Paras Indonesia, 09, 09 2005 @ 05:01 pm
Terror Analyst Mistaken For Terrorist?
Posted by: Roy Tupai
A Singapore-based expert on terrorism issues who was detained by police in
Indonesia's Maluku province, the scene of years of deadly religious and communal
conflict, says he had been mistaken for a terrorist.
Rohan Gunaratna, a Sri Lankan who heads the international center for political
violence and terrorism research at Singapore's Institute of Defense and Strategic
Studies, was arrested last Saturday (3/9/05) while on his way from Ambon to Seram
island. He was later released after questioning.
"The Moluccas have a considerable amount of activities. The police are constantly
looking out for foreigners and I was mistaken to be part of a terrorist organization," he
was quoted as saying Friday (9/9/05) by Reuters.
"I was brought in for questioning on Saturday but beyond that there is no issue at all. I
want to stress that our relationship with the police is still very good and they were very
cordial," he added.
Gunaratna, who has written eight books including Inside Al Qaeda: Global Network of
Terror, was last in the headlines in Indonesia in July, after reportedly claiming that
tsunami relief aid for Aceh could be falling into the hands of terrorists. Aid goups
denied the claim.
He said his arrest in Maluku was a misunderstanding over visa-related issues, but it
had been sorted out straightened out and he would be allowed back to the province to
carry on with his research.
Maluku Police spokesman Artsianto Darmawan had earlier on Friday said Gunaratna
was arrested for conducting research while traveling on a tourist visa and would
therefore be deported soon.
The Maluku islands were the scene of fierce Muslim-Christian clashes that erupted in
January 1999 and left about 7,000 people dead until the peace agreement was
reached in February 2002. Sporadic violence has continued and communal tensions
have remained high.
Gunaratna said he was now going to Jakarta and would return to Indonesia in
November to hold a seminar on terrorism for the police.
Initial reports of his arrest raised concern that Indonesia might be again seeking to
restrict foreign political analysts from visiting the country. Terrorism expert Sidney
Jones, an American who heads the International Crisis Group's South-East Asia
Project, was expelled from Indonesia in June 2004 after then State Intelligence
Agency chief Hendropriyono accused her of subversion and selling information or
slandering Indonesia to get money from abroad. Jones was recently allowed to return
to Jakarta and continues to live there.
Australian academic Edward Aspinall, a lecturer at Sydney University and expert on
Indonesia, visited Aceh for three weeks in January, working as a volunteer interpreter
with local NGOs and Australian doctors. When he tried to return in March, he was
refused entry without explanation.
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