“The new criminal code means that wherever an Indonesian citizen commits a crime, he can be legally processed in Indonesia.”

ARSUL SANI, Indonesian lawmaker

INDONESIA is set to approve a law allowing authorities to jail citizens coming home after joining militant groups abroad for up to 15 years, lawmakers said yesterday.

The tightening of anti-terrorism laws in the world’s largest Muslimmajority country comes as concern grows about the spread of Islamic State’s influence, and fears it wants a foot-hold in Southeast Asia as it loses territory in the Middle East.

“The new criminal code adopts the principle of universality, which means that wherever an Indonesian citizen commits a crime, they can be legally processed in Indonesia. They can face up to 15 years in prison,” said lawmaker Arsul Sani, referring to terrorism.

The legislation would likely be approved in September, legislators said.

Law enforcement agencies have long complained of their inability to deal with people who have travelled abroad to join IS and then returned home.

Authorities believe IS has thousands of sympathisers in Indonesia. Hundreds of Indonesian men, women, and children are thought to have travelled to Syria in recent years, and authorities believe about 400 Indonesians have joined IS. Dozens are believed to have returned to Southeast Asia.

The region, with a population of about 600 million, has suffered militant attacks over the years since the Sept 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

The Philippines and Indonesia, in particular, have seen attacks by militants claiming allegiance to al-Qaeda, and recently, to IS.

Government forces in the predominantly Christian Philippines have been battling IS-linked militants in a town in its Muslim-majority south for the past month.

A suicide bomb attack in Indonesia by IS-inspired militants at a bus station last month killed three police officers.

Indonesia’s tightening of its security laws is part of a revision urged by President Joko Widodo to meet the new danger.

Changes will broaden the definition of terrorism and give police powers to detain suspects without trial for longer.

Police will be empowered to arrest people for hate speech or for spreading radical content, as well as those taking part in paramilitary training or joining proscribed groups.

Police chief Tito Karnavian said yesterday security had been tightened ahead of this weekend’s Aidilfitri festival that marked the end of Ramadan, with 38 suspected militants already detained in recent weeks.

Malaysia and Singapore already have tough internal security laws that allow for lengthy detention without trial.

Alarmed by the surge of violence in southern Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines launched joint air and sea patrols this week to prevent militants from crossing their common borders. Reuters