Prawit assures of no IS presence
Indonesia attacks lead to tightened security
Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon has vehemently insisted there is no Islamic State (IS) militant presence in Thailand, but vowed to stay vigilant against the terror group.
His assertion came after a deadly gun battle and suicide bombs rocked the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Thursday. The attacks, for which IS later claimed responsibility, left all five attackers, a Canadian and an Indonesian dead, and 23 others injured.
Gen Prawit said it was sad that such an incident happened there, but Thai authorities have always been alert to terrorism.
“I can confirm that intelligence has not detected any activities of the IS group in Thailand,” said the deputy premier responsible for national security affairs.
Thai authorities have always shared intelligence with their Indonesian counterparts and other Asean countries since the IS is known to be active in the region, he said, insisting the cooperation between the countries will be stepped up.
Gen Thawip Netniyom, secretarygeneral of the National Security Council (NSC), said on Thursday there were reports indicating some IS militants were planning to form factions in countries in the region.
Gen Prawit said security along Thailand’s border areas has been stringent and tremendous efforts will be made to prevent IS fighters from slipping into the country.
He also called on members of the public to help authorities stay vigilant for any unusual incidents and to alert security officials.
Meanwhile, Their Majesties the King and Queen yesterday sent their condolences to Indonesian President Joko Widodo following Thursday’s attacks.
In the message, the King said: “The Queen and I are deeply saddened by reports of terrorist attacks in Jakarta, which resulted in deaths and injuries.”
“The Queen and I wish to extend condolences to your Excellency and all people who have suffered losses from the incident.”
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday said the world is at risk of violence that can happen at any time. It is important to make sure Thailand is not involved in the conflicts, he said.
“The most important thing is that people keep monitoring and stay vigilant, but do not panic,” Gen Prayut said.
The government will take good care of tourists and work with neighbouring countries to ensure security, he said.
The premier insisted he has not covered up any information, adding so far there is no information suggesting IS fighters have entered the country.
Meanwhile, deputy government spokesman Werachon Sukondhapatipak said after the attacks took place in Jakarta, Gen Prayut kept asking for updates and followed the impact on Thais in the city with the Thai embassy in Jakarta. The premier also conveyed his condolences to Indonesia. The NSC meanwhile instructed police and military officers to beef up security in important areas and tourist destinations as well as monitor any activities of the terror group, he said.
No activities linked to the group have been detected but authorities will not lower their guard, Maj Gen Werachon said.
Following the deadly bombing at the Erawan shrine on Aug 17 last year, security units were instructed to focus on intelligence and sharing it with other countries, he stressed.
Security has also been beefed up after intelligence revealed that the IS group has been active in the Asean region, he said.
The NSC updates the government on the situation every week and so far there is no indication that Thailand will be targeted by the group, he said.
Maj Gen Werachon said the government is always careful in its actions to prevent the country from becoming a target.
Referring to authorities’ efforts to ensure security, plainclothes security officers are deployed and CCTV cameras are regularly examined to ensure they work, he noted.
He also called on the public to alert state officials if they spot strangers in their communities.
Meanwhile, 11 police officers were deployed at the Indonesian embassy in Phaya Thai district yesterday morning.
Acting chief of the Special Branch, Pol Maj Gen Apichart Petprasit, also visited the Indonesian ambassador to Thailand to discuss security, according to police.
The acting chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Pol Lt Gen Sanit Mahathaworn, said the officers who provide security at the embassy have to regularly update him on the situation.
Shops selling explosive materials will be put under observation, he added.
Pol Lt Gen Sanit said police officers had been sent to brief many ambassadors to build confidence in the security measures being taken.
At the Thai-Cambodian border crossing at Ban Khlong Luek in Sa Kaeo’s Aranyaprathet district, immigration officers from both countries are working together to prevent terror suspects from crossing the border.
Thai authorities are concerned about Cambodian-Muslim extremists possibly passing through Thailand to Malaysia, he said.
JAKARTA: An audacious attack in the heart of Indonesia’s capital by suicide bombers was funded by the Islamic State (IS), police said yesterday, as they arrested three men on suspicion of links to the plot and seized an IS flag from one of the bombers.
National police chief Gen Badrodin Haiti told reporters that Thursday’s attack was funded by the IS through Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian who spent one year in jail for illegal possession of weapons in 2011, and is now in Syria fighting for the IS.
IS supporters also circulated a claim of responsibility for the attack on Twitter late Thursday. The radical group controls territory in Syria and Iraq, and its ambition to create an Islamic caliphate has attracted some 30,000 foreign fighters from around the world, including a few hundred Indonesians and Malaysians.
The IS link, if proved, poses a grave challenge to Indonesian security forces. Until now, the group was known only to have sympathisers with no active cells capable of planning and carrying out a plan such as Thursday’s in which five men attacked a Starbucks cafe and a traffic police booth with handmade bombs, guns and suicide belts. They killed two people — a Canadian and an Indonesian — and injured 23. The attackers were subsequently killed, either by their suicide vests or by police.
The attack “was funded by Isis in Syria through Bahrun Naim,’’ Gen Haiti told reporters after Friday prayers, using an acronym for the IS. He did not elaborate.
Also yesterday, police arrested three men at dawn in their homes in Depok on the outskirts of Jakarta for suspected links to the attackers, and more raids were being conducted in Java, Kalimantan and Sulawesi provinces based on evidence found at the scene, national police spokesman Maj Gen Anton Charliyan said.
MetroTV broadcast footage of the handcuffed men being escorted by police.
Maj Gen Charliyan told reporters a black IS flag was found in the home of one of the attackers and police believe they have established their identities.
He says two of the five men were previously convicted and imprisoned for terrorism offenses.
Gen Haiti identified one of the five attackers as Sunakim, who was once sentenced to seven years in jail for his involvement in military-style terrorist training in Aceh, but was released early.
“Now we can be sure that it was the action of Isis because Isis’ flag was found in the house of one of the suspects,’’ he said. “Hopefully, the group’s (other) members will be captured soon.’’
In recent years, Indonesian anti-terror forces had successfully stamped out another extremist group known as Jemaah Islamiyah. It was responsible for several attacks in Indonesia, including the 2002 bombings of bars in Bali, which left 202 people dead, as well as two hotel bombings in Jakarta in 2009 that killed seven people.
Terrorism experts say IS supporters in Indonesia are drawn from the remnants of Jemaah Islamiyah.
Jakarta residents were shaken by Thursday’s events but refused to be cowed.
The area near the Starbucks cafe remained cordoned off with a highly visible police presence. Onlookers and journalists lingered, with some people leaving flowers and messages of support.
A large screen atop the building containing the Starbucks displayed messages that said “#prayforjakarta’’ and “Indonesia Unite”. Newspapers carried bold front-page headlines declaring the country was united in condemnation of the attack, which was the first in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, since the hotel bombings in 2009.
Risti Amelia, an accountant at a company near the Starbucks said she was “still shaking and weak’’ when she returned to her office yesterday. Because staff remained emotional, the company decided to send workers home, she said.
Supporters of the IS circulated a claim of responsibility on Twitter late on Thursday.
The message said attackers carried out the Jakarta assault and had planted several bombs with timers.
It differed from Indonesian police on the number of attackers, saying there were four.
The statement could not be independently verified, though it resembled previous claims made by the group.
Taufik Andri, a terrorist analyst, said although the attack ended swiftly and badly for the attackers, their aim was to show their presence and ability.
“Their main aim was just to give the impression that Isis’ supporters here are able to do what was done in Paris. It was just a Paris-inspired attack without being well-prepared,’’ he said.
Those attacks in November killed 130 people.