U.S. yet to link RI groups to int'l terrorist cells: Boyce
U.S. yet to link RI groups to int'l terrorist cells: Boyce
Agencies, Jakarta
Despite mounting pressure for Washington to cease spreading what
many leaders here call "black propaganda" against Indonesia, the
U.S. ambassador insisted on Tuesday that terrorist cells are
operating in the world's largest Muslim country and urged it to
counter them.
"We are seeing indications that they are here. We just can't
avoid this," Ralph Boyce told a group of Muslim leaders who
bombarded him with questions about the evidence behind the U.S.'s
allegations of an international terrorist network operating in
Indonesia.
But he said Washington had not yet linked any hard-line groups
here, which have been campaigning for an Islamic state, to global
terrorist organizations.
"There is a misperception that the U.S. has labeled them as
international terrorist organizations," Boyce said, referring to
groups such as Laskar Jihad, the Islam Defenders' Front (FPI) and
the Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI).
Singapore has accused elderly MMI leader Abu Bakar Ba'asyir of
having links to a regional terrorist network.
In Hanoi on Tuesday, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for
East Asia and Pacific, Matthew Daley, said Washington was
considering designating Ba'asyir's group as "what we technically
call a foreign terrorist organization".
Tuesday's dialog with Boyce was attended by around 20 Muslim
leaders including Muhammadiyah Deputy chairman Din Syamsuddin,
Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) leaders Ahmad Bagja and Cecep Syarifuddin,
and Umar Shihab from the Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI).
Also present were Hussein Umar of the Indonesian Islamic
Council (DII), Association of Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals
(ICMI) secretary-general Marwah Daud Ibrahim and representatives
from the United Islam (Persis) and Al-Irsyad organizations, and
the Indonesian Committee for World Muslim Solidarity (Kisdi).
Din, who presided over the meeting, said it was held at the
request of the U.S. envoy.
The dialog, which took place at Muhammadiyah headquarters, was
the third since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks blamed on Osama
bin Laden's al-Qaeda group.
"We have been saying since Sept. 11 that al-Qaeda is in dozens
and dozens of countries ... and (it) has been active in
Indonesia," Boyce asserted.
"Just because you cannot see them (international terrorist
cells), it does not mean that they are not there," he argued.
He appealed to Indonesian leaders to refrain from "attacking
the (U.S.) messenger" and instead focus on the dangers al-Qaeda
posed.
The security authorities here have arrested several suspects,
all believed to be foreign citizens, accused of being connected
with the al-Qaeda terrorist network.
"It's an Indonesian responsibility that will have an
Indonesian solution," said Boyce, who earlier urged the
government here to "do even more" to confront terrorism.
"It's not a solution that will be imposed on you by the United
States. For it to have any success, it will have to come from
Indonesia."
His comments followed public criticism of the U.S. by
prominent religious and youth leaders who asked it to refrain
from spreading what they described as "disinformation" against
Indonesia, and warned that such disinformation would only further
encourage widespread resentment against Washington.
They also demanded that the U.S. provide clear, hard proof of
its recent claims that terrorist cells were operating in
Indonesia.
Boyce said that a recent Time magazine report based on
allegedly leaked CIA documents was not an official report from
his government.
The magazine said in its Sept. 23 issue that an alleged al-
Qaeda senior operative, Omar al-Faruq -- who was arrested in June
in Bogor, West Java -- admitted he had plotted to kill President
Megawati Soekarnoputri in May 1999 when she was running for the
presidency.
In a response to the report, Din accused Washington, in
cooperation with "certain Indonesian elements", of spreading a
"self-fulfilling prophesy" to pit Muslims against nationalists
here.
"We never knew when and how al-Faruq was arrested in Indonesia
and deported to the U.S., but we were suddenly surprised by a
report from far away that he planned to kill Megawati," he told
The Jakarta Post.
"It shows an evil scenario that will have the impact of
damaging the image of Islam," Din added.