As Indonesia prepares for its local elections in November, it will likely again face the challenge of combating terrorism at the ballot box. Ahead of the 2024 national elections, 59 people were arrested in counterterrorism raids, with assault rifles and bomb-making chemicals seized. Seven attempted terror attacks were foiled in the lead up to the 2019 election.
As Indonesian authorities brace for threats during the upcoming campaign, one long-standing area of concern remains Indonesian border security.
A 2020 report laid bare the shortcomings in Indonesia’s border security. Infrastructure at border checkpoints is not up to standard, often denying immigration officers real-time information about the people passing through, especially in remote areas. Effective law enforcement requires advanced biometric screening and updated watchlists at immigration checkpoints to detect criminals on wanted lists.
Since 2010, Indonesia has integrated its national immigration system (known as SIMKIM) with the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Border Control Management system and Interpol’s 1-24/7 system, which covers visa and residence permits, bans, passenger tracking, passport applications, detention centers, and enforcement.
But the fact that it can’t reach all checkpoints consistently leaves the country vulnerable, especially if the anticipated influx of convicted and suspected terrorists into the community happens this year.
In May, Indonesia’s National Counterterrorism Agency said it had proposed repatriating Indonesian citizens who were foreign terrorist fighters. The agency said about 375 Indonesians remain detained in Syrian camps after attempting to join Islamic State, and hope to bring them back to Indonesia to “deradicalize them.” But bringing alleged terrorists and terrorist sympathizers back into Indonesia risks exacerbating an already-heightened security threat in the lead up to an election.
Indonesia’s immigration security is lacking. This vulnerability will not go unnoticed by would-be terrorists, whether lurking in Indonesia already or migrating in from elsewhere to commit an attack.
An Amplified Risk
Research looking at the travel history of 40 people arrested and deported from Indonesia between 2016 and 2020 over terror-related issues revealed patterns: terrorists tend to take measures to conceal their movements, targeting key checkpoints deemed easier to pass.
In late 2022, Indonesia’s then-Head of the National Counterterrorism Agency Boy Rafli Amar reported that 1,408 Indonesian nationals were identified as foreign terrorist fighters, with 545 of them in conflict zones such as Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the southern Philippines. Of those, 174 had returned to Indonesia. Another 556 had been deported before reaching the hijrah destination.
The threat posed by terrorist groups in Southeast Asia lives on, even as the public prominence of major organizations such as Islamic State fades. Five years on from the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the group continues to exert influence in the region through supporters and sympathizers based in the area. The Islamic State’s East Asia base, in particular, remains fortified by adherents to Indonesian terrorist group Jamaah Ansharut Daulah, which pledged its allegiance to Islamic State in 2014. The Islamic State has already left a mark across continents in 2024, claiming responsibility for attacks in Russia and Oman, which killed hundreds of people.
On July 31, Indonesian police caught three terrorist suspects. One, said to be affiliated to IS, had planned suicide bomb attacks on places of worship.
A Record for Optimism
The Indonesian government has had success in the past preventing terrorist members and sympathizers from crossing the border. In 2019, suspected terrorist Hari Kuncoro was arrested at Soekarno Hatta International Airport as he was about to depart for Syria via Iran, believed to be a transit point.
Aside from targeting specific checkpoints, terrorists have proven adept at manipulating the system to slip into other countries ahead of an attempt. Cici, a woman linked to the 2019 Jolo church bombings, who was suspected of planning a suicide bombing herself, took a convoluted route to Jolo. According to authorities in the Philippines, she traveled by sea to Mindanao in the Philippines — a known transit point for terrorists — then stayed on the island for a few days before commuting to Jolo by pump boat.
In other cases, suspects have exploited tourist visas and residence permits to slip into another country. One of the deportees, Arpiet Mahfuz, used a residence permit, allowing him to stay in Turkey for up to six months, to avoid detection. Arpiet bought an apartment in Istanbul and traveled between Indonesia and Turkey undetected, where he then tried to join Islamic State.
Regional Cooperation Is Key
In Singapore, a highly digitally connected society, young people have been targeted and radicalized online. Malaysia and the Philippines have suffered terror attacks that killed two police in Johor and bombed a gym at Mindanao State University in October 2023. The Philippines remains a destination for foreign terrorist fighters from Indonesia and Malaysia.
The Indonesian government has used many policy tools to manage terrorist mobility before and after the pandemic. National police use laws designed as preventive measures to detain people they suspect will commit a terrorist attack. Between 2021-2023 610 people were arrested, 39 percent of which were allegedly from Jamaah Ansharut Daulah and other pro-Islamic state groups.
Indonesia’s bilateral and multilateral cooperation on counterterrorism has also intensified. There are at least 12 countries with which Indonesia has partnered with to fight transnational crime, including Turkey and India. Indonesia also has relationships with Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia that include joint work on security.
Indonesia initiated the ASEAN Our Eyes meeting to facilitate information sharing on terrorism in the region among defense establishments.
Upgrading the technology around borders is one step to safeguard Indonesia, but sustainable deradicalization and oversight will require a concerted effort from the state.
Indonesia has proven effective at stopping attacks around elections, but it may face a stern test in 2024 to avoid tragedy.
Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.