*EPF404 04/29/2004
Excerpt: Report Calls Southeast Asia "Theater of Support" for Al-Qaida
(Extremist groups win supporters by financing schools, mosques) (2550)

The Asia-Pacific region, and Southeast Asia in particular, is "an attractive theater of support and logistics" for al-Qaida, and a theater of operations for the regional terrorist group Jemaah Islamiya (JI), according to the 2003 Patterns of Global Terrorism Report released by the Department of State April 29.

The report cites the case of top JI leader and Southeast Asia al-Qaida representative Nurjaman Riduan bin Isomuddin, also known as "Hambali," as an example of the transnational nature of terrorism in the region.

"Hambali's case -- an Indonesian national perpetrating attacks in Indonesia and the Philippines and planning attacks in Singapore and Thailand -- serves as a case in point," the report says.

Counterterrorism cooperation with Asian governments was good overall in 2003, according to the report, and solid progress was made to "close seams" between jurisdictions and share information on terrorist groups and their activities. However, the report notes, as governments in the region built and improved their counterterrorism capabilities, JI and other terrorists adapted by focusing on "softer" Western targets in Southeast Asia, as exemplified by the bombing of the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Jakarta August 5.

The report states that most indigenous terrorist and Muslim separatist groups in Indonesia, Malaysia, the southern Philippines, and Thailand are focused primarily on generating change within their home countries.
"The net effect of the influence of such groups is to decrease the likelihood of peaceful and long-term solutions to separatist movements/ethnic conflicts, to exacerbate current regional terrorism, and to foster an environment conducive to terrorism's continued growth," it adds.

Extremist groups have been able to win supporters by financially supporting schools and mosques "that espouse their brand of Islam and exploiting religious sympathies or discontent among Muslim populations," the report says, but notes that the United States and other countries have provided training and assistance to governments in the region to overcome these challenges.

"Building upon the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum (ARF) for Counterterrorism Workplan, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Counterterrorism Task Force, and other mechanisms, the region as a whole made advances in areas such as law enforcement, border control, transportation security, information sharing, antiterrorist financing, and the development of legal regimes," the report says.

The report highlights Malaysia's establishment of the Southeast Asia Regional Center for Counterterrorism (SEARCCT) July 1, which is expected to focus on regional training, information sharing, and public awareness campaigns.

Following is an excerpt from the report focusing on East Asia:

(begin excerpt)

East Asia Overview

The capture by Thai authorities in August of top Jemaah Islamiya (JI) leader and al-Qaida's representative in Southeast Asia, Nurjaman Riduan bin Isomuddin (a.k.a. Hambali) was a significant victory in the global war on terrorism. Hambali, an Indonesian, was captured at an apartment complex in Ayutthaya, Thailand, and is suspected of masterminding numerous terrorist attacks in Southeast Asia, including the Christmas Eve church bombings in 2000 in Indonesia (19 dead, 47 wounded); the bombings on 30 December 2000 in metro Manila, Philippines (22 dead); the Bali attacks on 12 October 2002 (202 dead, more than 330 wounded); and possibly the J.W. Marriott Hotel bombing on 5 August 2003 in Jakarta (12 dead, over 150 wounded). Furthermore, Hambali was key in planning terrorist attacks with multiple targets in Singapore, disrupted in December 2001, and in planning Thailand attacks that were disrupted in May 2003. Hambali's capture and detention serves as a major blow to both JI and al-Qaida.

In 2003, as Hambali's capture illustrates, it became clearer that the Asia-Pacific region, primarily Southeast Asia, is an attractive theater of support and logistics for al-Qaida and a theater of operations for the regional terrorist group Jemaah Islamiya, acting alone or in collaboration with indigenous extremist groups. Hambali's case -- an Indonesian national perpetrating attacks in Indonesia and the Philippines and planning attacks in Singapore and Thailand -- serves as a case in point and accurately reflects the transnational nature of the terrorist threat in Southeast Asia.

Overall, counterterrorism cooperation with Asian governments was good in 2003, and solid progress was made to close seams between jurisdictions and share information on terrorist groups and their activities. As governments in the region continued their efforts to arrest and interdict terrorists by building and improving their counterterrorism capabilities, JI and other terrorists adapted by focusing on softer Western targets in Southeast Asia. The bombing on 5 August 2003 of the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Jakarta that killed 12 marks a continuation of this trend. This attack galvanized the Indonesian Government's will to take action.

Although most indigenous terrorist and Muslim separatist groups in Indonesia, Malaysia, the southern Philippines, and Thailand share an ideology and general rejection of Western influence held by international Islamic terrorists, they are focused primarily on effecting change within their home countries. Many leaders of Southeast Asian groups fought or claim to have fought in Afghanistan in the "Jihad" and brought back critical skills and contacts -- along with burnished extremist credentials. The relationships formed in Afghanistan developed into a widening network in which local extremists were able to tap into international terrorist networks for operational support, training and/or funds, and vice versa. The net effect of the influence of such groups is to decrease the likelihood of peaceful and long-term solutions to separatist movements/ethnic conflicts, to exacerbate current regional terrorism, and to foster an environment conducive to terrorism's continued growth.

Extremists have been able to win supporters by financially supporting schools and mosques that espouse their brand of Islam and exploiting religious sympathies or discontent among Muslim populations. Muslim populations in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and Cambodia are vulnerable to such radical influences.

Partners such as Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and others are working with the United States to assist governments in the region to overcome these challenges by providing training and assistance. The primary tools to build such capacity remain bilateral engagement programs, but much progress was made in working multilaterally to promote regional and transnational approaches to the challenges of counterterrorism. Building upon the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum (ARF) for Counterterrorism Workplan, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Counterterrorism Task Force, and other mechanisms, the region as a whole made advances in areas such as law enforcement, border control, transportation security, information sharing, antiterrorist financing, and the development of legal regimes.

Australia and Japan maintained their strong counterterrorism stance in 2003, both domestically and abroad. Senior officials from both countries publicly declared their firm commitment to work with the United States to combat terrorism over the long term in a meeting of the three counterterrorism ambassadors in November in Canberra. Australia and Japan continue to contribute to the war on terrorism in Afghanistan. Australia made strong contributions to the U.S.-led Coalition in Iraq, while Japan's October passage of the Iraq Reconstruction Assistance Law, which includes provision for dispatching the Japan Self-Defense Forces to Iraq, reflects its strong commitment to assist in reconstruction and humanitarian efforts (deployment, in fact, took place in early 2004).

Australia and Japan are active in helping Asia-Pacific countries build their capacity in various international and regional forums to combat terrorism. Australia, for example, has broadened its network of bilateral counterterrorism arrangements in Southeast Asia to eight nations. The APEC Leaders' Summit in 2003 endorsed two Australian counterterrorism-related initiatives: advancement of passenger information systems and development of a regional movement-alert system. Japanese officials led seminars on immigration control, aviation security, customs cooperation, export control, law enforcement, and terrorist financing.

In May, Cambodian authorities arrested one Egyptian, two Thais, and one Cambodian suspected of being members of JI. The cell was plotting to conduct terrorist attacks in Cambodia and had been operating out of an Islamic school on the outskirts of Phnom Penh run by the Saudi Arabia -- based nongovernmental organization, Umm al-Qura.

China continues to take a clear stand against international terrorism and is broadly supportive of the global war on terror. China actively participated in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and engaged in SCO joint counterterrorism exercises in Kazakhstan and Xinjiang Province in August. The People's Bank of China is in the process of establishing an Anti-Money Laundering Bureau, which will include a Terrorist Finance Investigative Department. Beijing displays a general willingness to cooperate with international terrorism investigations and continues to assert that terrorists -- primarily based in Xinjiang Province -- operate on Chinese territory.

Indonesia continued its firm public stance against terrorism in 2003. The government, led by the Indonesian National Police, has taken effective steps to counter the threat posed by JI, arresting 109 suspected JI members -- most in 2003 -- including suspects in the Bali attacks, the Marriott attack, and other criminal acts linked to terrorism. Indonesia has adopted a comprehensive terrorism law defining various acts of terror and providing police and prosecutors with broader powers to combat terrorism-such as extended pretrial detention periods and the use of electronic evidence in court.

Nevertheless, persistent Indonesian domestic sensitivities, political pressures, and institutional weaknesses limit the Government's effectiveness. The Government, for example, made little effort to investigate the activities and affiliations of six students suspected of terrorist involvement who were deported from Pakistan in early December 2003; two were released within days of their repatriation to Indonesia.

On 1 July, Malaysia established a Southeast Asia Regional Center for Counterterrorism (SEARCCT). SEARCCT is expected to focus on regional training, information sharing, and public awareness campaigns. In August, SEARCCT hosted a training program sponsored by the U.S. Treasury's financial intelligence unit and Malaysia's Central Bank on combating terrorist financing. Other nations, including the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia, are also expected to provide trainers and training materials to the center.

Malaysia has detained more than 100 suspected terrorists under the Internal Security Act (ISA) since May 2001 and assisted Indonesian efforts to prosecute terrorist suspects by making video testimony from suspects in Malaysian custody available to Indonesian prosecutors. Malaysia has responded quickly to UN Security Council requirements to prohibit terrorist financing and freeze the assets of named entities. In September, Malaysia deposited the instruments of ratification for two international antiterrorism conventions: the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons. It has not yet become a party, however, to the critical International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism.

New Zealand appointed its first Ambassador for Counterterrorism in September to build upon the measures taken since the attacks of September 11 in the United States and to ensure that New Zealand has a stronger capacity to develop and implement policies on global terrorism and related security issues. New Zealand continues to support Operation Enduring Freedom. It deployed troops to Iraq and Afghanistan to participate in the reconstruction efforts and pledged to provide humanitarian aid, as well as keeping its previous commitment of sending military forces to the region.

The Philippines was the victim of a number of terrorist attacks in 2003, including the car-bomb attack adjacent to a military airfield in Cotobato, on the southern island of Mindanao on 21 February; the bombing on 4 March at the International Airport in Davao, Mindanao that killed 17 (including one U.S. citizen); the Sasa Wharf bombing on 2 April also in Davao that killed 15; a series of bombings in Koronadal City, Mindanao, that took more than 15 civilian lives; as well as a number of kidnappings-for- ransom operations.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and other Philippine officials continue to be outspoken supporters of the global Coalition against terrorism and have been swift and direct in condemnation of terrorist acts, both domestic and international. The Government of the Philippines created a multiagency counterterrorism task force chaired by the National Security Advisor and consisting of officials from 34 Philippine Government agencies representing the security, economic, and social components essential for an effective counterterrorism strategy. In October, the Philippine Government ratified the remaining six of the 12 United Nations counterterrorism conventions.

Philippine authorities made several significant arrests of suspected terrorists in 2003. In May, security forces arrested a sub-commander of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) involved in the explosion of 30 December on a Manila commuter train that killed 22 people. In October, a JI operative was arrested at a JI safehouse in Cotabato City, on the southern island of Mindanao. In December, Philippine Armed Forces captured Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) leader "Commander Robot," a leader of one of the main ASG factions responsible for numerous kidnappings and bombings during the last decade, including the kidnapping in April 2000 of Western tourists from the Malaysian resort of Sipadan.

Despite its overall positive record, Manila continues to face setbacks and challenges on the counterterrorism front. In July, a senior Indonesian JI operative escaped from Philippine National Police headquarters in Manila along with two suspected ASG members. All three were eventually killed or recaptured.

Singapore continued its strong public and private opposition to terrorism and maintained vigorous counterterrorism action in bilateral and multilateral contexts. There were no acts of international or domestic terrorism in Singapore in 2003, although authorities continued investigation and detentions of members of JI, which plotted to carry out attacks in Singapore in the past.

During 2003, Singapore continued its cooperation with a variety of governments, including the United States, to investigate terrorist groups, especially JI, through both intelligence and law-enforcement channels. Singapore provided Thailand information that ultimately led to the arrest in May of a Singaporean JI member in Thailand. As a result of that investigation, Thai authorities also arrested several Thai citizens believed to be members of a JI cell plotting to blow up five embassies in Bangkok, including the U.S. Embassy. Singapore provided key information that helped Thailand track down and arrest top JI leader Hambali in August and also facilitated video testimony of three of its ISA detainees in the Indonesian trial of JI spiritual leader Abu Bakar Bashir in August.

Thailand's domestic and international counterterrorism efforts, which were bolstered in the wake of the deadly bombing in Bali, Indonesia, in October 2002, intensified during 2003. Prime Minster Thaksin Shinawatra publicly expressed the will of the Royal Thai Government to cooperate closely with the United States and other nations in fighting the global war on terror. In August, Thai authorities captured top JI leader with close ties to al-Qaida, Nurjaman Riduan bin Isomuddin (a.k.a. Hambali) in Ayutthaya, Thailand. In June and July, Thai authorities in southern Thailand arrested four men suspected of being either JI supporters or operatives. The four are implicated in a conspiracy to bomb a number of high-profile targets and tourist venues in Thailand including the embassies of the United States, United Kingdom, Israel, Singapore, and Australia.

In August, the King signed an emergency antiterrorist decree, giving the government powerful new legal tools to fight terrorism. There were no significant acts of terrorism in Thailand during 2003. The Thai Government's effectiveness in precluding a terrorist incident during the APEC Summit in October was considered a major success both domestically and internationally.

(end excerpt)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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