Indonesia - Seven Saudis expelled from Maluku

JAKARTA, 27 July — Seven Saudi nationals have been expelled from the Indonesian province of Maluku, the scene of years of bloody Muslim-Christian clashes, it was announced yesterday. The Saudis, who arrived Wednesday, were expelled because they did not have the special permit required of foreign visitors to the Malukus, said provincial Gov. Saleh Latuconsina.

Latuconsina said he did not know why the Saudis had come to the province, according to the state Antara news agency. "In principle, any foreigner visiting Maluku without the special permit will be expelled, as part of efforts to prevent any untoward eventuality," he said.

Since 1999 more than 5,000 people in the Malukus have died in clashes between Muslims and Christians, whose fighters were sometimes backed up by members of the police and military. A shaky government-sponsored peace deal has been in effect since February.

Laskar Jihad, a militia based on the main Indonesian island of Java, sent thousands of fighters to the Malukus from May 2000, vowing to defend Muslims against Christians.

A smaller group called Laskar Mujahedeen has also operated in the Malukus and there have been claims from some sources that it has recruited foreign fighters in the past.

Laskar Jihad chief Jaafar Umar Thalib will face three charges when he goes on trial on Aug. 1 in Jakarta, his lawyer said in the capital yesterday.

Achmad Michdan told AFP that Thalib, who was freed from police detention Thursday evening, would face charges of sowing hatred, defaming the president’s name and creating enmity against the state. It was not clear what penalties the charges carry.

Thalib was arrested on May 4 and accused of inciting violence in a sermon he gave in the Malukus. Two days after he spoke, unidentified attackers raided the Christian village of Soya and massacred 13 people.

Indonesian Vice-President visits jailed militant
08 May 2002

Even as Indonesia signed an anti-terror pact with its neighbours, Malaysia and the Philippines, its Vice-President raised eyebrows by visiting detained militant leader Jaafar Umar Thalib at the national police headquarters yesterday and declared him his 'Muslim brother'.

Felix Tan with more:

Indonesia's Vice-President Hamzah Haz saw nothing wrong when he visited Jaafar Umar Thalib, the jailed leader of the militant Islamic group, Laskar Jihad.

But that was not how many saw it.

Jaafar Umar Thalib was arrested recently and has been blamed for inciting violence against Christians in Ambon in the Maluku province.

Observers said that the Vice-President's visit was prompted partly by his rivalry with popular Muslim cleric, Zainuddin M.Z., who heads the breakaway Reformasi faction of Mr Hamzah's United Development Party and who met Jaafar earlier in the day.

But whatever his reasons, many analysts have said that the visit was ill-timed because it sent mixed signals to neighbours about Jakarta's resolve to crack down on extremist elements.

So, what was the purpose of Indonesian Vice-President Hamzah Haz's visit to detained Laskar Jihad leader?

I put this question to Mr Alvin Lie (AL), Vice-Chairman of the reform faction in the Indonesian Parliament and the Deputy-Secretary General of the National Mandate Party:

AL: "Well, Mr Hamzah Haz has already explained his visit to Jaafar. That he was visiting Jaafar in his private capacity, not as Vice-President. Well, it is personal visit - he is right - we cannot do anything. But again, this does not reflect the position of the government. But then again, I do regret his actions because like it or not, even though it is personal visit, he is still the Vice-President of Indonesia. And I am afraid that his visit might intervene with the legal process of Jaafar."

According to reports, the Vice-President has said that 'we Muslims are brothers. There's nothing wrong with visiting someone in trouble and sympathising'. However, with Jaafar's arrest; and him labeled as a militant and also blamed for inciting violence in the Maluku provinvce; and threatening President Megawati Sukarnoputri and also her family, what sort of message is Vice-President Hamzah Haz sending, especially to neighbouring countries?

AL: "Well, our main concern in the Parliament is that as far as the police are acting in the national interest in preserving the territorial integrity in Indonesia and within the legal corridor, we, the Parliamentarians, do fully support the actions of the police. Again, there must not be any prejudice. We would like to see the supremacy of law being upheld in Indonesia. And that we should proritise the national interest of Indonesia, above anything else."

Now, what is the significance of Jaafar's arrest by the Indonesian authorities, especially given international criticism that Jakarta is not doing enough to rein in militants in the country?

AL: "Now, I believe that the Jakarta police has also arrested Mahmood Putri, the leader of the RMF, separatist movement, on separatism issue. I think that it is only fair that if there is any allegations or any indication that Jaafar is also involved in armed movement or use of violence or anarchism, we should follow it up with legal investigation and clear it once and for all, because the situation in Ambon is very sensitive. The government should not show any favouritism for any groups. So, I agree that it is just a legal process and if Jaafar is legally found not guilty, then that should be all clear for him. But, if he is found guilty, then he should also be accountable for that."

Finally, how much is known of the Laskar Jihad leader Jaafar Umar Thalib and his group?

AL: "Well, I believe that Jaafar Umar Thalib and Laskar Jihad is considered as hardliners. The number of his people are not that many. But what the main attention is that although they are not many, their actions might influence the attitudes of other Muslims in Indonesia, who are actually… I would say that the Muslims in Indonesia are more logical, has very high respect for the integrity of the nation and that may be corrupted by extremism and the hardline approach."

And that was Mr Alvin Lie, Vice-Chairman of the reform faction in the Indonesian Parliament and the Deputy-Secretary General of the National Mandate Party, speaking to Felix Tan.

Independent Catholic News LONDON - 8 May 2002 - 732 words

Moluccas: campaign calls for international pressure to save fragile peace

Ann Buwulda

After travelling to Indonesia and leading a delegation to Brussels to save a fragile peace deal, Jubilee Campaign's US Director, Ann Buwulda considers the implications of the recent killing of 14 Christians and the possible way ahead.

Days after Jubilee Campaign's delegation urged members of the European Parliament to bolster the fragile peace agreement in the Moluccas Islands of Indonesia, masked executioners massacred 14 Christians in the village of Soya. Jihad warriors entered the predominantly Christian village in the early hours of Sunday April 28. While proclaiming Allah's greatness and shouting "kill them all," they went from house to house stabbing, shooting, and setting off bombs. Women and children were not spared, including a nine-month-old baby.

Our delegation had flown to Brussels on April 15-17 to brief members of the European Parliament, who were themselves sending a delegation to Indonesia. The parliamentarians were preparing for meetings with Indonesia's President, Megawatti Sukamoputri set for April 29. Jubilee impressed upon these officials the importance of bolstering the fledgling peace agreement for the Moluccas. The agreement, known as "Malino II," offers the best hope of protection to the minority Christian population. It was signed by a number of Christian and Muslim leaders of goodwill that sought to return to the peaceful co-existence that they had enjoyed in the past. Significantly, Jubilee's delegation included Mr Hengky Hattu, an Indonesian lawyer who was one of the negotiators and signers of the agreement.

This is the most serious resumption of bloodletting in the Moluccas since the peace deal was signed in February 2002. At approximately 3.45am the electricity to the village of Soya was turned off, and a systematic rampage commenced. In little more than an hour, the destroyers killed 14 villagers, maimed and injured devastated survivors, gutted 30 homes, and torched the old, beautiful Soya Protestant church. By 5.00 am, the attackers withdrew.

The village lay burning for another two hours before the authorities responded. Later that Sunday morning, local TV showed survivors conducting worship in the open rain beside the remains of their church.

I had visited the village of Soya in January this year. I had also been part of the delegation that briefed Members of the European Parliament about the precarious situation of the Christians there.

The timing of this attack is no accident. The Laskar Jihad has repeatedly denounced the Malino II Peace Agreement, signed by both Muslim and Christian representatives.

On April 24 the leader of Laskar Jihad, Jaafar Umar Thalib, arrived in the capital city of Ambon to deliver his "holy" call to arms. His "sermon" at the local mosque was packed by thousands of extremists, who were primed for incitement.

The first casualty was the Silo Church in Ambon. On April 25, it was torched to the ground for the second time in two years.

Soya lay smouldering three days later. Who is next?

The pretext for Jaafar Umar Thalib's arrival was that the little-known Moluccan separatist movement (RMS) would fly its flag on the 52nd anniversary of its failed independence bid on April 25. But the government had already arrested the RMS leader, Alex Manaputty, detaining him to prevent that very thing. Virtually no Christians in Ambon or the Moluccas actually support the RMS.

Laskar Jihad maintains a military base in the Muslim village of Air Kuning, only a short distance from Soya. It is utter hypocrisy for the Indonesian security forces to arrest the leader and members of the RMS for flying flags, while permitting Jaafar Umar Thalib to incite thousands to holy terror.

The Laskar Jihad continues unimpeded in its systematic sabotage of the fledgling peace agreement. Between the signing of the Malino-II peace agreement and this weekend's massacre, Muslim signatories to the peace have been physically threatened, a bus shooting was carried out in Galunggung, and the Amboina Hotel was destroyed by a massive bomb. The hotel was located in the diminishing Christian sector of Ambon City. Six persons were killed, and 55 were critically wounded in that attack.

Jubilee Campaign is calling on the International community to put full pressure on the Indonesian authorities to expel Laskar Jihad and its network from the conflict areas. Laskar Jihad enjoys the status of a benevolence organization, while it furthers a militant agenda to establish Shariah Islamic law in Indonesia. Inexplicably, it continues unabated, notwithstanding its links to international terrorist organizations.

Contact Independent Catholic News tel/fax: +44 (0)20 7267 3616 or email

*My note: Laskar Jihad is but one more of those terror 'charities' like we have here, evidently.

The challenge for moderate Islam

Almost all Indonesians are tolerant, moderate Muslims. Yet the government seems strangely reluctant to confront the few dangerous radicals

June 20, 2002

There is little sign of the tolerant, pluralist face of Indonesian Islam outside the Eksotis night-club in Jakarta. Broken glass, burnt wood and shredded tarpaulin litter the car park-the result of a bombing last weekend by suspected Muslim militants. No one claimed responsibility for that attack, or for two bombs placed outside other night spots that were found and defused. But Islamic vigilantes openly ransack bars and brothels around the country from time to time.

One militant group, Laskar Jihad, sends recruits to fight for the Muslim side whenever religious conflict breaks out in Indonesia's far-flung provinces. It also enlisted volunteers last year to fight for the Taliban, though it failed to get them to Afghanistan in time. Malaysia and Singapore have accused Indonesia of allowing the leader of a terrorist group with links to al-Qaeda to roam free. Even if, as the government maintains, there is no evidence that Abu Bakar Basyir, the man in question, committed any crime, he certainly advocates violence in the name of religion.

Yet Indonesians insist that their version of Islam is much more peaceful and liberal than that of the Middle East, let alone of al-Qaeda's zealots. For the most part, they are right. About 90% of Indonesians-some 200m people-are Muslims, yet violent extremists number only a few thousand. At the most recent elections, in 1999, the majority of votes went to secular parties.

The religious parties that did best advocated consideration for minorities; one that called for the introduction of Islamic law polled a miserable 1.7%. Two huge Muslim organisations, Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah, which together claim more than 60m members, earlier this year agreed to join forces to fight religious extremism. A politician from Aceh, reputedly the most devout province, recounts that locals booed Jaafar Umar Thalib, the leader of Laskar Jihad, during a recent speech in the provincial capital.

Yet, given how little support extremists enjoy, the government seems strangely reluctant to take them to task. Laskar Jihad (along with separatist Christian groups) had spent three years fanning sectarian fighting in the Moluccas before the government arrested Mr Thalib in May for incitement. One of his first visitors in prison was Hamzah Haz, the vice-president and head of Indonesia's biggest Islamic party. A few weeks later, Mr Haz also dropped in on Mr Basyir. Though most politicians do not go so far, many are unwilling to condemn Islamic extremism loudly and openly.

This reticence stems in part from the unrelated causes with which extremists have dressed up their brand of Islam. It has become a point of national pride, for example, not to give in to foreigners' haughty demands for Mr Basyir's arrest. America's foreign policy is unpopular, and any gesture that smacks of defiance of it correspondingly popular. Many Muslim Indonesians sympathise with the plight of their brethren in the Moluccas, and associate Laskar Jihad with their cause. They are also fed up with the country's abject lawlessness and corruption, and support any moves to restore some sort of order. Several of the radicals first rose to prominence by resisting the authoritarian regime of Suharto, a former president, and still retain a certain dissident glamour.

Fear of being labelled bad Muslims also plays a part in the government's timidity. According to Ulil Abshar Abdalla, head of the Islamic Liberals Network, "all the politicians in the country think that Islam is a monster-but if you go against it you risk your career."

Megawati Sukarnoputri, the country's president, seems particularly sensitive about her Islamic credentials. She has been denounced for visiting Hindu temples, for consorting with Christian America, and for being a female leader in a Muslim society (by her own vice-president, Mr Haz, among others). The arrest of Mr Thalib shows that she is growing more confident, but the lack of any significant protests about her action also suggests that she had nothing to worry about anyway.

Above all, Indonesia's politicians are not very good at standing up to anyone, from Muslim extremists to debt defaulters. The memory of Suharto's repression remains so strong that public figures hesitate to marginalise anyone, for fear of appearing anti-democratic. In any case, many Indonesians find direct confrontation distasteful. The president recently chided Indonesia's parliament for taking decisions by voting, instead of through consensus. Pluralism, surely, to a fault.

The Economist

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