Business Travel in SE Asia

By Gerard Walsh

It seemed for a few years that the threat of terrorism in South East Asia was finally in decline or had become, at least, a serious but manageable problem.

That was until January 2009, when the Abu Sayyaff Group kidnapped three international members of the Red Cross on Jolo Island. The demanded ransom was paid and the hostages freed. It is a sad but tragic fact that each time large ransoms are paid it enhances the terrorists’ capability and emboldens their planning. It is the fact that key terrorist members of Jemaah Islamiyah, including some associated with the Bali bombings, remain at large in the Southern Philippines. In June, the attack on a mosque in Southern Thailand by insurgents, reminded us of the urgency of their cause in this region. Over 300 people have died there this year in more than 100 incidents, including 11 beheadings and frequent shootings. Around 3,500 have died in the southern provinces in this insurgency, since it revived 2004. Attacks on the JW Marriott and the Ritz Carlton hotels on 17 July 2009 in Jakarta claimed Western lives and were seen to be linked to Noordin Mohammad Top, since killed, and his breakaway JI group.

Is terrorism a major threat to the region and is it safe to travel/do business locally? The answer to the second question is readily found in the number of Australian tourists returning to Bali, despite constant DFAT advisories noting the high risk of terrorist attack. The public places more weight on the absence of major attacks in Indonesia since 2005 – but then there were the hotel attacks in Jakarta in July. The answer to the first question depends on which country.

Why South East Asia?

Let us ask another but fundamental question - why has Islamic extremism and terrorism seemed to thrive in South East Asia, when it is ostensibly democratic and focused on economic development? Most Muslims in South East Asia live comfortably at peace in secular states. Few are extremists and even fewer committed to violence. So what are the common features that have enabled terrorists groups to develop? Paradoxically, one of them is democracy. Movements like the Muslim Brotherhood, for instance, were banned during Suharto’s rule but in the new-found democracy of Indonesia, it and other bodies have regained official existence. Information technology has been important, making it easier for extremists to proselytise, transfer skills, maintain trans-national links, source funds and produce false documentation. Extremist websites have proliferated – just look at the Internet. The long land and sea borders facilitate movement and monitoring the Indonesian archipelago is virtually impossible. The essentially porous nature of these borders facility movement of both weapons and people.

Indonesia is the most populous Muslim country in the world. Thousands of Indonesian students trained in Afghanistan and Pakistan, forming a ready base for Jemaah Islamiyah. Not only did the restoration of full democracy allow for the expression of extremist views, but large numbers of these well-trained operatives were able to return from abroad, assisted by Islamic boarding schools and the transcendental and trans-national aims of Al Qaeda. This really was a remarkable double effect.

Some other factors – and mistakes

Poverty, unemployment and under-development are significant factors in a number of areas in the region. While the terrorist leaders are mostly well-educated, the ‘troops’ are generally marginalised and susceptible to alienation and frustration. Where you add in an element of ethnic minority, the effect is simply magnified. In Thailand, this combination is exaggerated by a multitude of local and separatist insurgency struggles against discrimination, injustice and poverty. One of the many tragedies is the availability of a political solution for most of these separatist insurgencies. Instead of dealing with them for what they are, the relevant governments choose to see them as a threat to nationalism and have responded, instead, with military force. This has the predictable result of feeding further the sense of alienation and of anger. It also is an enormous gift to Al Qaeda and other groups, which can then provide a politico-religious explanation for their suffering and oppression. Another factor has been the growth of a common identity across the Muslim world. Muslims have generally accepted the proposition that the West has not respected their history or their religion and has invaded the lands of Islam. Osama Bin Laden has always stressed this point.

The availability of secondary education, access to justice and the adequate supply of government services will help to undermine the appeal of the terrorists. Local issues drive it and addressing these will do much to reduce its impact and reach.

So, what to do?

For those with business interests in South East Asia, the first and most obvious thing is to study regularly the DFAT advisories and subscribe to the free Smartraveller Travel Advisories RSS Feed which is found on the DFAT website.

The second is take heed of travel advisories that advise you to reconsider your need to travel or not undertake travel to specific areas. There are whole areas such as the southern provinces of Thailand, the border regions of Pakistan, Kashmir, parts of the Southern Philippines and parts of Indonesia, where travel is not assessed to be a sensible proposition unless it is vital; accompanied by appropriate planning and precautions; covered by travel insurance including medivac provisions; uses trusted people as drivers/guides and is as brief as possible.

Additional Resources:
Security in out of the way places
Proof of Life 
Surviving Kidnap 

Gerard Walsh is a business risk and resilience management consultant with over 25 years security experience, including Corporate Security with global responsibility for AMP and former Deputy Director-General of ASIO.

 

back to index