US Redesignates Jemaah Islamiyah as Foreign Terrorist Organization
By Khalida Mazhar - Pakistan Times Foreign Correspondent

WASHINGTON (US): As part of ongoing U.S. efforts against terrorism, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell Friday announced his redesignation of the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The organization was first designated in 2002, says a press statement from US State Department electronically wired to 'Pakistan Times'.

Residesignation

The redesignation continues to make it illegal under domestic law for persons in the United States or subject to U.S. jurisdiction knowingly to provide material support to Jemaah Islamiyah; it continues to block any funds the group may have in domestic financial institutions; and it continues to provide a basis for the United States to deny visas to representatives and members of the organization.

The Secretary of State took this action in consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury, the statement says.

Jemaah Islamiyah

Jemaah Islamiyah is a Southeast Asian-based terrorist network that has its roots in the eighties, was formed as early as 1993, and has links to al-Qaida. Its stated goal is to create an Islamic state comprising Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the southern Philippines, and southern Thailand.

Jemaah Islamiyah was responsible for the Bali bombing in 2002, in which over 200 people from 27 nations were killed, including seven Americans, and the J.W. Marriott Hotel bombing in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2003.

The organization is also widely believed to be responsible for the 2004 bombing of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. At least 59 Indonesians have been killed and hundreds more injured in these three bombings alone.

Charges and Arrests

Numerous members of Jemaah Islamiyah have been arrested in connection with these bombings; one major operative, Imam Samudra, was sentenced to death in 2003 for his role in the planning and execution of the Bali bombing.

The capture in August 2003 of Indonesian Riduan bin Isomoddin (a.k.a. Hambali), the organization's al-Qaida affiliated Southeast Asia operations chief, dealt a blow to the organization, but, despite captures and prosecutions, the group clearly retains the ability to carry out terrorist operations, particularly against Western targets, and remains a deadly and destabilizing force in the region.

Perspective

Since 2002 when it was designated under United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1267, 1333, and 1390, Jemaah Islamiyah has been under international sanctions, including asset freezes, that all United Nations Member States are obligated to implement.

Member States are also obligated to prohibit their nationals and persons in their territories from providing resources to the group and its members.

"In redesignating Jemaah Islamiyah, we continue to work with governments around the world to isolate this and other terrorist organizations, choke off their sources of financial support, and prevent their members' movement across international borders," the press statement concludes.●