The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current, May 21, 2018, Page Page 4, Image 4

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    ASIA / PACIFIC
Page 4 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
May 21, 2018
Mahathir barred predecessor
from leaving Malaysia amid probe
By Eileen Ng
The Associated Press
UALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia’s new
leader, Mahathir Mohamad, said he barred his
scandal-tainted predecessor and his wife from
leaving the country to prevent them from fleeing from
possible prosecution over a massive corruption scandal.
A leaked flight manifesto showed that Najib Razak and
his wife Rosmah Mansor were planning to leave on a
private jet to Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, fuelling rumors
that he was bolting the country days after a shocking
electoral defeat that ended his coalition’s 60-year grip on
power.
“There are a lot of complaints against him, all of which
have to be investigated,” Mahathir told a news conference.
“We have to act quickly because we don’t want to be
saddled with extradition from other countries.”
Mahathir said the investigations would take some time
because investigators need to contact authorities in other
countries and gather evidence. He has said Najib will
“face the consequences” if any wrongdoing is found.
Najib said on social media that he was planning to take
a short vacation to spend time with his family. The
Immigration Department, which initially said there was
no travel ban, later issued a statement that the former
prime minister and his wife were blacklisted from leaving
Malaysia.
Mahathir confirmed that he prevented Najib from
departing. He said there was sufficient evidence to
investigate Najib over the corruption scandal involving
the 1MDB state fund that’s being investigated in the
United States and other countries. U.S. investigators say
Najib’s associates stole and laundered $4.5 billion from
the fund, with some $700 million landing in Najib’s bank
account and around $30 million used to buy jewelry for his
wife. Najib has denied any wrongdoing.
Najib responded swiftly, saying he respects the
Immigration Department’s ruling and will remain in the
country with his family. He also said he was committed to
“facilitating a smooth transfer of power.”
Najib also told a news conference that he was stepping
down as president of the United Malays National
Organization (UMNO) and as chairman of the National
Front coalition to take responsibility for the election
debacle. The announcement came after strong calls
emerged from the UMNO, the linchpin of the coalition, for
Najib to resign.
Najib, 64, said his deputy, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, would
take over as UMNO president.
“We accept the people’s verdict with an open heart,”
Najib said. “Maybe this will be an opportunity for us to fix
our weaknesses and shortcomings, although these are
more a matter of perception than reality. God willing,
UMNO will continue to live.”
The National Front, which has ruled Malaysia since
independence from Britain, won only 79 of the 222
parliamentary seats, losing power to Mahathir’s
four-party alliance amid public anger over the 1MDB
scandal and the rising cost of living.
K
UNLIKELY EVIL. Surabaya police chief Col. Rudi Setiawan shows a
picture of the family of Dita Oepriarto, who carried out church bombings
on May 13 in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia. The family fanned out with
suicide bombs attached to themselves and their children, attacking three
churches. The entire family was killed in the attacks that killed a number
of people and injured dozens of others. (AP Photo/Nanda Andrianta)
Family photo becomes new
picture of militancy in Indonesia
By Margie Mason
The Associated Press
AKARTA, Indonesia — In the photo, the mother
rests one hand on her youngest son’s arm. Two little
sisters in the front hold flowers against matching
red head scarves. Dad stands in the back next to the oldest
son who has already outgrown him. The six are dressed in
happy prints and colors — a purple batik shirt, a pink
flowered dress — and mom’s flowing headscarf is the color
of sky.
It appears to be a picture of a happy middle-class
Indonesian family. But it has shocked the world’s most
populous Muslim nation by becoming its new face of
militant violence.
Friends and neighbors describe the Muslim parents as
normal and nice, associating regularly with Christians
who lived nearby and letting their home-schooled children
play with others in the neighborhood.
But this month they fanned out with suicide bombs
attached to themselves and their children, attacking
three churches. The entire family was killed in
Indonesia’s second-largest city of Surabaya. At least 13
people died in the churches and more than 40 others were
injured. The youngest human bomb, the little girl staring
directly at the camera with big brown eyes, was just eight
years old. Her big sister was 12.
Before people had time to fully process that children
had been used for the first time to carry out a suicide
attack in Indonesia, it happened again. Another family —
including a seven-year-old child who survived —
participated in a similar suicide mission at police
headquarters in the same city days later.
Three members of a third family also died when
homemade bombs exploded in their apartment, and three
children survived.
Police said their investigation found the three families
knew each other and came together on Sundays to study
and recite the Quran. They indoctrinated their children in
various ways at the meetings, including showing violent
jihadist videos, East Java police chief Machfud Arifin
said.
The father who carried out the church bombings, Dita
Oepriarto, headed the Surabaya cell of Jemaah Anshorut
Daulah, an Indonesian network of extremist groups
affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group, police said.
In all, 26 people — including 13 militants and their
children — died. Authorities say the surviving children
are being treated for physical and mental issues and will
eventually be placed with safe family members.
“For the kids, I think this is craziness,” said Taufik
Andrie, who runs an Indonesian institute that helps
rehabilitate former militants ready to rejoin society. “It’s
the first time in Indonesia. I’m afraid this will be a new
trend.”
Indonesia suffered its worst terrorist attack in 2002 on
the resort island of Bali when 202 people, mostly foreign
tourists, were killed in nightclub bombings. Jemaah
Islamiyah, an al-Qaida-affiliated network, was
responsible. The country has been relatively quiet in
recent years after major cells connected to larger
organized groups were stamped out.
The new spate of bombings happened just ahead of the
holy Islamic month of Ramadan, and follows a melee at a
detention center near Jakarta in which jailed Muslim
extremists killed six officers. Andrie said much
information leaked out after the incident, likely inciting
others to act. IS has claimed responsibility for the recent
violence in both cities.
“I think the message is simply that they can create
Continued on page 16
J
DEPARTURE DENIED. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir
Mohamad (top photo) reads a note during a press conference in
Putrajaya, Malaysia. Mahathir said he barred his scandal-tainted prede-
cessor and his wife from leaving the country to prevent them from fleeing
from possible prosecution over a massive corruption scandal. It was a re-
markable comeback for the 92-year-old Mahathir, who was prime minis-
ter for 22 years until his retirement in 2003. Angered over the scandal,
Mahathir teamed up with former foes, including jailed opposition icon
Anwar Ibrahim (bottom photo), to oust Najib. Mahathir said Malaysia’s
king had agreed to pardon Anwar, who was jailed in 2015 for sodomy
in a conviction that he said was politically motivated. (AP Photos/Vincent
Thian)
It was a remarkable comeback for the 92-year-old
Mahathir, who was prime minister for 22 years until his
retirement in 2003. Angered over the 1MDB scandal,
Mahathir teamed up with former foes, including jailed
opposition icon Anwar Ibrahim, to oust Najib.
Mahathir said Malaysia’s king had agreed to pardon
Anwar, who was jailed in 2015 for sodomy in a conviction
that he said was politically motivated.
Mahathir also appointed Lim Guan Eng, an ethnic
Chinese, as finance minister, the first ethnic minority to
be appointed to the powerful post in 44 years.
Since 1974, the finance minister had been a Muslim
Malay. The appointment of Lim, a chartered accountant
who has led the wealthy northern state of Penang since
2008, reflects reforms pledged by Mahathir’s alliance to
heal racial divisions in the country blamed on decades-old
preferential policies.
Mahathir also named former Deputy Prime Minister
Muhyiddin Yassin as home affairs minister and
Mohamad Sabu as defense minister. All three appointees
are party leaders in his alliance.
New Singapore anti-terror law can order media blackout
SINGAPORE (AP) —
Singapore has introduced a
law that gives the police
special powers during
terrorist attacks, including
widely banning journalists
and members of the public
from reporting on the
scene.
The law has the power to
block all communications
on-site
ranging
from
photographs to videos, text
and audio messages, for up
to a month, if authorities
feel security operations
could be compromised.
The Ministry of Home
Affairs said the law would
make the police more
effective in responding to
terrorist threats. It cited
previous
attacks
in
Mumbai and Paris, where
live broadcasts allegedly
allowed
terrorists
to
anticipate the next move of
security forces.
Individuals who flout the
communications stop order
face a maximum sentence
of two years in prison and a
fine of 20,000 Singapore
dollars ($14,891).
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