Australia security warning about renewed terrorism in Indonesia
Updated
It's been revealed an Australian security assessment did predict the possibility that a splinter of the militant Islamist group, Jemmah Islamiyah, could renew violence in Indonesia. Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd quickly convened the country's National Security Committee on hearing of the Jakarta blasts. He's condemned the attacks, extended Australian sympathies, and placed Australia firmly at the side of Indonesia's government and people with pledges of any assistance required. Mr Rudd confirmed at least two Australians were among the injured and a senior trade official is missing. One New Zealander was confirmed dead in the blasts.
Presenter: Linda Mottram
Speaker: Kevin Rudd, Australian Prime Minister; Dr Carl Ungerer, National Security Project director, Australian Strategic Policy Institute
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MOTTRAM: During this decade, dozens of Australians have been among those killed or wounded in attacks by Jemaah Islamiyah, or J-I. And Australia has invested heavily with Indonesia in counter-terror operations targetting J-I in particular. News of the attacks in Jakarta saw Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd quickly convene the country's National Security Committee. Speaking afterwards, Mr Rudd condemend the attacks as barbaric, declared resolve to bring the perpetrators to justice and offered immediate help to Indonesia.
RUDD: I have authorised through the national security committee all agencies of the Australian government to offer all forms of assistance to the government of Indonesia in their response to these attacks. The deputy commissioner of the Australian Federal Police has been in contact with his counterpart in the Indonesian National Police offering all forms of assistance in forensics, in victim identification and also in counter-terrorism. We have also offered all relevant assistance through our health authorities in attending to the needs of any burns victims.
MOTTRAM: Mr Rudd declined to say whether there'd been any specific warning of an imminent attack. He pointed to long-standing Australian Foreign ministry warnings to travellers about an ongoing high level of threat of terrorist attacks in Indonesia.
RUDD: The language contained within the travel advisory about threats against Australians, westerners in Jakarta and in international hotels is not there for idle purpose. It is there because of what we have deduced over a period of time.
MOTTRAM: Mr Rudd also declined to name the likely perpetrators, but Jemaah Islamiyah is top of the suspect list. And just this week, an Australian Strategic Policy Institute paper on J-I warned that though counter-terrorism operations have reduced J-I's strength, key leaders remain at large, a number of J-I members have been released from Indonesian prisons and the possibility that a rump group might resume violence was real . One of the paper's authors is Doctor Carl Ungerer, director of the Institute's National Security Project.
UNGERER: Well it suggests that the hardline splinter group that emerged a few years ago in J-I has not given up its determination to continue the campaign of bombing. Its clearly intent on doing that and while it continues to have up to, we believe, 900 individuals who are still sympathetic to the J-I cause, it can rely on some of these people to continue acts of terrorism.
MOTTRAM: Of course in countries the size of Indonesia 900 people isn't very many but obviously enough to perpetrate these kinds of spikes of violence.
UNGERER: Absolutely and indeed terrorism attacks like this do not cost a great deal of money either and can be done by as few as a few individuals.
MOTTRAM; So is it fair to say that J-I still presents a serious terrorist threat in the region?
UNGERER: J-I is not the organisation that it was a few years ago. It's completely different. It has split and turned into a serious of factional groups around individuals as much as anything and that's why Noordin Top's group, the Malaysian, is so important in this whole equation I think because he perhaps more so than any of the others have declared that they are intent on a further campaign of bombing and this may be the result of his handywork.
MOTTRAM: And Doctor Ungerer says these bombings will spur a new look at what more can be done.
UNGERER: I think there's going to be a real concerted campaign to try and hunt down and capture Noordin Top in particular.
MOTTRAM: And when asked to describe his first reaction to news of the Jakarta bombings, Kevin Rudd conveyed the gravity of the work still to be done.
RUDD: I was sick in the stomach. As I think all Australians would feel sick in the stomach. This is an assault on all of us, and we are dealing with some very ugly people here, very, very ugly, people.
