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| Southeast Asia |
| Neighbors Ready to Eradicate Jemaah Islamiyah |
| 2002-12-16 |
| Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri and Singapore Prime Minister Goh Tok Chong held talks Monday on how to eliminate regional terrorism network Jemaah Islamiyah. âWe have agreed to cooperate in eliminating the terrorist network,â Goh told a joint press conference after a meeting with Megawati at a state palace in Bogor, West Java. The Indons' domestic terror enablers can be expected to poke out the old lower lip and dig in their heels at that one! He said the talks focused on cooperative measures to root out the âmanyâ terrorists still at large in Southeast Asia, but did not provide details of any specific new counter-terrorism strategies. That's for the intel and military guys to come up with, anyway... Singapore has been a keen proponent of the US-led war on terrorism, arresting dozens of alleged terrorists since late last year, whereas Indonesia had initially played down terror threats until the October 12 Bali nightclub bombings that killed more than 190 people. And lots of pols still haven't stopped... In the wake of the bombings, Indonesia has arrested more than 20 people linked directly and indirectly to the case, while at least 11 people have been detained over the recent bombing of a McDonaldâs restaurant and a car showroom in Makassar, South Sulawesi. Several of the perpetrators of the Bali and Makassar bombings have connections with Jemaah Islamiyah and are linked to the groupâs spiritual leader Abu Bakar Baasyir [Bashir], who adamantly denies any wrongdoing. "Nope. Nope. Not me. Just a simple holy man. Besides, they wuz all infidels..." Indonesia earlier this year rejected repeated calls from Singapore to arrest Baasyir but finally detained him after the Bali bombings, charging him over a series of deadly church bombings on Christmas Eve 2000 and an alleged plot to assassinate Megawati before she became president. Baasyir, leader of the radical Indonesian Mujahidin Council, insists Jemaah Islamiyah does not exist and refuses to cooperate with police investigators. "Dere ain't no sech thing as a mafia, I mean Jemaah, see? Dose 'as sez diff'rint, dey don't know nuttin'! See?" Goh said Singapore and Indonesia are aware that Jemaah Islamiyah is the Southeast Asian link of Osama bin Ladenâs al Qaeda organization. Megawati said she and Goh had discussed cooperation on anti-terrorism and economics but declined to reveal details. Singaporeâs Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew has said monitoring of internet traffic indicates that about 100 radical groups with several thousand members are operating in Indonesia. Gives them lotsa stuff to work on. If they need any help, have them give me a call... Indonesiaâs tourism industry has slumped after the Bali attacks, but Goh gave the resort island some badly needed publicity, saying it is a safe holiday destination. Except when somebody blows you up. Ramallah is a safe holiday destination, too, by that criterion. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #1 Looks like they want to put the "hole" back in "holy man".... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2002-12-16 15:36:48 |