Govt deems Jones a threat to domestic security
Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Noted American terrorism expert Sidney Jones was a threat to domestic security, Minister of Justice and Human Rights Hamid Awaluddin said on Wednesday, explaining the government's decision to deny her entry to Indonesia.
The minister, whose office oversees the immigration directorate general that denied Jones entry, said that she had been barred from entering Indonesia for a second time after a review by the relevant authorities here found her to be a threat to domestic security.
"This is our prerogative as a state, but the decision to deny entry can be changed and reviewed over time, he said.
Hamid did not, however, say why she was considered a threat, only saying the decision to refuse her entry was based on input from a number of state agencies, including the intelligence services, the National Police and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Speaking to the House of Representatives' defense commission, Coordinating Minister for Politics, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo A.S. said that Jones had been denied entry due to her "attitude".
"We have received input from our representatives abroad about her attitude. Our officials and others in the government's clearing house discussed this and decided to refuse her entry from Indonesia due to this attitude," he said without elaborating.
The clearing house is a special government committee consisting of officials from the foreign ministry, intelligence agency, Indonesian military, the police and the immigration office that has the final say on whether to allow foreign researchers and journalists to visit Indonesia or conflict-prone areas across the country.
Widodo said that a further review of Jones' "attitude" could be carried out to see if she might be allowed to enter Indonesia again in the future.
Legislator A.S. Hikam said the government should have informed Jones about the reasons behind the decision in order to avoid international criticism.
"Don't let this become a reason for the international community to criticize us, particularly remembering that Jones is an (NGO) activist," he said.
This was the second time that Jones, who heads the Jakarta office of the International Crisis Group (ICG), had been unceremoniously kicked out of Indonesia. She was forced to board a flight out of Indonesia as soon as she arrived at Soekarno- Hatta Airport on Thursday after a brief trip to Taiwan.
In May 2004, the Megawati Soekarnoputri administration refused to extend Jones' stay permit and work visa at the request of the intelligence authorities following her revealing reports on Indonesia's poor human rights record and communal conflicts around the country.
The Brussels-based ICG is also well-known for its in-depth reports on Jamaah Islamiyah, which has been blamed for a string of bomb attacks in Indonesia since 2002.
Responding to the second entry ban, Jones said she was confused as she had previously been allowed to visit Indonesia again in August after her one-year ban expired in May.