Terrorism fight grows in SE Asia
Terrorism fight grows in SE Asia
Chris Foley, Agence France-Presse, Singapore
The arrests of a further 21 suspected terrorists in Singapore put Southeast Asia's importance to al-Qaeda sharply into focus analysts said Tuesday as counter-terrorism warnings were stepped up.
In the Philippines, four Indonesians were arrested during a terrorist sweep on Tuesday, Australia said it faced threats from terrorists across the region, and Indonesia confirmed the arrest of Omar al-Faruq, said to be al-Qaeda's senior operative in Southeast Asia.
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said on Tuesday recent threats were being taken seriously and all Australian diplomatic posts in Southeast Asia had been asked to review their security levels.
The four Indonesian men wee arrested in anti-terrorist sweeps in the southern city of General Santos, the military said on Tuesday.
The suspects, Uskar Makawata, Jaka Antari, Julkiri Letemba and Rahman Yanis arrived in the city on July 22 and were rounded up in police-military raids on Saturday, said Brig. Gen. Generoso Senga, head of an infantry division in the area.
The military report said guns and bullets were seized from one house and "subversive" documents from the house of Makawata.
"We were wondering why they are in the area, and it's a concern," Senga said.
At least three of the suspects are "natives of North Sulawesi" and none of them had proper travel documents, he said.
The Philippines has earlier jailed two Indonesians with JI connections.
Intelligence reports quoted by Time magazine this week said that al-Faruq, now being interrogated by the CIA in Afghanistan, had been coordinating disparate Islamic militant groups in the region to attack U.S. and allied targets.
Indonesia, long seen as not making any terrorist arrests, confirmed on Tuesday that al-Faruq was detained in June and handed "to international authorities".
Coordinating Minister for Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Jakarta was working on intelligence reports provided by other countries, but would not say if there was evidence of more al-Qaeda in Indonesia.
The United States, Britain and Australia closed several diplomatic missions in the region last Wednesday in response to security threats on the Sept. 11 anniversary partly based on evidence from al-Faruq.
Of nearly 100 suspected terrorists being held in Singapore and Malaysia, most have been linked to Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) which is trying to establish a pan-Islamic state in Southeast Asia taking in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and the southern Philippines.
Although moderate Muslims in the largely Islamic region have loudly disassociated themselves from the radicals and sided with the war on terror, analysts say that support could easily be lost.
A U.S. attack Iraq could tip the balance, said Kumar Ramakrishna, from the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies in Singapore.
"In view of what has happened with Iraq turning around and saying it will accept US weapons inspectors, if the United States goes ahead and attacks... there will be more angry Muslims," he said.
"That is not to say they would be extremists, but more angry and therefore the potential for JI to win recruits is increased."
JI plans uncovered in Singapore included using 17 tons of ammonium nitrate to make seven massive truck bombs, with targets including the fortress-like U.S. embassy and other Western missions.
Singapore is now holding 34 accused terrorists but it did not mean it had broken the JI.
"Investigations are continuing," the home affairs ministry said.
Of the 34 being held under the tough Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows for indefinite detention without trial, 32 "are or have been" JI members.
Two have been linked to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the largest Muslim separatist force in the Philippines, although MILF has denied any direct association with JI.
Malaysia has detained 62 alleged Islamic extremists from the Malaysian Militant Group (KMM) which has also been linked to JI which in turn has close connections with Osama bin Laden's al- Qaeda.
One of the detainees, former Malaysian army officer Yazid Sufaat, allegedly met in January 2000 with two of the 19 al-Qaeda hijackers who carried out the attacks on New York and Washington.
In Singapore, questions arose about evidence against the terrorist suspects.
Sinapan Samydorai, from the Think Center rights group in Singapore, said the 34 should put its accused terrorists on trial if the government has evidence to back its claims.
"If there really is a serious threat to the country they would be tried. It seems they don't have enough evidence to take them to court."