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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: kumar who wrote (51853)	10/14/2002 12:36:28 AM
From: KLP	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 281500

Tangible actions? The presumed terrorism happened yesterday. Where is the rest of the world on this? Germany? France? Middle East? United Nations?

To: kumar who wrote (51853)	10/14/2002 3:15:07 AM
From: LindyBill	Respond to of 281500

Good summary of where we are on fighting terrorism in Indonesia. From WSJ.com REVIEW & OUTLOOK Terror in Bali Jakarta must now join the fight against radical Islamic militancy. Monday, October 14, 2002 12:01 a.m. That terrorism is a world-wide threat was proven yet again Saturday night when a car bomb killed at least 187 patrons of a nightclub on the beautiful Indonesian resort island of Bali. A few minutes later, another blast exploded near the U.S. consulate there. These attacks occurred four hours after an explosion rocked the Philippine consulate in the Indonesian province of Sulawesi. Perhaps the violent weekend will shake Jakarta into taking the threat of homegrown radicalism more seriously. President Megawati Sukarnoputri may now finally realize that there's trouble brewing in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country. A lot of people had been trying to convince her of that for months. The governments of Singapore and Malaysia have been especially vocal in their complaints that not enough has been done to curb the activities of the Jemaah Islamiyah jihadist group, which operates freely in Indonesia. Manila likewise has struggled to get greater cooperation from Jakarta in investigations of Indonesian terrorists active in the Philippines. Last month, U.S. Ambassador Ralph Boyce ordered the embassy in Jakarta temporarily closed because of threats. The weekend's tragedy in Bali is not the first terrorist attack on foreigners in Indonesia. A September 23 grenade attack targeted the house of an American official with the U.S. Agency for International Development. This prompted the State Department to threaten to evacuate non-essential embassy employees, as it did briefly last year, if Jakarta didn't do more to counter the terrorist threat. The grenade incident should have provided ample justification for Ms. Megawati to act. The driver of the van from which the grenade was thrown has confessed that the attack was planned by Abu Bakar Baasyir, the Indonesian cleric who heads the al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah. Abu Bakar had been brought in for questioning in February but quickly released. Omar al Faruq, a Kuwaiti national arrested in Indonesia and handed over to the U.S., has given further testimony of al Qaeda activity in Indonesia--including bombings in which he participated. Information from Faruq led to the arrest of German national Seyam Reda. A search of Reda's home produced videotapes showing arms distribution and weapons training to jihadist groups in eastern Indonesia. The usual excuse used for not cracking down on the likes of Abu Bakar is that there's not enough evidence. But surely even what already has been made public belies that claim. A more realistic explanation is that Ms. Megawati and her advisers are concerned about the public reaction to a get-tough policy. But this worry seems misplaced. While Indonesians are predominately Muslim and the country has its share of ethnic strife, the vast majority are religious moderates. According to a study recently undertaken by the Australian Foreign Ministry, radical Islam isn't spreading among the Indonesian population but the degree of extremism among the existing fundamentalists is growing. The attack in Bali proves what Americans learned last September 11--that a small group of radicals bent on murder can take many lives. At this writing, several anti-terrorism bills are languishing in the Indonesian parliament. Sometimes it takes tragedy to wake dozing officials to danger. It can be hoped that this weekend's assault in Bali served that purpose for Megawati Sukarnoputri. If the attack in Bali goes unpunished, it won't be the last. opinionjournal.com