JAKARTA, Dec 22 — Thousands of former members and sympathisers of militant group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) gathered in Solo, Central Java yesterday to renounce radical views and pledge allegiance to Indonesia.
JI, a regional terror network said to have been connected to the Al Qaeda, was responsible for deadly attacks in Indonesia, including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed over 200 people.
The event saw 1,200 ex-JI members from Central Java attending, with an additional 6,000 participating via video conference, Indonesian news agencies reported.
“We, the former members of Jemaah Islamiyah and also former jihadis in Afghanistan and Moro [the Philippines], declare our support for the disbandment of Jemaah Islamiyah as declared in Bogor on June 30, 2024,”
“We pledge allegiance to NKRI [the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia]… distance ourselves from radical views and extreme groups, and obey the laws and regulations of Indonesia,” one unnamed representative was quoted by the Jakarta Globe as reciting on behalf of the group.
The ceremony was attended by top officials, including Indonesia’s national police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo and National Counter-Terrorism Agency head Eddy Hartono.
Listyo said the declaration showed the result of “consistent soft approaches and dialogue” in countering radicalism.
Eddy said the Indonesian government is committed to helping former militants reintegrate through entrepreneurship programs and support their positive contributions to society.
