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Indonesia: Top Militant Arrested To Placate U.S.
7 May 2002
Summary
Indonesian authorities May 6 arrested Jaffar Umar Thalib, leader of the Islamic militant group Laskar Jihad. Though Thalib enjoys influential political and military connections in Indonesia, his extremism and links to al Qaeda have caught the attention of the United States. Despite its reluctance to crack down on extremist elements in the past, Jakarta decided it had to do something in this case before Washington took matters into its own hands.
Analysis
Indonesian police May 6 arrested Jaffar Umar Thalib, leader of the Islamic Laskar Jihad militant group, as he was traveling to Jakarta. A tape recording on which Thalib called for Muslims to attack Christians and expressed his intention to kill President Megawati Sukarnoputri and her family provided the basis for the arrest.
The al Qaeda-linked Thalib has ties with numerous factions within the higher rankings of the government and military, and operated freely within the country. His arrest is likely the result of an ultimatum from the U.S. government, which wants potential terrorists brought to heel. It also reveals the decision by the Indonesian government -- which has been criticized for doing little to control militancy within its borders -- to deal with Thalib in its own way before the United States forced the issue.
The East Java-born Thalib fought with the Mujahideen against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the late 1980s, the New York Times reports, and had a 1987 meeting with Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. Thalib has criticized bin Laden openly, saying he was an arrogant man who scorned Saudi Arabia, and thus has dissociated himself from the al Qaeda leader.
However, Thalib's links to the group bought him to the attention of the United States. Laskar Jihad reportedly has trained non-Indonesian Muslims, including al Qaeda. Thalib also claimed an envoy from al Qaeda paid his group a visit in the weeks before Sept. 11 to offer monetary support, which he rejected.
Whatever his ties to al Qaeda may be, the effects of Thalib's militancy are obvious within Indonesia. The archipelago suffers from widespread sectarian violence and numerous separatist movements. Laskar Jihad has chosen the Molucca Islands as the focus of its efforts. In 1999, the group sent its members to fight with Muslims against Christian groups on the island.
Between 5,000 and 9,000 people have since perished in the conflict. Thalib repeatedly calls for the establishment of Sharia law in Indonesia, as democracy is "incompatible with Islam," the New York Times reported.
Indonesia's large Muslim population, as well as the group's significant political, military, and police links, has given Laskar Jihad a wide degree of freedom to conduct their operations. Thalib also has had close ties with Vice President Hamzah Haz, who actually visited Thalib in prison May 7, and former President Suharto. Influential Muslim organization Muhammadiyah said May 5 that Thalib's arrest was based on no strong evidence, according to Antara news agency.
The Laskar Jihad also reportedly has links with Abu Bakar Bashir, the alleged leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, another Indonesia-based Islamic militant organization. And Thalib even spoke at a recent seminar on "Islam and the West" in which U.S. ambassador to Indonesia Ralph Boyce participated as well, the Christian Science Monitor reported April 4.
The Muslim leader's connections have prevented his prosecution in the past. Police arrested Thalib in May 2001 for ordering members of his organization to stone an adulterer to death. But authorities released him after he argued that he had the right to apply Sharia law rather than Indonesian law, the Christian Science Monitor reported. However, pressure by Laskar allies was likely the real reason the charges were dropped.
Thalib April 26 gave a speech calling for Muslims to ready their bombs and guns to fight Christian separatists and expressed his objective to kill the family of former president Sukarno, Megawati's father. Following the speech, violence erupted April 28 in the village of Soya, leading to the deaths of at least 12 people.
The threat of further violence caused apprehension among the police regarding Thalib's most recent arrest. They got the go-ahead to detain him after consultation with Cabinet members, who gave the police the support they needed.
With Thalib's international profile growing as the war on terrorism continues, Indonesia cannot afford to allow him to continue operating with a free rein. Indonesia May 7 signed an anti-terrorism accord with neighbors Malaysia and the Philippines, who have criticized Jakarta for doing little to address its problems with militants, forcing them to deal with spillover extremist activity from Indonesia. Washington also has increased talks with Jakarta and undoubtedly has expressed concern over terrorist elements in the archipelago.
Thalib's ideology and alleged links with al Qaeda would place him squarely on U.S. radar. Jakarta has been reluctant to make arrests of Muslim militants, which, in a country of 200 million Muslims, could provoke a violent anti-government backlash. But if the government had not done anything this time, Washington could have taken the initiative.
Forces within Indonesia, including Megawati, apparently felt pressured enough to decide that it was better to deal with the situation their own way. By claiming that Thalib was arrested for threatening the president, the government and police do not appear to be targeting a Muslim at the behest of the United States.
Protests still will occur, however. Leaders of an alliance of 41 Islamic groups, including Bashir, condemned the arrest of Thalib. Jakarta may decide to release him soon or detain him further and hold a trial. Whatever the outcome, Indonesia has decided that placating the United States in its own way was preferable to the instability that could result if Washington were to take the initiative. |
