The Jakarta Post, 6/10/2004 5:29:50 PM
Indonesia remains at risk of JI attack: Australia's foreign minister
PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (AP): Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer warned
on Thursday that the regional terrorist group Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) could strike again
in Indonesia.
"We certainly don't think the game is over in terms of dealing with JI in Indonesia, and
nor do the Indonesians think that either," Downer told a news conference in Putrajaya,
Malaysia's administrative capital, where he met his counterpart.
"We shouldn't - just because there hasn't been a serious terrorist attack for some
time in Indonesia - for a minute become complacent," he said. "I think the risks are
still very much there in the case of Indonesia."
He said terrorism concerns exist throughout Southeast Asia, citing an Islamic
uprising in southern Thailand and groups operating in the southern Philippines as
examples. JI, an al-Qaida affiliate which had cells in several Southeast Asian
countries including Malaysia, is blamed for a series of bombings in Indonesia,
including the 2002 nightclub blasts in Bali that killed 202 people, including 88
Australians.
In April, Downer welcomed Indonesian moves to investigate jailed Muslim cleric Abu
Bakar Ba'asyir's alleged terrorist links, saying he hoped charges would follow.
Downer described Ba'asyir as spiritual leader of the Al-Qaeda-linked fundamentalist
group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), responsible for the Bali bombing.
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