Indonesia back in spotlight after FBI visit, arrests
Yogita Tahilramani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesia finds itself in the spotlight again over terrorism following the visit by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Robert S Mueller to Bali and the recent arrest of three Indonesians in Manila for possession of bomb-making components.
During his two-day visit, Mueller held meetings with high ranking Indonesian officials, including Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar and Indonesia's National Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief AM Hendropriyono.
Mueller said that he appreciated what Indonesia had done to fight against terrorism, reiterating that the U.S. understood that Indonesia was, and would keep, working seriously to address the terrorism issue.
Indonesia has recently become the target of criticism from neighboring countries for allegedly doing next to nothing to fight against terrorism.
The situation worsened after the Philippine police arrested three Indonesians in Manila last week for possession of bomb- making components. The three were identified as Agus Dwikarma, Abdul Jammal Balfas and Tamsil Linrung.
Lawyer Achmad Michdan said in Jakarta on Sunday that he recognized Agus as an important member of the Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI).
"Agus Dwikarna is a significant player in the MMI. I'm sure about this," Achmad told The Jakarta Post.
Achmad represents MMI chief Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, who has been grilled twice by Indonesian Police Intelligence over his alleged links with international terrorist groups, including reports from Malaysian Police that he leads the al-Qaeda-linked Jamaah Islamiyah militant group in Malaysia. Ba'asyir has firmly denied this.
Philippine police believe the three Indonesians are members of Jamaah Islamiyah.
According to Philippine intelligence sources, as quoted by AFP, Agus has admitted to Philippine investigators that he is a member of several Indonesian militant groups, including the fourth in command of the MMI, an umbrella group advocating strict Islamic law in Indonesia. Agus has also told the Philippine police that he is the overall commander of a group called Laskar Jundullah and a chapter head of Dewan Dakwah Islamiyah (DDI).
The DDI, linked to the former ruling Golkar Party, was set up to coordinate Islamic missionary activities through preaching and sermons, while Laskar Jundullah advocates syariah law for Indonesia's 80 percent Muslim population.
Investigators have established that Agus, a civil engineer by training, had illegally entered the southern Philippines island of Mindanao previously in 1989 and 1991, the sources said. Meanwhile, Tamsil also stated that he was a DDI member, besides being a member of the advisory board of the Committee for Syariah Law Enforcement Preparation, and a former treasurer of the National Mandate Party (PAN), led by Amien Rais.
Abdul Jamal Balfas said he was the manager of PT Bumi Daya Kutat, which he described as a contractor for an Indonesian mining firm, according to Philippine police sources.
Indonesia's National Police chief of detectives Insp. Gen. Engkesman Hillep, who attended the FBI meetings with government and police officials in Bali, said the police were seeking information so as to establish a link between the three arrested Indonesians and terrorist groups.
He added that police were still focusing their efforts on locating Hambali, an Indonesian cleric who is the primary suspect in the 2000 Christmas bombings in Indonesia, and who, according to Malaysia, was in contact with the two hijackers of the aircraft that crashed into the Pentagon during the Sept. 11 attacks in the U.S. last year.
Hambali is currently at large. "The Malaysian police are still focusing their investigation on, among other matters, the Jamaah Islamiyah organization," Engkesman told the Post on Sunday.
Malaysian Police had earlier revealed that the Jamaah Islamiyah was introduced to Malaysia by Surakarta-born Abdullah Achmad Sungkar. When Abdullah died in 1999, Ba'asyir took over with Hambali as his lieutenant.