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Southeast Asia & the Pacific Counter-Terrorism News Bulletin (No. 03-2022)

March 2022

This news bulletin is shared internally with colleagues in partner organisations of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific (UNODC/ROSEAP). All the news and articles herein are selected and compiled from publicly available sources and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of UNODC/ROSEAP. Please do not hesitate to send us recommendations on how to improve our service. Likewise, please let us know should you wish to suggest names to be added or removed from the distribution list.
International & Regional News Stories
A map by ReCAAP showing the transit corridors under the Trilateral (Maritime) Cooperation agreement between Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines as agreed in 2017. Map: Safety4Sea/ReCAAP
A picture from the previous launch of joint trilateral air patrols by Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, taken at Subang military airbase in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia on 12 October 2017. Photo: AP Photo/Vincent Thian
Philippines

On 2 March, 2022 the Armed Forced of the Philippines (AFP) announced that Fahrudin Hadji Satar (alias Abu Zacariah), the leader of Dawlah Islamiyah-Maute Group (also known as DI-Lanao), became the new regional leader or "amir" for the Islamic State (IS). Abu Zacariah succeeded the late Owaida Marohombsar (alias Abu Dar), as the leader of the Maute Group. As part of an ongoing operation, the AFP began conducting airstrikes against the Maute Group on 2 March resulting in the deaths of three of its members. There is also a report by SITE Intelligence on 28 March that Abu Zacariah was killed, but it remains to be seen whether this true. Moreover, the army has reportedly found evidence that Maute militants led by Abu Zacariah have merged with the remnants of the Dawlah Islamiya—Hassan Group from Maguindanao. Reportedly, around 60 fighters from the two groups were planning to conduct sabotage operations during the election period and over Ramadan and were training together at a camp in Lanao del Sur. Previously blamed on the New People’s Army due to their historical presence in the region, three separate bomb attacks on National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) towers in September, November and February have also been attributed to the Maute and Hassan groups.
 
Of additional concern, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) claimed that bombings & cannon fire hit its 103rd camp in Lanao during the AFP operation of 2 March. The MILF called on the military to cease all operations within the area and warned that it will be forced to defend itself in the event of any further breach of the peace agreement. Last November, the government made a complaint against the MILF for a ceasefire violation following an uncoordinated movement of MILF soldiers outside their designated area. Recently, a number of separate ridos (clan wars) between warring factions of the MILF have also presented a further problem for ceasefire monitors. While these clan wars are not an infrequent occurrence, even among factions of the MILF, they do appear to have increased both in number and ferocity as of late.
 
Joint Task Force Sulu confirmed the arrest of the second wife of Mundi Sawadjaan—a sub-leader and bombmaker with the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG)-Sulu faction—in Barangay Tulay in Jolo, Sulu on 6 March. Kirsita Ismael, the wife, is believed to have been in charge of Sawadjaan’s finances and the procurement of IED materials. Mundi Sawadjaan is the nephew of Hatib Hajan Saawadjaan, a former IS amir, ASG sub-leader and mastermind of the 2019 cathedral bombing in Jolo before his presumed death in 2020. Despite repeated attempts by the Philippine authorities, Mundi Sawadjaan has so far managed to avoid death or capture, although his ability to conduct operations has been reduced.
 
On 25 March, the AFP declared that Radzmil Jannatul, the leader of ASG’s Basilan faction, was neutralised by the AFP during a gunfight in Barangay Baiwas in Sumisip town. Jannatul was the second ASG Basilan leader killed in recent years, following Furuji Indama’s death in September 2020. Since Jannatul’s demise, a steady stream of fighters have abandoned the group, with the latest group of 11 fighters under sub-leader Abdullah Indanan surrendering to authorities in the village of Serongon in Hadji Mohammad Ajul town on 31 March. ASG Basilan never fully recovered from the death of Indama and with the additional loss of Jannatul, this could mean the group has become operationally defunct.  
 
On 29 March, a public statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) was shared with its armed wing—the New People’s Army (NPA)—demanding that the NPA intensify their recruitment and mustster their strength ‘militarily and politically’. The statement was made despite renewed appeals from the government for all NPA combatants to surrender their arms. The recruitment plan in not only aimed at the ‘peasant masses’ and the country’s youth, but also specifically targets the rank-and-file of government forces through a campaign of systematic proselytisation. The call for a new NPA recruitment drive is indicative of a shortfall in manpower as the group has sustained heavy losses over recent months.
According to SITE Intelligence, an Islamic State supporter declared the death of Abu Zacharia on Facebook on 18 March 2022, a few weeks after the Philippine military identified him as the new "emir" and launched targeted operations against him. Photo: SITE
An arms cache recovered by the Armed Forces of the Philippines from the Dawlah Islamiya-Maute Group (DI-MG) in Maguing, Lanao del Sur on March 1, 2022. Photo: Army's 103rd Infantry Brigade/PNA

Additional news stories:
Indonesia

News of unrest and violence in the Papua region topped the headlines for Indonesia in March. On 2 March, 8 civilians were killed when Papuan militants attacked workers repairing a base transceiver station (BTS) tower of a state-owned telecommunications operator in Beoga, Puncak District, Papua Province. The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement (OPM), released a statement claiming responsibility for the attack. Papuan militant groups like the TPNPB frequently target infrastructure projects. On 3 March, a soldier was injured in a firefight when 15 Papuan militants attacked the post of the Dambet sub-district Military Command (Koramil) in Puncak District. Moreover, also in Papua province, two protesters were killed and several others wounded during a demonstration against planned administrative reforms on 15 March, when security forces opened fire after protesters began attacking shops and setting buildings on fire near government offices. The protest was in response to potential government plans to split Papua into six new provinces to better administrate the vast region and accelerate development.

In other parts of Indonesia, the Indonesia National Police's counter-terrorism unit Densus 88, arrested 12 suspected terrorists in Jakarta, Banten, Bogor, Tangerang and Batam, as was reported on 17 March 2022. Some of the suspects were ISIS supporters while others were linked to the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) network. One of the JI suspects is a civil servant with the Tangerang Agriculture Office. Two of the ISIS supporters that were arrested worked as video editors and translators at the Annajiyah Media Center group which has been distributing digital posters with ISIS propaganda.

Another development in Indonesia on 6 April 2022 was the conviction of Munarman, the former general secretary and lawyer of the now-banned Front Pembela Islam (FPI - Islam Defenders Front), to three years in prison for hiding information from authorities about militants pledging allegiance to the Islamic State and inciting people to carry out terrorism acts. While Munarman denied any wrongdoing during the trial, videos obtained by the police showed Munarman present at an event where pledges of allegiance to the Islamic State were made.

Lastly, Aman Abdurrahman, an important terrorist leader, who is currently on death row for his role in Islamic State-inspired terrorist attacks in Indonesia for the group Jamaah Ansharut Dawlah (JAD), was seen in a video posted on YouTube on 31 March, in which he complained that his followers had disobeyed him by utilizing women and children in their attacks (the 2018 Surabaya attacks involved women and children in suicide bombings).
The Indonesian Police's special counterterrorism squad, Densus 88, arrested 12 suspected terrorists in the Jakarta, Banten, Bogor, and Batam areas. Photo: Tempo.co
Indonesian troops in Timika carry the coffins of two marines who were killed in an attack by separatist rebels in Kenyam, a district of Nduga regency in Indonesia’s Papua province, March 28, 2022.. Photo: AFP/Benar News
Additional news stories
Thailand

There were three separate incidents involving roadside bombs this month. On 10 March, a roadside bomb exploded in front of a school in Bannang Sata District, Yala as an armoured patrol vehicle carrying eight rangers and volunteers drove past. Four rangers and two civilians were injured, but fortunately no deaths were reported. Then on 16 March, four police officers were travelling in a truck in Mayo District, Pattani when they were struck by a roadside explosion, injuring all four. Finally, on March 30, two police officers were killed and a further two injured when their pickup truck was targeted by a roadside bomb. Once again, the incident occurred in Yala’s Bannang Sata District.

The BRN did not claim responsibility for any of the attacks as is now commonly the case in the Deep South. Peace talks between the Thai government, led by General Wallop Raksanoh, the Thai chief negotiator, and the representatives of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), the main insurgent group in Thailand’s Deep South conflict, resumed earlier this year in January following a two-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The next round of negotiations took place in Kuala Lumpur in early April and resulted in a 40-day Ramadan peace agreement in which both parties agree to cease acts of violence. Whether these continued peace talks and the temporary cease fire will bear fruits remains to be seen as the BRN’s inability to prevent rogue elements from conducting spoiler activities will likely remain a point of concern.
Delegates of the Thai government and the Barisan Nasional Melayu Patani, or the BRN during the fourth round of the Peace Dialogue Process in early APril 2022 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo via BRN Barisan Revolusi Nasional Melayu Patani Facebook.
Two police officers were killed and two others injured by a roadside bomb in Bannang Sata district of the southern border province of Yala, March 30, 2022. Photo: Thai PBS
Additional news stories

Malaysia

The Malaysian government was instructed to pay at least US$14.92 billion (RM62.59 billion) to heirs of the Sulu Sultanate following a ruling in a French arbitration court on 3 March. The suit was filed by descendants of the last Sulu sultan in response to a violation of the 1878 agreement signed by Sultan Jamal Al Alam, Baron de Overbeck and the British North Borneo Company’s Alfred Dent. While the terms of the agreement are disputed, the Sulu heirs and the Philippine government argue that North Borneo (modern day Sabah) was leased to the British and that the Malaysian government, as the current administrator of the region, is obligated to pay cession money. Up until 2013, Malaysia had made payments on an annual basis. However, following an armed incursion in Lahad Datu District, Sabah by a group calling themselves the “Royal Security Forces of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo” (sent by Jamalul Kiram III, one of the claimants to the Sulu throne), the Malaysia government ceased all payments. In response to the suit, Malaysia filed an application to nullify the final award arguing that Sabah was recognised as part of the Malaysian Federation by the United Nations in 1963. In the application, Malaysia also argues that the claim against it through an international arbitration tribunal was unlawful.

In addition, it was revealed this month that (former) Al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah member Yazid Sufaat, has been removed from (electronic) surveillance since November 2021. Sufaat has a degree in biology and chemistry and was alleged to have helped AQ set up a labaratory in 2001 to cultivate anthrax in Afghanistan. He is also alleged to have been involved in terrorist bombings in Indonesia in 2000 and to have provided material support to a terrorist who was involved in the preparations of the 11 September 2001 attacks in the United States. Yazid Sufaat remains listed on the UN Security Council Sanctions list.
A map showing the historical territory of the Sultanate of Sulu. Map by SCMP.
A photo of Yazid Sufaat after he was released from detention in November 2019.
Photo: The Star
Additional news stories
Myanmar
Three members of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions who were arrested for violating Myanmar's counterterrorism law for allegedly funding terrorist organizations. The three suspects claim they were sending care packages to detained students and helping them to contact their families. Photo from: Myanmar Now
Karenni Generation Z Army (KGZ-A), a non-state armed group in Myanmar, during training. It is one of the non-state armed groups in Myanmar who use drones to drop small improvised explosive devices. Photo: The Diplomat
Singapore
Knife used by a man to attack Singapore police officers after which he was shot by a police officer acting in self-defence on Mar 23, 2022. No terrorism motive was reported. (Photo: CNA/Try Sutrisno Foo)
The arrest of Ahirrudin Al-Had Haji Arrifin who was convicted on 18 March 2022 to 13 years and four months in prison for attacking a National Parks Board (NParks) officer in the chest and almost cutting of his left thumb leaving the officer with permanent injuries. No terrorism motive was reported. Photo: Straits Times/SIngapore Police Force
Brunei
Viet Nam
UNODC-ROSEAP - Counter-Terrorism Activities
Inter-agency Dialogue on “The Framework for the Use of Force by Law Enforcement Officials in Thailand in Compliance with the International Standards”, Phuket, Thailand, 7–8 March 2022
The dialogue was part of an ongoing project funded by the Government of Canada and its primary aim was to facilitate inputs to the drafting of a new piece of regulation for the RTP on the use of force when dealing with (mass) shooting incidents, including terrorist incidents. The event was attended by a number of high-ranking members of the RTP, including the Commissioner General and the Deputy Commissioner General; as well as the Deputy Secretary-General of the Court of Justice; Director of Legal Division, National Security Council Thailand (NSC); Deputy Secretary of the Office of the Judiciary; and representatives from the Office of the Attorney-General; National Human Rights Commission (NHRC); the Judge Advocate General's Department; and the Secretariat of the Cabinet, among others.

The first day of the inter-agency dialogue began with a series of informative presentations on the realities of police law enforcement scenarios. The police response to the 2000 Ratchaburi Hospital hostage crisis and the 2020 mass shooting incident in Nakhon Rachasima (Korat) were among the scenarios discussed. One of the main highlights of the second day of the dialogue was the presentation of the Draft Ministerial Regulation on Use of Force, as well as a panel discussing the need to reconcile the proposed regulation with effective crime prevention, respect for human rights and official protection.
Technical consultations on “Enhancing Proactive and Collaborative Rule of Law-based Criminal Justice Responses to Violent Extremism in the Philippines”, Cebu, Philippines, 21-22 March 2022
This meeting was organized to present a new project funded by the government of Australia to relevant justice agencies in the Philippines. The project aims to support the improved quality of proactive investigations, case build-up, and fair trial conduct of violent extremism cases, as well as the associated capacities of criminal justice entities in line with human rights and international standards.
In order to ensure smooth and complementary implementation among key agencies, the meeting focused on identifying agency focal points and drafting a project workplan. The meeting also provided opportunities for participating agencies to provide relevant updates on their efforts and initiatives pertaining to the intelligence, investigation, case build-up and adjudication of violent extremism cases.
Technical consultations on “Developing Best Practices for Evidence Collection in the Philippines”, Cebu, Philippines, 24-25 March 2022
The aim of the meeting was to present a new project funded by the United States' government to relevant justice agencies in the Philippines, who will be involved in the implementation of project components with UNODC. Philippine criminal justice entities have faced challenges with securing the admissibility of both battlefield evidence and evidence collected during joint military-police counter-terrorism operations. This may include challenges with securing witness and forensic expert testimony, establishing a chain of custody, recording the crime scene, and preserving evidence collected on the battlefield or in a post-blast scenario so that it can be presented and deemed admissible during the court proceedings.
As such, the UNODC will work to build the capacity of relevant Philippine government agencies, especially the first-responders, on best practices for the collection of evidence, information, and materials in relation to terrorism-related incidents to maximize the potential use and admissibility in civilian criminal justice proceedings. This includes the training of police and military actors for more effective handling of the crime scene, objects seized, information received, and witnesses or suspects identified during joint counter-terrorism operations and/or in a battlefield setting. Further, this project aims to support the development and implementation of coordination mechanisms among police, military, and prosecutors.
Countering the Financing of Terrorism Training Programme for the Philippines: Refresher Course and Foundational Course, Cebu, Philippines, 28-31 March 2022

The four-day training was part of the “Training-of-Trainers Programme” for an ongoing CFT project funded by the Government of Canada. The ToT programme in the Philippines is one of UNODC’s flagship initiatives and has been successfully implemented in partnership with the Anti-Money Laundering Council of the Philippines since 2017. The first day of the event constituted a refresher course for the national experts and trainers, while the remaining three days were devoted to the roll-out of a foundational CFT training for a batch of new trainees from various Philippines agencies, including the AMLC, Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation, Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Administration and various others.  The next training will be hosted later this year and will focus on advanced financial investigation techniques.
Notable Publications

Featured report: Institute for Economics & Peace, Global Terrorism Index 2022, March 2022

The GTI by the Institute for Economics & Peace provides a comprehensive summary of the key global trends and patterns in terrorism over the last 14 years. The report ranks 163 countries (99.7 per cent of the world’s population) according to the impact of terrorism. The indicators include the number of terrorist incidents, fatalities, injuries and hostages.

The GTI report is produced using data from Terrorism Tracker and other sources. Terrorism Tracker provides event records on terrorist attacks since 1 January 2007. The dataset contains over 60,500 terrorist incidents for the period 2007 to 2021

Featured report: UN, Preventing Terrorists from Acquiring Weapons: Technical guidelines to facilitate the implementation of Security Council resolution 2370 (2017) and related international standards and good practices on preventing terrorists from acquiring weapons, March 2022

This technical guidance document is the result of a joint project working towards Guidelines for Member States to facilitate the implementation of Security Council resolution 2370 (2017) and the relevant international standards and good practices on preventing terrorists from acquiring weapons, implemented by the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact Working Group on Border Management and Law Enforcement relating to Counter-Terrorism.

 

Featured report: ISEAS, Religious Extremism in Major Campuses in Indonesia, March 2022

This ISEAS report seeks to provide an in-depth analysis on a substantial number of studies on Islam and religious extremism in Indonesia along with the dissemination and internationalization of religious extremist narratives, which contribute to the rise of religious extremism among university students in Indonesia. The report also provides recommendations on a more integrative approach towards counter-terrorism policies by the government and campus authorities. 

 

Featured report: FATF, Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Risks Arising from Migrant Smuggling, 2022

This FATF report analyses the money laundering and terrorist financing risks associated with migrant smuggling. While there has been an increase in migrant smuggling, many countries do not consider it a high-risk crime for money laundering and the associated financial flows are rarely investigated. 

The report also highlights the need for countries to understand the money laundering risks they face from migrant smuggling and to proactively follow the money linked to this criminal activity, including through increased collaboration with national and international authorities and the private sector.

 

Featured report: International Crisis Group, Addressing Islamist Militancy in the Southern Philippines, 16 March 2022
 
According to the ICG, the transition to self-rule in the Bangsamoro, the majority-Muslim region in the southern Philippines, is proceeding apace. Militants outside the associated peace process are losing strength but could recover. Regional and national authorities should do all in their power to keep that from happening

 
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