[Nasional-e] Muslim hardliners to begin "sweeps" against foreigners

[Ambon]

The Jakarta Post
Sept. 7, 2002

Muslim hardliners to begin "sweeps" against foreigners

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI), a Muslim militant
Muslim group which allegedly has links to al-Qaeda, threatened on Friday to
launch "sweeps" against foreign nationals working illegally in major
Indonesian cities, DPA news agency reported.
Chairman of the MMI militant group Fauzan al-Anshari said in a letter sent
to the Minister of Justice and Human Rights that the planned crackdown was
in retaliation for tough immigration measures imposed by neighboring
Malaysia against illegal workers there, mostly from Indonesia.
MMI is a Central Java-based fundamentalist movement whose leaders, such as
Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, have allegedly been linked to the al-Qaeda terrorist
network by Singaporean, Malaysian and Philippines intelligence agencies. The
group allegedly strives to establish a pan-Islamic State in parts of
Southeast Asia.
The group also called on the Indonesian government to impose tough measures
on foreign workers in Indonesia, which boasts the world's largest Muslim
population.
"Laskar Mujahidin (Majahidin Militia), along with other Islamic
organizations will soon launch a sweep against foreign workers in Indonesia,
especially in major cities across the country, in order to help impose
immigration and labor regulations," al-Anshari said in his letter.
The letter named cities such as the North Sumatra's provincial capital of
Medan, Palembang in South Sumatra, Surabaya in East Java, Solo in Central
Java, Yogyakarta, Makassar in South Sulawesi and Jakarta for its crackdown
on foreigners.
It said the sweep was aimed at collecting data on whether the foreigners had
official work permits and valid visas, as well as finding foreign workers
occupying professions that could be held by Indonesians. "If foreign
nationalities are found violating the immigration regulations during the
sweep, we will bring them instantly to the local immigration office to be
processed in line with the existing laws," the letter said.
However, it did not mention when the street sweeps against foreigners in
Indonesia would be launched. The group urged immigration authorities to be
prepared to coordinate the crackdown.
At the peak of anti-U.S. sentiments in September, last year, members of the
Laskar Jihad (Holy Warriors) - another Muslim militant group in Indonesia -
launched the country's first "sweep" in Solo. They searched local hotels for
U.S. nationals whom they threatened to expel from the country.
However, the Solo sweep sparked spark criticism from Indonesia's tourism
industry and various community leaders, as the much-publicized antic
prompted thousands of Westerners to cancel trips to the country.