some security experts
\nwho have said terrorists have begun smaller operations because of
\ncash-flow problems. The last attacks, in restaurants in Bali on
\nOct. 1, were carried out by three suicide bombers wearing
\nexplosive-laden backpacks. Previously, militants had preferred to
\nuse larger car bombs.<\/p>\n
\"These are difficult times for them now, but we're
\nintensifying our efforts to investigate them, including finding
\nour most wanted man, Noordin Mohd. Top,\" Sutanto said.<\/p>\n
Sutanto also urged the government to implement the Single
\nIdentification Number (SIN) project quickly so that each person
\ncould be identified by a single number, making it more difficult
\nfor terrorists or criminals who wished to create double
\nidentities.<\/p>\n
\"Our laws and surveillance systems are too weak right now.
\nPeople can have two ID cards or two passports just like Noordin
\nand his followers (did). With the single number we can prevent
\nsuch things from happening, thus diminishing crime in Indonesia.\"<\/p>\n
Noordin and Malaysian compatriot Azahari bin Husin have been
\naccused of masterminding a series of bomb attacks in the country
\nduring the past few years. The two are believed to be senior
\nmembers of the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) regional terror network,
\nwhich is linked to al-Qaeda.<\/p>\n
However, a recent theory says that Noordin may have split from
\nJI and formed an even more militant group.<\/p>\n
Azahari was killed during a police raid on Nov. 9 in East
\nJava. It is believed Noordin managed to escape a raid on the same
\nday in the Central Java city of Semarang.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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