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| Southeast Asia |
| Jakarta expels militants from Maluku |
| 2002-05-11 |
| Indonesia's government continued its crackdown against radical Islamic elements yesterday by ordering the expulsion of a Java-based militant group from Maluku, the setting of a bloody sectarian conflict that dates back to 1999. But in what appears to be an effort to shield President Megawati Sukarnoputri's nationalist government from a strong Islamic backlash, Jakarta also announced plans to disband the Front for Maluku Sovereignty, FKM, a small Christian separatist group. Y'gotta have "balance" in these things... Security Minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told reporters: 'Whoever plays a role in stirring up violence will be processed equally according to the laws. The government will disband FKM and will take legal steps towards expelling Laskar Jihad from Maluku. These two elements create fresh violence and conflicts.' They're pretending the two are equivalent. Mr Susilo did not give a specific timetable for the two announced actions, but said that peace in Maluku depended on preventing outsiders from provoking further violence. He also said that soldiers from the Army's Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad) will be deployed to Maluku to help maintain security in the restive province. A cure, as any Timorese would attest, that can be as painful as the disease. Yesterday's development and last week's arrest of Laskar Jihad chief Jafaar Umar Thalib signalled Indonesia's newfound readiness to get tough on extremist elements. Doing so would appease neighbouring countries and the United States, which have demanded greater participation from the world's largest Muslim country in the war against terror and against fundamentalist groups. Yeah, but if they do it only to appease their neighbors and the USA, they're going to do it halfway, so as not to offend their internal crooks and jihadis. Jakarta's rewards for cooperating with the global anti-terror movement could include renewed military ties with the US and more loans to prop up its still weak economy. A bit of economic development would do them a lot better than putting more money into the military. Observers generally agreed that Laskar Jihad has stoked violence in Maluku since thousands of its fighters arrived there two years ago. Security forces made feeble attempts to stop their arrival then, sparking speculations that rogue elements within the military were backing these fighters. Jafaar and his followers have also been accused of instigating fresh fighting between Muslims and Christians in recent weeks, and of undermining the fragile, government-brokered truce that was signed in February. That's the whole purpose of the organization. But Laskar Jihad representatives, who command the respect and admiration of a significant portion of the country's Muslim population, have declared that they would resist government attempts to kick them out of Maluku. Oh. Well, in that case, never mind... Several Islamic groups have accused Mr Theo Syafei, a top cadre of President Megawati's Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), of having anti-Islam attitudes. Muslim figures, including Mr A.M. Fatwa, Vice-Speaker of Parliament and a ranking member of the National Mandate Party (PAN), have campaigned for Jafaar's release, and criticised the police and the government for arresting him. Jafaar, despite his status as a suspect in a major criminal case, was visited by prominent Islamic leaders, including Vice-President Hamzah Haz, who leads the United Development Party, the country's largest Islamic political party. And they're working just as hard as they possibly can to get the fix in. Whether this is a real crackdown or more going through the motions is yet to be seen. Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines all share similar problems with Indonesia, and Indonesia's problems are actually more severe than those in the Philippines. Megawati's a weak leader, with lots of powerful and corrupt interests arrayed against her, which arouses a certain amount of sympathy; her intentions seem good. But if she doesn't take action against the Islamists, she's going to be toast. They'll nibble her away to nothing. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |