Indonesia ramping up security over Christmas

Indonesia is the home of Jemaah Islamiyah, the terrorist group that seeks an Islamic state. With the recent Bali Bomb II and other incidents around the country, the government is ramping up security.

Christmas 2000 was the time of church bombings that killed 19 people and signalled radical Islam’s hatred of all else. The Indonesian idea of pancasila incorporates the idea that there is only 1 god. Indonesia recognizes 5 religions inside the country which are: Islam, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Catholic.

Java is home base for most of the nutcases, with Solo in Central Java being a focal point. Former terror targets include Jakarta and this time around the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) has installed closed circuit tv cameras around the city center and at certain churches. The average Indonesian is respectful of other religons and other people’s right to their own family life. I’m sure looking in from the outside world it often seems otherwise, but that’s not the way it is.

Here in Bali we have churches and I know many people from Java and Sumatra who are Christian, its a mixed bag and probably nothing will happen here.