JP/4/separatist

JP/4/separatist

'Separatism creates a fertile ground for JI'

Muhammad Nafik
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

The rise of separatism in many parts of Indonesia and in
neighboring countries has created a fertile ground for extremists
and terrorist movements to expand their networks in southeast
Asia, which could complicate security problems in the future, say
analysts.

They said the regional Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) terror network
and other militant groups could use local separatist movements as
a chance to spread influence across the region.

"As long as separatist movements still exist in Southeast
Asia, the JI activities have a very fertile ground to develop,"
Adriana Elisabeth with the Indonesian Institute of Sciences
(LIPI) said during a three-day seminar that concluded on
Thursday.

She warned that the collaboration between JI and local
separatist movements could make security problems in Southeast
Asia more complicated.

"JI's influence on these local movements tends to prolong the
conflicts that will then maintain national and regional
insecurity," Adriana said.

Separatist insurgences have been plaguing certain parts of
Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia, the Philippines and
Thailand. Aside from that, prolonged Christian-Muslim fighting
has devastated several areas in Indonesia.

A recent report issued by the International Crisis Group (ICG)
revealed possible links between senior leaders of JI and the Free
Aceh Movement (GAM).

Police investigations into the Bali bombings on Oct. 12, 2002
showed that JI cells appeared in Indonesia after dozens of its
suspected members were arrested.

The investigators accused elderly Muslim cleric Abu Bakar
Ba'asyir of being a spiritual leader of JI. He is now on trial on
charges of a plot to kill President Megawati Soekarnoputri in
1999, when she was the vice president.

Adriana said the sectarian and separatist armed conflicts were
a "beneficial situation" for JI's operations and other militant
movements to spread terror across the region.

Laskar Jihad, one of the major militant groups, was one such
group, as it managed to enter Maluku and Central Sulawesi to
fight Christians without any apparent challenge from security
authorities.

Both Maluku and Poso are in an uneasy peace with sporadic
violence erupting occasionally, although Muslim and Christian
leaders signed two truces to end years of the religious fighting.

"The interreligious conflict in Ambon (Maluku) contributed to
the transaction of arms smuggling to Mindanao (southern
Philippines) to support the local movements," Adriana said.

She said there was little evidence of the illegal trade, like
seized boats full of guns, but the guns and other ammunition
seized from suspects did end up in their hands, which proves the
transactions.

Adriana and other speakers at the seminar agreed to say that
the regional separatist and extremist movements gave examples of
how Muslim minorities adopted violent measures as they felt
neglected by the central government.

They also said the potential for violence and radicalism are
inherent in all faiths due to a literal interpretation of
religions and other political ideologies.

Therefore, a religion should not be considered as part of the
problem, but part of the solution, the seminar suggested.