Jakarta bombing: Indonesia's intelligence boss wants power to detain terror suspects; Bali security beefed up
BY INDONESIA CORRESPONDENT ADAM HARVEY, 40 MINUTES AGO
PHOTO
Indonesian special police are patrolling in Bali after President Joko Widodo ordered an increase in security on the resort island following the terror attacks in Jakarta.
Indonesia's intelligence chief has asked for more power to detain suspected terrorists as security is beefed up across Bali in the wake of this week's deadly attacks in Jakarta.
The head of Indonesia's National Intelligence Agency, the BIN, said his country has put too much weight on the legal rights of suspects.
Chief Sutiyoso said the BIN's information-gathering had been hamstrung by Indonesia's current laws.
"We don't have the authority to arrest or detain anyone and that's the problem," he said.
Sutiyoso said countries like France and the United States had a better balance between national security and freedom and a greater ability to prevent terrorism.
The intelligence chief said his agency did what it could within its legal limitations and that the BIN needed more power to gather information, and not just rely on wiretaps and documents.
President orders heightened security across Bali
President Joko Widodo has ordered more police at hotels, airports and shopping malls across Bali after Thursday's attacks in Jakarta by Islamic State-linked militants.
Government officials fear the Jakarta attack, in which seven people including all five militants died, could revive memories of Bali bombings in 2002 and 2005 and hinder the President's efforts to nearly double tourist arrivals to 20 million people by 2019.
Bali's economy is already growing at its slowest pace since the financial crisis.
"I'm a little scared but honestly there is probably more police out there right now," US tourist Mike Rosenthal said.
"I'm probably safer now — just got to be careful, stay low and avoid tourist areas."
Travel and tourism directly contributed around $US23 billion ($33.5 billion) to Indonesia's economy in 2014, or about 3.2 per cent of gross domestic product, according to a report from the World Travel & Tourism Council.
At Bali's airport, tour guides said they were confident that any drop in business would only be temporary.
"There is no problem. Bali is safe," said Yan Xiang Zhao, a tourist who had flown in from Taiwan with two friends.
Jakarta bombing: Indonesia's intelligence boss wants power to detain terror suspects; Bali security beefed up - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Islamic State Eyes Asia Base in 2016 in Philippines, Indonesia: Expert
Group looking to declare at least one foothold in the region this year.
By
Prashanth Parameswaran
January 14, 2016
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is looking to declare at least one foothold in Asia in 2016, with the Philippines and Indonesia being the most likely targets, a terrorism expert said Tuesday.
Southeast Asia has already emerged as a key recruitment center for ISIS, with more than 500 Indonesians and dozens of Malaysians joining the group and forming their own unit, the
Katibah Nusantara(Malay Archipelago Combat Unit). Earlier this week, reports surfaced that two Malaysian suicide bombers from that unit had blown themselves up in Syria and Iraq in the last two weeks, killing more than 30 others (See: “
Malaysian Islamic State Suicide Bombers Kill More Than 30 in Middle East”).
But leaders and experts have also been warning that ISIS could gain a territorial foothold or at least establish a satellite presence in Southeast Asia. At last year’s Shangri-La Dialogue, Singapore’s premier Lee Hsien Loong warned that ISIS could “establish a base somewhere in the region,” a geographical area under its physical control like in Syria or Iraq (See: “
Singapore Warns of Islamic State Base in Southeast Asia”). On Tuesday, in an opinion piece in
The Straits Times, terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna argued that ISIS is likely to create at least one branch in Southeast Asia this year – most likely in either the Philippines or Indonesia – with alarming consequences for the region.
“ISIS is determined to declare at least one province in Asia in 2016,” Gunaratna, a professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University wrote in the Singapore-based newspaper. “An ISIS foothold will present far-reaching security implications for the stability and prosperity for a rising Asia,” he added.
The main candidate for an ISIS branch, Gunaratna argued, is the Philippines. That is not surprising. The country has served as a training ground for terrorists before, including Al-Qaeda’s so-called Southeast Asian offshoot Jemaah Islamiyah. A number of local groups have pledged allegiance to ISIS self-appointed caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, with the Ahlus Shura (council) appointing Isnilon Hapilon – the leader of the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan – as the overall leader of the so-called Islamic State in the Philippines.
“Shortly, ISIS will declare a satellite of the caliphate in the Sulu archipelago,” Gunaratna wrote.
The consequences, Gunaratna argues, would be dire. If ISIS succeeds in creating a safe haven in Basilan and mounts operations from the Sulu archipelago, training camps will lure recruits from neighboring Asian states who cannot reach Syria, including Malaysia, Australia and even China. In addition, he argues that it is “very likely” that ISIS will dispatch explosive experts, combat tacticians and other operatives. As ISIS enforces its brand of Islam, beheadings, mass killings and other attacks are also likely to occur. To preempt all this, Gunaratna urged the Philippine military to deploy in strength in Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi as well as focus on winning Muslim hearts and minds to reduce ISIS support.
“If the armed forces can dominate the Sulu archipelago, ISIS cannot successfully declare, operate and expand its satellite in the Philippines, with implications for Malaysia, the region and beyond,” he argued.
The other candidate for an ISIS branch, Gunaratna wrote, is Indonesia. His case is much less developed here, though he is not alone in worrying about this. Just last month, Australian attorney-general George Brandis warned that ISIS had identified Indonesia as a location for a “distant caliphate”.
Thus far, to their credit, Gunaratna acknowledges that the Indonesian military has “pre-empted” ISIS plans to declare a satellite state of the so-called caliphate in eastern Indonesia. This week, Indonesian police said that a more aggressive campaign is being launched focused on Poso and surrounding areas to find Abu Wardah – better known as Santoso – Indonesia’s most high-profile backer of ISIS. Elsewhere, Indonesian security forces have also made key arrests to stop planned attacks, including of several militants across Java in December with the help of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Australian Federal Police and Singaporean authorities.
Islamic State Eyes Asia Base in 2016 in Philippines, Indonesia: Expert | The Diplomat
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