Indonesia Moves to Crack down on Returning Militants

TODAY

22 June 2017

Indonesia is set to approve a law allowing the authorities to jail for up to 15 years citizens coming home after joining militant groups abroad, lawmakers said on Wednesday (June 21).

Mr Jasminder Singh, a senior analyst at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, also told TODAY that the new law is “certainly much needed”, noting that it has been a year or so since talks have been going on for the revision of anti-terror laws in the country.

“Just as the ISA (Internal Security Act) has been a deterrent in Singapore, it will be a major deterrent to any Indonesian who is contemplating undertaking foreign violent jihad. It also shows the level of seriousness with which Indonesia is dealing the issue of terrorism,” said the terrorism expert.

But he also pointed out that whether the new legislation is truly effective will be known only after it has been implemented.

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