Three hours of mayhem, panic, and bloodshed as terror comes to Jakarta

Three hours of mayhem, panic and bloodshed as terror comes to Jakarta

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The assault was claimed by Islamic Statelll, an al-Qaida faction that splintered in Iraq and has since spread worldwide. It was the first

time the extremist organisation has successfully targeted the world's most populous Muslim nation.

Police chief Colonel Dwiyono, from the Depok area south of the capital, told Indonesia's MetroTV the men were arrested at dawn at

their homes While they were sleeping. The channel broadcast footage Of the handcuffed men being escorted out by police to be questioned.

lakarta's police chief, Tito Karnavian, said on Friday Indonesia needed to strengthen its response and implement preventive measures to battle the new threat.

"We need to pay very serious attention to the rise Of Isis," he told reporters outside the city's Oldest department Store, Sarinah, the site of the attacks. "We hope our counterparts in other countries can work together because it is not home-grown terrorism, it is part of the Isis network," he said.

However, Karnavian pointed to an Indonesian militant, Bahrun Naim, Who he said was the ringleader and mastermind Of the strike.

"We were informed by intelligence that an individual named Bahrun Naim instructed his cells in Indonesia to mount an attack,"

Karnavian said. "His vision is to unite all Isis supporting elements in south-east Asia, including IndonesialSl Malaysia and the

Philippines. "


Jakarta bombings: I felt the blasts shake the building, Says witness Naim, believed to be in his early 30s and associated With domestic Islamist militant groups in Indonesia, is thought to be in the Syrian

city of Raqqa with Isis.

Naim, from Pekalongan in Central Java, was convicted in June 2011 of illegal possession of ammunition although the court found

insufficient evidence to pursue terrorism charges.

Police say he is a key figure in planning attacks in Indonesia, several of which authorities said were foiled in 2015.

Indonesia-based security analysts noted ThursdaB strikes — several waves Of suicide bomb and handgun attacks — appeared

incompetently carried out, given the low death toll. By midday on Thursday, police said five assailants were dead. The gunmen had

killed a police officer and a dual Canadian-Algerian citizen, police said.

Isis said four, not five, attackers had planted several bombs With timers, had worn suicide belts and carried light weaponry.

"A group of soldiers of the caliphate in Indonesia targeted a gathering from the crusader alliance," it said in a statement.

Three hours of mayhem, panic and bloodshed as terror comes to Jakarta

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The attack rattled the region, which has a deep history of militancy. Governments have waged large y successful campaigns against

domestic groups in recent years but are struggling to cope with the increasingly global campaign of Isis.

In the wake Of the attacks, the military in the Philippines went on "heightened alert" and security was increased at train and bus

stations as wel as airports and malls. Four small Islamist militant groups in the country's south have recently pledged allegiance to Isis.

In Malaysia, police also beefed up security in public places. The inspector-general Of police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, said in a

statement Malaysia was now on "alert to the highest degree", according the the Malaysia InsiderlSl

Late on Thursday, Indonesians visited the site of the attacks, a Starbucks and a traffic police outpost, leaving flowers and prayers.

A Dutch man working for the UN remains critically injured. The chief of the UN Environment programme (UNEP), the agency the man

works for, said his colleague was "fighting for his life".

The unnamed man was described by the organisation as a renowned expert in forestry and was working with the Indonesian

government to tackle peat land fires, an annual man-made environmental catastrophe that blankets much of south-east Asia in smoke.

The UNEP's chief, Achim Steiner, said the organisation "condemns in the strongest possible terms these senseless acts of terror".

Response: This article is a plea against ISIS, almost a warning. Tito Karnavian said, "We need to pay serious attention to the rise of ISIS," and he also talks about strengthening their response and "implementing preventive measure to battle the new threat." ISIS can no longer be ignored.  This article is, obviously, biased against ISIS. It's written to inform the horrors that ISIS is continually imposing on countries and pleading that we no longer take them lightly. Indonesia is responding appropriately, I think, in that they are heightening security and also trying to fight ISIS campaigning. ISIS campaigning seems to be recruiting quite a few westerns so fighting that would at least stem the flow of new recruits from Europe.

Citation:  

Holmes, Oliver. “Indonesian police arrest three suspects over links to Jakarta attacks.” 15 Jan. 2016. Guardian News and Media Limited. 15 Jan. 2016 <http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/15/indonesia-police-arrest-three-men-linked-to-jakarta-attack> 

Saudi Foreign minister urges Iran to stop it's current policy towards Arabs

Saudi foreign minister urges Iran to stop its current policy towards Arabs

CAIRO, January 10. /TASS/. Iran must drop its "aggressive policy" and stop interfering

into domestic affairs in Arab countries, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on

Sunday after an extraordinary meeting of the Arab League foreign ministers dedicated to

the current crisis in relations between Riyadh and Teheran.

He put the blame for instigating sectarianism in the region on Iran. He said today's

meeting was a strong message to Teheran that Arab countries condemned its

interference into their domestic affairs.

Iran must stop supporting terrorism, change its religious policy and stop interfering into

Arab affairs, the Saudi foreign minister said. He called on Arab countries to consolidate

in order to stand up to Iran's aggression and solve arising problems peacefully. Teheran

must help anti-terror efforts rather than support terrorism, he stressed.

If Iran keeps on supporting terrorism and sectarianism, it will have to face resistance Of

all Arab states, al-Jubeir said. The latest attack on the Saudi embassy is yet another

incident in the 30-year history of Iran's aggression. Riyadh's subsequent severing of

diplomatic and trade relations with Iran was the first step to be followed by other

measures, if Teheran continues its policy, he said, adding that today's meeting had

looked at possible additional steps in this direction.

Apart from that, in his words, Saudi Arabia plans to discuss such measures with both its

regional and international allies. He did not say however what kind of measures might be

taken.

The Saudi foreign minister said a number of countries had offered mediation in settling

the current crisis with Iran.

Today's extraordinary meeting of the Arab League foreign ministers was convened at

Riyadh's official request. The foreign ministers said in a statement after the meeting that

the Arab League condemns attacks on Saudi diplomatic mission in Iran.

All the Arab League members had supported the final communique but for Lebanon,

which had opted to abstain. Arab League Secretary General Nabil Elarabi explained

Beirut's position by the fact that the final communique has the mention Of the Lebanese

Shia movement Hezbollah.

Another spiral of the crisis in Riyadh-Tehran relations followed when Saudi Arabia on

January 2 executed prominent Shiite theologian cleric Nimr al-Nimr, arrested back in

2012 for criticizing the ruling regime and making calls for the observance Of religious

minorities' rights and carrying out a constitutional reform.

In the evening of the same day crowds of furious Iranian demonstrators stormed the

building of Saudi Arabia's embassy in Tehran and the consulate office in Mashhad.

Riyadh severed relations with Teheran. Bahrain, Sudan and Djibouti supported Saudi

Arabia. The United Arab Emirates downgraded the level of diplomatic representation and

Kuwait and Qatar recalled their ambassadors. Apart from that, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain

halted air service with Iran.

Response: This article is very obviously biased towards Saudi Arabia. The author fails to mention any action that Saudi Arabia could have taken to further increase the problems with Iran, as well as any justifiable actions Iran has taken (if there are any). I respect that Saudi Arabia is trying to find a peaceful solution in the face of the terrorism and violence that Iran is bringing forth. However, while I really do respect the peaceful direction that Saudi Arabia is trying to take, I don't think it's completely realistic. After the Arab League members met and supported Saudi Arabia Iranian demonstrators responded with violence immediately. Saudi Arabia's desire for peace is very commendable but it might take force against force for Iran to back down.  

Citation: "Saudi foreign minister urges Iran to stop its current policy towards Arabs." 10 Jan. 2016. TASS. 12 Jan. 2016. <http://tass.ru/en/world/848637

Sweden and Denmark crack down on refugees at borders

Sweden and Denmark crack down on refugees at borders


Sweden and Denmark have moved to drastically reduce inward refugee flows, as

Scandinavian countries compete with each other to shed their reputations as havens for

asylum seekers.

For the first time since the 1950s, from midnight on Sunday travelers by train, bus or

boat have needed to present a valid photo ID, such as a passport, to enter Sweden from

its southern neighbor Denmark, with penalties for travel operators who fail to impose

checks. Passengers who fail to present a satisfactory document will be turned back.


"The government now considers that the current situation, with a large number of

people entering the country in a relatively short time, poses a serious threat to public

order and national security," the government said in a statement accompanying

legislation enabling the border controls.

Hours after the Swedish checks were introduced, Denmark announced it had stepped up

border controls on its southern boundary with Germany.

Sweden's move marked a turning point for the ruling coalition of Social Democrats and

Greens, which earlier presented itself as a beacon to people fleeing conflict and terror in

Asia and the Middle East.

"My Europe takes in people fleeing from war, my Europe131 does not build walls," the

Swedish prime minister, Stefan Löfven, told crowds in Stockholm on 6 September. But

three months and about 80,000 asylum seekers later, the migration minister told

parliament: "The system cannot cope."

Almost 163,000 people applied for asylum in Sweden in 2015, the highest in Europe as a

proportion Of the population. In the autumn, applications were running at 10,000 weekly.

But Stockholm has made clear it wants to slash the flow to about 1,000 a week in 2016.

Temporao,' border controls were first revealed in November, but the current legislation is

valid for three years. Announcing the U-turn in refugee policy, the deputy prime minister

burst into tears

Prof Pieter Bevelander, head Of the Malmö Institute Of Migration, Diversity and

Welfare, said: "Border controls are already in place, but the main control is when the

rurnour goes about among refugees that Sweden is not taking any more."

About 40% of asylum seekers produce a passport or other identification upon arrival in

Sweden, according to the migration board. But the figure varies according to nationality.

Among some groups, such as juvenile Afghans, very few have papers, Bevelander said.

Critics of Sweden's refugee crackdown fear it will cause a "domino effect" as countries

compete to outdo each other in their hostility to asylum seekers.

"Traditionally, Sweden has been connected to humanitarian values, and we are very

worried that the signals Sweden is sending out are that we are not that kind of country

any more," said Anna Carlstedt, president of the Red Cross in Sweden, whose staff and

volunteers have often been the first line of support for new arrivals in the country.


A refugee's journey, part 2: After risking everything to reach Europe, what next?


Denmark's liberal prime minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, said in his new year address

that the country was prepared to impose similar controls on its border with Germany, if

the Swedish passport checks left large numbers of asylum seekers stranded in Denmark.

On Monday he defended the decision to start conducting checks at the German border.

"When Other Nordic countries seal their borders it can have major consequences for

Denmark," Rasmussen said. "It can lead to more asylum seekers."

"We are simply reacting to a decision made in Sweden. We are introducing temporary

border controls but in a balanced way. This is not a happy moment at all."

The Danish controls will initially be in place for 10 days, after which they may be

extended.

A few days earlier, Rasmussen called for a debate on changes to the Geneva conventions

if Europe was unable to swiftly curb the influx of asylum seekers.

About 18,500 migrants applied for asylum in Denmark in 2015. Last month, the

government said police should be able to confiscate valuables from refugees to help

cover their costs — just one of 34 proposals aimed at tightening refugee policy.

Germany warned on Monday that the passport-free Schengen zone was in danger.

"Freedom of movement is an important principle — one of the biggest achievements lin

the European Union) in recent years," said foreign ministry spokesman Martin Schäfer.

"Schengen is very important but it is in danger."


Schäfer said it was "crucial that we in Europe find common solutions" to the worst

refugee crisis since the second world war, and said the EU must now focus on ensuring

the security Of its external borders.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said that the Schengen accord

was dependent on better protection Of the EU's frontiers.


Last week, Norway's rightwing government proposed a package Of new measures that it

claimed would make Oslo's asylum policies "among Europe's toughest". More than

35 000 asylum seekers arrived in Norway last year, compared with 11,500 in 2014.

There was considerable uncertainty about how Sweden's border controls would be

applied. "It will be interesting to see how carriers will interpret a document in Pashtu or

Dari, and according to the official Afghan calendar in which we are now in year 1394,"

Viktor Banke, an asylum lawyer in Stockholm, told daily newspaper Svenska Dagbladet.

Christina Höj Larsen, MP for the Left party, which has traditionally supported the

government but turned against it on this issue, said she was proud of what Sweden had

achieved so far, but that it still could do much more. The EU's failure to share the

responsibility for refugees should encourage Sweden to withhold its annual membership

fee of 40. Ibn kronor (E3.2bn), she said, adding: "There is strong legislation if member

countries don't follow the EU economic framework, but when countries breach the

agreements on human rights there are no sanctions."


Response: The Swedish government has always been known for its strong humanitarian views (as stated in the article) and the author of this article seems to be insinuating that because Sweden is rescinding their open door policy they are also violating their morals as a country.  However, this author doesn't talk about the threat that all European countries have to take into account after the tragedy of the Paris attacks. The Swedish government, while humanitarian in its views, is obligated to protect its own people first and foremost. However, it is clear that some of Sweden's own government officials disagree with this policy. For example, Stefan Lofven clearly states that Europe should be a safe house for all peoples and should never close its doors. I understand both sides of this issues. Is Sweden obligated to act on the possibility of more attacks? Or is Sweden obligated to open its arms and embrace a war torn and displaced people? As a Christian I have to agree with Stefan Lofven. Where would be as humans if we stopped protecting each other, helping each other, strengthening each other, and making a difference in each other's lives. The world starts to fall apart when we turn away the defenseless as mode of defense. 

 

Citation:

Crouch, David. “Sweden and Denmark crack down on refugees at borders.” 4 Jan. 2016. Guardian News and Media Limited. 4 Jan. 2015. < http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/03/sweden-to-impose-id-checks-on-travellers-from-denmark>