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U.S. Embassy in Jakarta is still closed
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By
Kazi Mahmood, IOL Southeast Asia Correspondent
KUALA
LUMPUR, September 13 (IslamOnline) - Extreme fears of Islamic elements
forced the U.S. to keep its Embassies in Indonesia and Malaysia closed,
indicating that the shadows of Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda group is
still haunting the west.
In
Kuala Lumpur, the United States Embassy was shut for the second day
running Thursday, September 12, amid fears that the Jemaah Islamiah (JI)
a group linked to Osama bin Laden may target the building.
In
Jakarta, the United States kept its diplomatic missions in Indonesia
shut for the third day Thursday - a security measure that is clearly
irritating Indonesian political leaders eager to restore international
confidence in the country, news sources said.
Whereas
in Manila, it is unclear if the British Embassy will be re-opened
Friday, September 13, 2002, after its closure amid threats of attacks by
pro-Bin Laden elements.
“What
is causing the sudden insecurity in the minds of the U.S. and British
officials is that the Al-Qaeda is practically invisible. The fear is
that the group may retaliate anytime.” An Indonesian observer told
IslamOnline.
In
Kuala Lumpur Thursday, both U.S. and British Embassies were heavily
guarded. Security around these Embassies was stepped up with reinforced
local platoon, fully armed with automatic weapons seen at their
entrance.
Local
police has been guarding these two Embassies since the events in the
U.S. on September 11, 2001.
The
Singapore’s Straits Times newspaper Friday said it learned that the
U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur was under surveillance from the Singapore
based underground Islamic movement the Jemaah Islamiah (JI).
Singapore
banned the JI, arrested several of its members in December last year but
its key leaders are said to be at large in Indonesia.
One
of the leaders of the JI is said to be Abu Bakar Bashir, a Muslim cleric
who runs an Islamic school in Java, Indonesia. He is still free despite
appeals by Singaporean, Malaysian and U.S. authorities to the Indonesian
government to arrest him.
Bashir
denied links with the Al-Qaeda but publicly voiced his praises for Osama
bin Laden whom he said was fighting for Islam against the enemies of the
“Deen” (religion).
Another
important member of the JI, known only as Hambali is as elusive as Osama
bin Laden himself. Police in Malaysia tried to arrest him but he
escaped, sources said.
Hambali
is said to be a Mujahideen who fought in the wars in Afghanistan in the
late 1980’s. He is suspected to be the main Al-Qaeda lieutenant in the
region. The U.S. placed him high on the list of terror suspects.
Last
year, the Malaysian authorities detained more than 40 JI or Malaysian
Mujahidin Movement (KMM) members, on the grounds that they were planning
to set up a pan-Islamic state in South-east Asia.
The
arrests of 13 JI members in Singapore in December last year was to
prevent a plot to blow up the American and Australian embassies in the
Republic, in retaliation for U.S. attacks on Afghanistan, local police
said.
Security
sources said that Hambali, the alleged mastermind of the JI, was in Java
with several of his Malaysian lieutenants, where they were possibly
plotting attacks on targets in Malaysia and Singapore, the Straits Times
said.
Security
officials believe they are using a base on the island to regroup and
recruit more members. The U.S. might put a bounty on some of the JI
members, including Hambali, sources said.
In
Indonesia, there were no indications the Embassy will reopen soon. U.S.
envoy Ralph Boyce said he did not know when the Embassy would reopen.
'I
am not sure we can do it as quickly as tomorrow,' he told reporters
following the meeting.
The
British Embassy, which was also closed Wednesday owing to security
fears, reopened on Thursday though.
