Indonesia Update
By Kenneth Conboy
Over the past month, the anniversaries of several Jemaah Islamiyah bombings--most notably the October 2002 Bali bombings--passed without incident. The Indonesian National Police, however, are under constant pressure to catch the top three JI fugitives thought to still be on Java. This includes JI military czar Zulkarnaen, spiritual leader Abu Dujana, and Malaysian national Noordin Top. This last figure, who is thought to have been behind the past three annual bombing incidents, has proven especially elusive.
Perhaps indicating a break in the case, the police announced earlier this week that they were scouring the jungles in and around Jombang district, East Java province, after locals reported fleeting encounters with three men speaking in Malaysian accents. They have also been reports of water and food missing from Jombang residences. This has led to speculation that associates of Top might be seeking sanctuary in the district.
In other news, state prosecutors this week announced that one of three militants charged with beheading three Christian schoolgirls last December in Central Sulawesi province carried out the attack as an "Idul Fitri gift" for all Muslims. He said that, while training with the MILF in Mindanao, they would often kills soldiers to commemorate Idul Fitri. Instead of soldiers, he proposed killing Christians, and eventually selected the three girls as they were walking to school on an isolated jungle track.
The militant, Hasannudin, alias Hasan, could get the death penalty if found guilty. Central Sulawesi's Poso district is still tense after three Christian militants were executed by a firing squad two months ago, and large protests were staged last week in Poso after several dozen Muslim militants were arrested in a police sweep.
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