Part I: Bangkok plays terror cards close to its chest
The Nation
July 29, 2003
More than a month after Thailand announced the arrest of four suspected members of the militant Islamist organisation Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), it's still wait-and-see as to which direction the government will take Thailand in the war against global terrorism.
The authorities insist they have enough evidence to convict the four suspects and that the crackdown was the result of a lengthy investigation. Yet they continue to play their cards close to their chests, keeping everybody guessing about what kind of evidence they have against these men. There have been growing calls for a clearer picture of what Thailand is really up against.
At the same time, there is growing pressure from Thailand's Muslim community, with calls on the government to provide the evidence against the four suspects.
The community sees the arrest of the four suspects as a direct challenge against them and a big dent to national reconciliation between the Muslim region and the predominantly Buddhist state.
Reactions to the arrests from local media and the public have been mixed, with conspiracy theories and vicious accusations making headlines in some local dailies.
There were allegations that Thaksin was selling Thailand out to Singapore, which in turn is accused of being an American vassal. Singapore supplied Thailand with information that led to the arrest of the four suspects.
It has even been suggested that the arrests were an attempt to keep Southeast Asia's Muslim community on its knees because the US sees Malaysia as an economic threat. One writer pointed to Malaysian cell-phone companies making headway in Iran as if American companies were lining up to invest there.
Such arguments overlook the fact that many Muslim countries, like Malaysia - a verbose critic of Washington - Indonesia, Pakistan and Persian Gulf states, were rounding up terrorist suspects in their respective territories years before Thailand jumped on the boat.
The Southeast Asia-based terrorist organisation is seeking to carve out an Islamic state stretching from southern Thailand through Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and several islands of the Philippines.
Some local officials have even suggested that if we continue to turn a blind eye to possible terrorist activities, everything will turn out okay.
Nevertheless, Thailand's decision to join the war on terror was welcomed by the US as well as other Asian countries.
Many said the decision made a lot of sense because international cooperation was the only way to go. But other observers have questioned whether Thai intelligence agencies - who don't have a strong tradition of cooperation, even among themselves - are not in over their heads.
Some said Thaksin had done the right thing by admitting that Thailand was just as vulnerable as any other country in the region. The fact that the announcement came on the eve of his meeting with US President George W Bush, however, raised the question of whether the prime minister was doing the right thing for wrong reasons.
Political agendas aside, Thailand's decision to commit itself in this war did not come out of a vacuum. Soon after the Bali attack that killed more then 200 people, Singapore and Malaysia launched an all out hunt for al-Qaeda and JI operatives on their soil.
Scores of suspected terrorists rushed across the border into Thailand, while others fled to Indonesia. The archipelago is the world's fourth most-populous country and an ideal place to lie low.
Thailand received warning that some suspected terrorists could flee into the country, but unsure of what to do, the government decided to stick to the old familiar line, insisting Thailand was safe and that no terrorist cells were operating here.
At stake was the country's massive tourism industry that serves as the nation's economic engine. About 10 million visitors come to Thailand annually.
Thaksin stubbornly clung on to his position, dismissing the claims that terrorist cells might be operating in Thailand as "ridiculous" and fabricated by "crazy people".
But in spite of the lack of guidance and a clear mandate from the top, Thai security agencies were not taking any chances. The consequences would have been too costly if the allegations were proven true. Besides, said one senior intelligence officer, it was a just matter of time before the government had to come clean.
So the agencies began to exchange lists of names with Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. The end result was a rough sketch of the movements of suspected operatives and a pattern of their cash flow.
Two names that emerged from these lists were Mas Selamat Kastari and Arifin bin Ali, also known as John Wong and Ah Hung, both Singaporean nationals.
Kastari, an alleged JI operations chief who authorities said had masterminded a foiled plan in 2001 to hijack an aircraft and crash it into Singapore's Changi Airport, was reported to have entered Thailand with Ali nearly two years ago.
Alleged JI operative Arifin bin Ali was arrested in Bangkok last May following a tip-off from the Singaporean authorities, while Kastari was nabbed in February in Indonesia.
Thai police say Ali was working with the four arrested Thai nationals, planning a series of attacks on foreign embassies.
Kastari, on the other hand, admitted recently at the Indonesian trial of alleged JI spiritual leader Abu Bakar Bashir that he and Riduan Isamuddin, an al-Qaeda point man in the region known as Hambali, had made plans to blow up a US naval facility in Singapore.
Thaksin accused Kastari of planning bomb attacks to coincide with the upcoming Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in October.
Thailand's deputy police chief, General Sunthorn Saikwan was reported as saying that Ali was also linked to an alleged terror cell in Cambodia where two Thai nationals and one Egyptian teaching at an Islamic school near Phnom Penh were arrested last month.
So for the time being it's still wait and see. Security officials said the recent arrests in Thailand and Cambodia were a sign of more to come. Some even admit that they may be in over their heads and that a major overhaul of national security policies and mandates is needed in order to work effectively in dismantling terrorist cells in the country.
On the other hand, it remains to be seen whether the officials can live up to the commitments of political leaders in this country and the region.
This is the first part of a four-part series on Jemaah Islamiyah in Thailand and its long-term implications.
Part II: Thailand joins the global war on terrorism
The Nation
July 30, 2003
The announcement of the arrest on June 10 of the three Thai nationals accused of being members of the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist organisation amounted to a declaration of war on global terrorism by the Thai government.
It came as a big surprise to many, given the fact that Thailand has consistently dismissed mounting reports in the local and international media linking the country to global terrorism.
A closer look into the issues amid lengthy investigations by Thai and regional authorities shows the threat of terrorism in the country is very real. Like it or not, because of its proximity, Thailand can not conveniently exclude itself from the Southeast Asia terrorism theatre.
In extensive interviews with The Nation, both senior police at the Special Branch and Army generals went as far as saying JI operations in Thailand might include front companies and other commercial outlets to facilitate the transfer of money and coordinate terrorist activities, including the purchase of weapons and explosives.
"The JI group has operated in Thailand for years," said an army general.
They said Thailand's denial throughout the past year had been tactical and necessary. Given the importance of tourist money to Thailand's economic well-being, it was not timely to admit that there were regional terrorists inside the country.
Thai leaders including Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra knew the negative consequences, so they stood firm, insisting that Thailand was not a safe haven for international terrorists, following exposure in a string of Western media.
The decision to arrest the first three suspected JI members, Dr Waemahad Waedaoh, Maisuru Hajiabdulloh and Muyahid Hajiabdulloh in Narathiwat was swift, according to the general, who asked for anonymity.
It was part of a comprehensive anti-terrorism strategy known as "Burn". "We want to strike at them first, by burning them," he explained. The arrests were to jolt the terrorist networks in Thailand, including whatever plans they might have in mind. The Thai intelligence services, with assistance from their counterparts in Singapore, believed that several ploys to harm Western interests as well those of their own countries at home had been foiled.
According to Singaporean intelligence cited by Thai officials, Thailand is part of the four mantiqis, or regional divisions, with Abu Bakar Bashir as the spiritual head.
Malaysia, Southern Thailand, Burma and Singapore belong to Mantiqis No 1, while Mantiqis No 2 includes Java and Sumatra and the rest of Indonesia except Sulawesi, Kalimantan and Papua. Mantiqis No 3 covers Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and the southern Philippines. Australia and Papua belong to Mantiqis No 4.
Mantiqis No 1 has at least eight branches or wakalahs. Southern Thailand, centred on Narathiwat, is in Wakalah No 7.
Thai intelligence units began to look into global terrorism as far back as late 2000 when US intelligence agencies asked them to investigate three companies - Al Jallil Trading Ltr Co Ltd, Al Amanah Enterprise Co Ltd and Sidco Co Ltd - thought to have links with Osama bin Laden. These three companies were subsequently closed down, according to a police source who did not elaborate.
Some admitted that it was like working with their hands tied behind their backs, saying the absence of a political mandate had raised the question of whether the government was willing to change tack if there was enough evidence to suggest it should.
For two years, with limited resources and the absence of a political commitment, government law-enforcement agencies more or less took it upon themselves to look into matters. The two main Thai agencies mandated with international terrorism responsibilities are the National Intelligence Agency and the National Security Centre. Besides them there are commando units set up to respond to situations on a case-by-case basis.
Apart from the absence of a full mandate, Thailand also lacks the proper legal infrastructure to assist these agencies in carrying out their duties when it comes to investigating bank transactions among suspected individuals and other forms of financial transaction.
Zachary Abuza, a terrorist expert from Simmons College in Boston, said that the porous borders between Thailand and its neighbours made the country an attractive destination for terrorists to come in and out, set up front companies and transfer funds to desired destinations.
A leading Indonesia-based researcher on terrorism in Southeast Asia, Sydney Jones, pointed out that based on interviews with suspected terrorist members in Indonesian custody, many of these suspects had visited Thailand and sought refuge there in times of trouble.
Top JI leaders such as Ali Ghufron, also known as Muchlas, have lain low in Thailand's deep South for some time and made friends with sympathetic mullahs, or tok kuru, in the predominantly Muslim region, said Jones, who works for the Brussels-based International Crisis Group.
For decades, Thailand has been a prime destination for many dissident groups from many parts of the region. Burmese, Tamils, Khmer, Laos, Vietnamese, ethnic Indians and Chinese have all established units in Thailand to carry out operations against regimes in their homelands.
Many kept a very low profile for fear that their presence would force the Thai government to clamp down on them. However, following the arrest in Cambodia on May 28 of the first three suspects and that of Abdulazi Hajicheming and Mohamad Yalarudin Mading, both Thai religious teachers, the Thai intelligence services have kept a watch on Thai-Muslim students who have graduated in Middle Eastern countries.
According to a Foreign Ministry source, at least 5,000 Thai students have graduated in Muslim countries - Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Syria, Sudan, Yemen, Iran, Iraq and Syria. Half these students finished their education in Saudi Arabia.
Thailand's concern was well reflected by Defence Minister General Thamarak Israngkura's comment that 10 per cent of the scholarship students from Thailand who studied in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt had been recruited to extremist Islamic organisations. His comment upset these countries' embassies, and they are reviewing whether to suspend scholarships to Thai-Muslims.
Dr Arong Suthasarana, director of World Islamic Studies at Chulalongkorn University, dismissed the comment, saying that these scholarship students were serious and wanted only to study religion. "It has caused a lot of misunderstanding among Thai Muslims," he said.
Thailand has hundreds of pondoks, or religious schools, where these young Thai graduates from the Middle East teach. For example, at the Burana Tohnor religious school, where the Hajiabdulloh pair were apprehended, most of the 21 religious teachers graduated from Middle Eastern countries such as Iran, Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya and Lebanon. They all speak Arabic fluently.
Part III: Suspects squeezed out to Thailand
The Nation
July 31, 2003
At the start of the crackdown on Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) members in Malaysia and Singapore about 18 months ago, Thai authorities were warned that terrorist suspects might flee to the country.
While the country's political leaders were taking their usual wishy-washy approach as to what kind of stance Thailand should take on the matter, its security agencies went to work.
Security analysts say that like other criminal activities, terrorist organisations such as JI are subject to the so-called "balloon" effect - whereby as authorities put the squeeze on one area, another area of the same organisation, or balloon, enlarges.
So, under this kind of pressure from the authorities it would have been natural for suspects in Malaysia and Singapore to flee elsewhere. And Thailand, it seems, became a convenient destination.
The government appears to have come to terms with the fact that foreign terrorist cells have established themselves on Thai soil.
Early on, Thai intelligence officers began to exchange names with their counterparts in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
The end result is a list of some 400 names and a money trail linking these cells to those in Cambodia and other countries, including Saudi Arabia.
For Thailand, one name stands out - Arifin bin Ali, popularly known as John Wong Ah Hung.
This Singaporean citizen of Chinese extraction converted to Islam and married a Thai.
The time of his recruitment into JI is not known but Thai officials say there are records of him coming in and out of the country going back three years.
Arifin was arrested in May in Bangkok and deported to Singapore. But the arrest was made several months after a tip-off by the Singaporean government. A Thai intelligence officer defended this apparent time delay, telling The Nation that Bangkok wanted to be certain before taking Arifin down.
Thai officials say that Arifin is cooperating with the Singaporean authorities and that the information he has provided has so far led to the arrests of six Thai nationals and an Egyptian.
Four of the six - Maisuri Haji Abdulloh and his son Muyahi, who were both teachers at an Islamic school, Waemahdi Waedao, a medical doctor, and Samarn Waekaji, a suspected JI bomb-maker who turned himself in - were arrested in southern Thailand.
The other two Thai nationals and the Egyptian were arrested at an Islamic school on the outskirts of the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, where they were teaching.
These three Muslims, who are currently being detained in a Cambodian prison, met Waemahdi on at least seven occasions, according to Thai police.
Somchai Niraphaijit, the lawyer representing the four arrested in Thailand, said the man who introduced his clients to Arifin goes by the name Suhaimee, whose whereabouts are not known.
Some believe Suhaimee, who is said to have owned a restaurant in the Pratunam area of Bangkok, is still at large, while others say he is being kept at a "safe house" by one of the country's security agencies. Investigators have called him the missing link.
It is understood that Suhaimee was the "money man" in charge of transferring and receiving money to and from other cells through a tour company that he had been using as a front.
Somchai, for the time being, is likely to continue to play the obvious cards, demanding that police either charge his clients or set them free.
He is also likely to play up the due-process angle, pointing out that police can make a maximum of seven requests to the court for permission to detain the suspects further.
And each time, the court can only order that the suspects be held for 12 days. If there are no formal charges against the suspects, the court is obliged to set them free
Part IV: War on terrorism begs legal footing
The Nation
Aug 01, 2003
Thailand's declaration of war on terrorism has not only placed the country's international standing but also its legal system under the spotlight.
While it is clear that the decision to join the global war against terrorism was partly a political one, questions remain as to whether the nation has the will to make the necessary changes in its legal infrastructure.
The debate over the extent to which Thailand should comply with the pace and direction of the international community in an all-out war against terrorism began shortly after the September 11 attacks against the United States.
However, it was generally agreed that the threat of intentional terrorism was a distant issue.
Thailand has no enemies, officials said. And while other countries in Southeast Asia were waging war on extremists, Thailand chose to put the matter on the back burner.
But with the recent arrests of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) suspects in the south, as well as the cracking of a cell in Cambodia that led to the arrests of two Thai Muslims and an Egyptian, Thailand was pushed to the frontline, along with Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
In formulating its own anti-terrorism law, Thailand has adopted the India-sponsored Draft of [a] Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.
Today, government whips are rushing to get the draft anti-terrorism bill through the Cabinet and on to Parliament.
However, the proposed law has attracted a great deal of criticism from humanitarian organisations that fear it would give law-enforcement agencies a free hand to wield their power in other areas.
Others are afraid that a legal definition of terrorism could have implications for members of separatist organisations, the so-called freedom fighters.
Charan Dithaapichai, a National Human Rights commissioner, said he is afraid that due process of law could be overlooked in implementing the anti-terrorism act.
His concern reflects the popular feeling that the country's police force has not been a source of comfort.
The defence lawyer for the Thai JI suspects was quick to point to the police handling of a Singaporean JI suspect, Arifin bin Ali, who was arrested in May and immediately deported to the island-state. He argued that the police had charged Arifin with a simple immigration violation in order to avoid the legal process that could have exposed the weakness of the case.
Police insiders admitted that documents were written to say that Arifin had violated immigration regulations.
But with the government's current popular support, few foresee any real obstacle. It appears that Arifin bin Ali's lawyer has scant reason to hope he will get his client released on a technicality.
Members of the Muslim community have expressed their concerns and doubts over the allegations, but generally, the public mood is supportive of the government. Many people are looking for a quick fix to a number of nagging social and security issues, be they terrorism, narcotics or corruption.
But security analysts say the intelligence community may be in over its head in this war against terror.
The mode of operation in many intelligence units is to keep their information to themselves and simply give other agencies and politicians "chicken feed".
According to one intelligence officer, this attitude prevails because of the lack of trust among the agencies.
In other words, it will take much more than political will to make the necessary adjustments. Without cooperation among all the security forces concerned, Thailand could be biting off more than it can chew.
(This is the final article of a four-part series that began on Tuesday.)
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