A former Jemaah Islamiyah ( JI ) leader, who is now a sect, claimed that its recent demise could serve as a model for deradicalization efforts in Southeast Asia.
Speaking to foreign media for the first time last year since JI disbanded three months ago, former president Para Wijayanto, who is already in jail, said:” Hopefully, the administration’s efforts to overcome the JI problem can be a type both in Indonesia and abroad.
” This is because of JI’s unusual experimental experience. JI is certainly a small company, but it could be disbanded.”
But, he made the observation that there must be adjustments for each area and nation.
The 60-year-old was the longest-serving commander of the group behind some of Southeast Asia’s deadliest evil problems, including the 2002 Bali bombing that killed over 200 people.
He presided over the 1993 organization that he claimed was affiliated with Al-Qaeda for 11 times, before being detained in 2019.
With Wijayanto at the head after some terror attacks by persons acting on behalf of the group, JI was designated a prohibited organization by the Jakarta District Court in 2008.
One of the important JI figures responsible for the organization’s recent dissolution, which was made public on June 30 was Wijayanto.
The federal authorities counter-terrorism club released Wijayanto and Muhammad Khoirul Anam, another JI president who played a key role in the group’s demise, for interviews on September 23 in a motel in Central Jakarta.