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.