|
Gunaratna sez JI, MILF, Abu Sayyaf all spawned from al-Qaeda
SEVERAL terrorist groups have been identified for each country in Southeast Asia, but all of them sprung from one group, the al-Qaeda.Experts believe the al-Qaeda network inspired local groups such as the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) to initially create local conflicts and then turn their cause into a global jihad. Al-Qaeda is the vanguard, said Dr. Rohan Gunaratna of Singapores International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research. During the last plenary session of the Counter-terrorism Experts Conference (CTEC) last Saturday, Gunaratna said all major JI attacks were funded by the al-Qaeda network. He said the terrorist groups in the Southeast Asian region have learned to exchange ideas, training and technology and cross borders through the backdoor. Likewise, former CNN Jakarta bureau chief Maria Ressa showed how territorial borders do not stop terrorist groups from sharing ideas and technology in carrying out their plots. Ressa spent two decades covering bombings and riots and met many of JIs leaders in her job as a journalist. She said officials in the Philippines and Indonesia claimed the design of a backpack bomb used by a suicide bomber in the second Bali bombing last year was first tested in the Philippines. They learned this because the Philippine National Police found a prototype of the Bali bomb in a church in Cotabato, which failed to explode. Because of weak law and order, training opportunities still exist - despite ongoing peace talks with the countrys largest Muslim separatist group, the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front). In fact, the JI and other groups continue to train in areas protected by the MILF. The camps are so much smaller than they were in the past, but theyre still there, Ressa said. This meant the training of potential terrorists continue, spreading the ideology. But Gunaratna believes there is a better chance of working with Asian terrorist groups than with the radicals in the Middle East, saying Asian groups are more moderate and tolerant. He explained that Middle East groups are largely radicalized because of the Palestinian conflict with Israel. He is glad to see the Asian region has begun working with the US and Australia. He said the fight cannot be controlled by Asian governments alone. A partnership is imperative if we are to succeed, he said. Ressa, for her part, said there are six areas that need to be addressed: an ideological response to counter the world view pushed by the radicals, a stronger military/law enforcement response, intelligence sharing, an educational response to make sure the ideology does not reach students, a financial response to track and disrupt terrorist fund-raising and a legislative response. She also recommends that officials communicate with the public and learn to work with the media. You will need to tell the public what theyre facing because in the end, each nation must find the balance between trading in some civil liberties in exchange for greater security. And in a democratic country like this one, people will not give up their freedoms willingly until and unless they know exactly what theyre getting in return, she said. Posted by: Dan Darling 2006-04-24 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=149598 |