Government to deport Sri Lankan terror expert

Government to deport Sri Lankan terror expert

AMBON, Maluku: Sri Lankan terror expert Rohan Kumar Gunaratna has
been handed over to the Indonesian Immigration office and is to
be deported back to his base in Singapore.

Maluku police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Artsianto Dharmawan
said Gunaratna was dispatched to Maluku Immigration office on
Friday after he was caught by police in violation of his visa.

Gunaratna, the chief of the Singapore-based Institute of
Defense and Strategic Studies, used a tourist visa to enter
Maluku when he was researching terrorism in Seram Island, police
said.

Ambon Immigration Office chief Sam Lontokan confirmed on
Saturday Gunaratna had already been flown to Jakarta en route to
Singapore.

Gunaratna, the author of the book Inside Al-Qaeda, Global
Network of Terror, is well-known for his research on terrorism
and is a regular speaker at international seminars.

He earlier speculated police may have arrested him because
they thought he was a terrorist. -- JP