Dean Yates, Jakarta – Indonesia's military chief said on Thursday that foreign terrorists were in the world's most populous Muslim nation, saying they had operated in two eastern regions hit by Muslim-Christian violence.
The brief but candid comments by General Endriartono Sutarto are the clearest the government has given yet about foreign terrorist activity in Indonesia, already seen as the weak link in fighting terror in Southeast Asia.
Speaking to reporters, Sutarto gave no details on the number of foreigners involved and who they had aided. He said there was no proof they were linked to al Qaeda, blamed by Washington for the September 11, 2001 suicide attacks on the United States.
But one Indonesian security source said up to 20 foreigners had been involved in the two regions stated by Sutarto – the Moluccas islands and Poso in Central Sulawesi province.
"From a document presented by the National Intelligence Agency via parliament, [foreign terrorists] are really here," Sutarto said, without saying when the document was submitted.
"They have trained, armed and conducted attacks. They're not Indonesian nationals, they're foreigners. Whether this is connected to al Qaeda can't be proven yet." While Sutarto said the foreign terrorists were in Indonesia, he did not say if they were believed to be currently active or give a timeframe for previous actions.
At least 7,000 people have been killed in Muslim-Christian clashes in the Moluccas and Poso since 1999. But the scale of violence in the two regions has subsided significantly in the past year, although both are periodically shaken by bomb attacks and shootings.
The security source also gave no timeframe for previous actions but said the foreigners included both Muslims and Christians. He said they had comprised trainers, advisers, strategic planners and tacticians.
He added that one Indonesian had been involved, a Muslim cleric called Hambali. Regional officials have accused him of being a key figure in the Jemaah Islamiah terror network, which Washington is considering labelling a terrorist organisation.
Suspected al Qaeda link
That possible US move has put pressure on Indonesia to go after radical Indonesian Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, who Singapore and Malaysia call a pivotal player in Jemaah Islamiah. Indonesia has consistently said it lacks evidence against Bashir, and in an interview on Wednesday at a strict Islamic boarding school in central Java he co-founded, the cleric denied Jemaah Islamiah existed and reitered he had done nothing wrong.
President Megawati Sukarnoputri and her government have also trodden softly so far for fear of upsetting Muslims.
Indonesian police have said they wanted to arrest Hambali for alleged involvement in bomb blasts on local churches, but say they have no information on his whereabouts. Malaysian officials say Hambali was the key Jemaah Islamiah link to al Qaeda.
Jakarta has expelled at least two foreigners who have been linked to terrorist activity, including one in June, an Arab identified as Omar al-Faruq, whom foreign intelligence reports have said was a leading al Qaeda operative in the region.
Earlier on Thursday, army chief General Ryamizard Ryacudu said when it came to terrorists here linked to al Qaeda "up until now there has been no report nor smell yet. Maybe they're aiming at Indonesia. That's possible. But they're not here yet. If there is proof ... please share. If there is no proof, we can't make any arrests."
Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda has denied what he said were charges Jakarta was "less than fully enthusiastic" in the fight against terror, and said one reason for concern over US action against Iraq was it might aggravate global terror activity.
Indeed, Washington has praised Indonesia's cooperation in the anti-terror effort, saying it has provided valuable intelligence.
Some 85 percent of Indonesia's 210 million people are Muslim, although in some eastern areas such as the Moluccas and Poso the numbers of Muslims and Christians are fairly even.
While the vast majority of Muslims are moderate, many are growing sceptical about the US-led war on terrorism and are highly critical of a possible US attack on Iraq.
To some analysts, an attack on Iraq would make it harder for Indonesia to arrest people like Bashir, who, far from going in to hiding, has become something of a local media celebrity.