Editorial: Indonesia Mulls Tougher Approach Against Islamic State

By Prashanth Parameswaran

New moves expected as government looks to counter the movement’s growing threat

Indonesia is looking to toughen its approach to combating the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq (ISIS) in the coming months amid the movement’s growing threat, according to a report by The Straits Times.

According to the Singapore-based newspaper, Indonesian President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo met with Coordinating Minister for Political, Security and Legal Affairs Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno, Law Minister Yasonna Laoly and National Police Chief General Sutarman to discuss new anti-terrorism measures on January 13.

Speaking after the meeting, Tedjo indicated that Jokowi had agreed to issue a regulation allowing authorities to revoke the passports of citizens who support the ISIS.

“We will revoke the passports of those who plan to go abroad to join ISIS and those who are already abroad with ISIS. They cannot be allowed to come home,” Tedjo reportedly told The Straits Times.

As The Diplomat reported previously, Indonesian officials have said that the recruitment of ISIS fighters from Indonesia has soared over the past few months, raising questions about what might happen once these militants return home. Indonesian laws currently still do not allow authorities to charge or detain ISIS supporters who leave to fight for the movement, and the proposed regulation would at least strengthen the ability of law enforcement to deal with this problem. 

Read the full story at The Diplomat