Barnabas Fund, 5 March 2003
[Original Message From:"PRF Overseas" info@barnabasfund.org Sent: Saturday,
March 08, 2003. Subject: News from Indonesia.]
Laskar Jihad, Alive And Well In Papua Indonesia
Islamic militant group Laskar Jihad, which announced it was disbanding last October,
is alive and well in Indonesia's eastern region of Papua.
Over 2000 Laskar Jihad Islamic extremist fighters have established themselves in at
least twelve different military training camps in Papua (formerly Irian Jaya), according
to recent reports from Papuan human rights groups. Laskar Jihad is being armed,
funded and protected by the Indonesian military, and is reported to be particularly
active in the highlands on the north of the island, along its border with Papua New
Guinea. At the border town of Arso, Laskar Jihad members are said to be actively
recruiting and training both local Papuans and migrants from the country's more
populous western islands such as Java and Sumatra. The latest reports of Laskar
Jihad's activities in the region confirm the fears of many Indonesian natives that
Laskar Jihad is still very much active despite its announcement that it was disbanding
last October.
Laskar Jihad In Papua
The notorious Islamic militant group first began to arrive in Papua two years ago. In
2002 they established an office in Sorong. In the area of Fak Fak over 175 boats
carrying Laskar Jihad personnel and equipment are said to have arrived along the
coast between April and June 2002. Several Papuans reported discovering stockpiles
of weapons. A number of Pakistani and Afghan mujahideen, thought to have come to
join in the jihad against local Christians, were sighted. Laskar Jihad's magazine,
which contains articles attacking Christians, Jews and the US, began to be sold
openly in markets in Papua, together with T-shirts, DVDs and books on Osama bin
Laden.
The group began forming links with local authorities, police and army units, and with
the pro-Jakarta militia Satgas Merah Putih, which opposes Papuan calls for
independence from Indonesia. Laskar Jihad is also believed to be trying to seek favour
with the local Muslim population, although the majority of Papuan Muslims reject the
Jihad's presence as a dangerous destabilising factor in an already extremely tense
region. Locals believe the failure of police and army units to stop Laskar Jihad from
expanding its military campaign into Papua further confirms their complicity in the
Jihad's activities. Last summer four Laskar Jihad members carrying home-made guns
were seized by locals and handed over to the authorities. No action was taken against
them. Others who have reported Laskar Jihad activities to the authorities say that they
have been harassed, threatened with arrest themselves, and even received
intimidating phone calls late at night.
Failure To Disband
Laskar Jihad achieved international notoriety for waging a genocidal holy war against
Christians in Indonesia's Moluccas and Sulawesi regions for over 20 months from May
2000 until peace agreements were reached for Sulawesi in December 2001 and the
Moluccas in February 2002. Even after the peace was formally declared - a peace
which was rejected and never accepted by Laskar Jihad - the group continued to
launch murderous attacks on Christian villages, homes and churches. Some 10,000
people were killed (some estimates suggest 30,000) and half a million displaced
during the conflict. Local Christians were murdered, tortured, forcibly converted to
Islam, forcibly circumcised and virtually enslaved. During 2001 and 2002 Laskar Jihad
began to expand its activities sending militants to the provinces of Aceh and Papua,
at opposite ends of the country. However, in October 2002 in the immediate aftermath
of the Bali bombing the group suddenly announced it was disbanding.
Despite overwhelming evidence of the organization's involvement in mass murder and
appalling human rights abuses the Indonesian authorities have repeatedly failed to act
against Laskar Jihad. In January 2003 the group's leader Jafar Umar Thalib was found
not guilty of inciting hatred and religious violence by an East Jakarta court despite
overwhelming evidence. Arrested in May 2002, whilst in jail he was visited by
Indonesia's Vice President Hamzah Has, and was soon released on bail. His trial was
postponed in August 2002 because, as the judge stated, "I see that you're pale. We
don't want to examine someone who is unhealthy . I hope you can get well soon".
Senior elements in the police, military and government appear to be supporting Laskar
Jihad and protecting it from prosecution.
Papuan Separatism
Resource rich West Papua was annexed by Indonesia in 1963, since which time the
Papuan people have struggled for their independence from repressive Indonesian rule.
The arrival of Laskar Jihad in the region, and its apparent close connection with the
army, has prompted fears that the group will be used as a militia by the military to
repress the local population and the separatist OPM movement. During its occupation
of East Timor Indonesia gained international notoriety for allowing pro-Indonesian
militias to brutally terrorise the local Timorese population with impunity. The bloody
conflict between Muslims and Christians in the Moluccas and Sulawesi was also
seen by many Indonesian Muslims as a Christian separatist conflict in which the
Muslim Laskar Jihad was preserving Indonesian national unity. This is an erroneous
viewpoint which bears no relation to the realities of the conflict. Now Papua's
Christians fear that Laskar Jihad will be given a free hand to wage another bloody
campaign in their homeland.
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