History
Spread across a chain of thousands of islands between Asia and Australia, Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim population and Southeast Asia’s biggest economy. Ethnically it is highly diverse, with more than 300 local languages.
Sophisticated kingdoms existed before the arrival of the Dutch, who consolidated their hold over two centuries, eventually uniting the archipelago in around 1900.
After Japan’s wartime occupation ended, independence was proclaimed in 1945 by Sukarno, the independence movement’s leader. The Dutch transferred sovereignty in 1949 after an armed struggle.
Long-term leader General Suharto came to power in the wake of an abortive coup in 1965. He imposed authoritarian rule while allowing technocrats to run the economy with considerable success.
Post-Suharto Indonesia has made the transition to democracy. Power has been weakened from the central government and the first direct presidential elections were held in 2004.
Indonesia has undergone a resurgence since the 1997 Asian financial crisis, becoming one of the world’s major emerging economies. Investors are attracted by a large consumer base, rich natural resources and political stability.
Militant Islamic groups have emerged out of Indonesia and have been accused of having links with al-Qaeda, including Jemaah Islamiyah, the group blamed for the 2002 Bali bombings, which killed 202 people.
Jemaah Islamiyah
Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), which translates to “Islamic group”, is a southeast Asian militant group formed in the early 1990s with goals to spread a radical sect of Islam known as Darul Islam. Based in Indonesia, the network is now a transnational organization with groups in Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
In JI’s first couple years of formation they took on mostly peaceful means of action however by the mid-nineties the group took on more violent means. This switch to violence is believed to be triggered by the connection made between JI and Al-Qaeda and ohther various other radical Islamic groups. This influenced the belief that the only way JI could achieve it’s goals is through a “holy war”. Due to the number of unintended Muslim casualties in JI’s new method of attack, the group split into two factions – violence vs. proselytizers.
The group’s existence was discovered in late 2001 after authorities in Singapore disrupted a cell that was planning to attack targets in US Navy. According to the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, JI is responsible for a series of deadly bombings targeting Western interests in Indonesia and the Philippines from 2000-2005, including attacks in 2002 in two nightclubs in Bali that killed 202 people; the 2003 car bombing of the Marriott hotel in Jakarta that killed 12; the 2004 truck bombing of the Australian Embassy that killed 11; and the 2005 suicide bombing of three establishments in Bali that killed 22.
According to the BBC, Pressure form foreign counterparts has increased Indonesia’s crackdown on JI members since 2002. This includes the killing and imprisonment of several key leaders as well as more than 200 arrests of suspected members, which has significantly degraded JI’s network. Since 2009, JI has been overshadowed by the activities of its breakaway groups and other Indonesia-based terrorists, some of whom are experienced operatives previously affiliated with JI; others are convicted terrorists who completed prison sentences and have since resumed their activities.
http://www.nctc.gov/site/groups/ji.html
Timeline of Events
2002 October – Bomb attack on the Kuta Beach nightclub district on Bali kills 202 people, most of them tourists.
Muslim Cleric Abu Bakar Ba’asyir is arrested shortly after the bombings. He is accused of plotting to overthrow the government as the alleged spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiah (JI), the group thought to be behind the Bali bombing.
2003 August – Car bomb explodes outside the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, killing 14 people.
2003 August-October – Three Bali bombing suspects are found guilty and sentenced to death for their roles in the 2002 attacks. A fourth suspect is given life imprisonment.
Abu Bakar Ba’asyir is cleared of treason but jailed for subversion and immigration offences. The subversion charge is later overturned.
2004 September – Car bomb attack outside Australian embassy in Jakarta kills nine, injures more than 180.
2005 March – Court finds Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba’asyir guilty of conspiracy over 2002 Bali bombings, sentences him to two-and-a-half years in jail. He is freed in June 2006.
2005 October – Three suicide bombings on the resort island of Bali kill 23 people, including the bombers
2007 June – Police capture the alleged head of the militant group Jemaah Islamiah (JI), Zarkasih, and the leader of the group’s military wing, Abu Dujana.
2007 December – Alleged JI leader Zarkasih goes on trial in Jakarta.
2008 November – Three Islamic militants convicted of carrying out the 2002 Bali bombings are executed.
2009 July – Twin suicide bomb attacks on the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta kill nine people and injure scores of others.
2009 September – Police shoot dead Indonesia’s most-wanted Islamist militant Noordin Mohammad Top, thought to be responsible for a series of deadly attacks across the archipelago.
2010 February-March – Several suspected militants are arrested in series of raids on alleged training camps of groups thought to be linked to Jemaah Islamiah (JI) in Aceh province. Fourteen men are charged with plotting to launch terrorist attacks.
2010 March – Police shoot dead Dulmatin – an alleged leading member of JI and the last main suspect in the 2002 Bali bombings still at large – during a raid on a Jakarta internet cafe.
2011 June – Radical cleric Abu Bakar Ba’asyir gets 15-year jail sentence for backing an Islamist militant training camp.
2012 March – Court sentences Islamist militant Pepi Fernando to 18 years in prison for a parcel-bombing campaign targeting Muslim leaders and police.
2012 June – Jakarta court sentences bombmaker Umar Patek to 20 years in prison for his role in the 2002 Bali attacks. He was extradited from Pakistan in 2011. The sentencing brings to an end the 10-year investigation into the bombings.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15114517