Government steps up anti-terrorist campaign

Government steps up anti-terrorist campaign

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia, called by foreign countries a safe haven for
terrorists, is now beginning to step up measures against the al-
Qaeda network which has allegedly conducted a series of
activities in the country, despite official denials for months.

After admitting to have deported a senior al-Qaeda operative
Omar al-Faruq, officials here said that another man is being
questioned on similar charges.

National Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said on Wednesday the
man, identified as a German citizen of Arabic descent, had been
in custody since Tuesday night.

"We found documents in his house related to various problems
across the country and other terror activities," Da'i said after
a meeting on terrorism with President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

"There are indications that the suspect was involved in a
number of conflicts in Indonesia. He was arrested in Jakarta,"
the police chief said.

The government is also pursuing reports of Muslim cleric Abu
Bakar Ba'asyir, who foreign intelligence agencies have accused of
being one of the top terror masterminds in Southeast Asia,
possibly linked to al-Qaeda.

"We are still investigating him, and so far we do not have
enough evidence to arrest him," Coordinating Minister for
Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said
after the meeting.

The minister admitted there had been activities by foreigners
and Indonesians that violated the law, but refused to admit that
any al-Qaeda remnants existed in the country.

"The information (regarding the presence of al-Qaeda) may be
true, or it may not," Susilo remarked.

Indonesia has come under fire from neighbors in Southeast Asia
for not doing enough against many suspected terrorists, including
Ba'asyir.

Following the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on New York and Washington
last year, dozens of Indonesian citizens were arrested by
Singapore, the Philippines and Malaysia for their alleged links
to terrorism.

The most high-profile figures are Fathur Rochman Al-Ghozi and
Agus Dwikarna in Manila, who were arrested for illegal possession
of a large amount of explosive materials and alleged involvement
in radical Muslim movements based in Indonesia.

The latest arrest made against four Indonesians by the
Philippine authorities last week in General Santos city.

"The four Indonesians are suspected members of a terrorist
group, that's why they were arrested," armed forces spokesman
Brig. Gen. Eduardo Purificacion said Wednesday as quoted by AFP.

The Philippines authority said one of the four was part of a
militant Southeast Asian Islamic group behind the deadly bombing
of a shopping mall in the southern Philippines earlier this year.

Susilo said the embassy in Manila had sent a team to meet the
detainees and to determine their nationality.

The minister has admitted there was an intelligence operation
to arrest and deport al-Faruq in June to United States
authorities. He is currently at the U.S. military base in
Afghanistan.

Al-Faruq, who is married to an Indonesian woman, reportedly
planned to murder Megawati, which has many asking, therefore, why
he was deported if he committed crimes against the government
here.

Earlier Vice President Hamzah Haz and both the police and
military chiefs claimed they had no knowledge of his arrest.

"These activities serve as solid proof that our security is
working. We will follow up on all information that we receive
from other countries," Susilo said on Wednesday.

The minister underlined that the government would conduct the
investigation according to the country's law.

Susilo further said that he hoped for better cooperation and
access from other countries to follow up on alleged terrorist
activities.