INDO-PACIFIC Indonesia and the Investigate Jolo Cathedral Bombing

OE Watch Commentary: On 27 January a major explosion ripped through a Roman Source: “Kepolisian Filipina Masih Cek Catholic Cathedral in the city of Jolo ( Province) in Mindanao, the Philippines. Kewarganegaraan Pelaku Pengeboman Jolo,” Around 20 people were killed and over 100 others were injured. Although under tribunnews.com, 2 February 2019, http://www. usual circumstances the investigation of the attack could involve only authorities from tribunnews.com/internasional/2019/02/02/kemlu- the Philippines, the accompanying excerpted article from the Indonesian-language ri-kepolisian-filipina-masih-cek-kewarganegaraan- Tribunnews.com reveals that Indonesia has also been asked to investigate. The reason pelaku-pengeboman-jolo for this is that, according to the police in the Philippines, the bombers may have been The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated two Indonesians. that the Philippine police were still searching Although the article recognizes that there is still a lack of confirmation on the identity for the truth of the identity and citizenship of the bombers in Jolo, the Philippines. The Indonesian of the bombers, authorities in the Philippines suspect at least one bomber, but possibly Foreign Ministry spokesman, Armanantha Nasir, both bombers, were Indonesian women whose purpose for committing the suicide said in a statement that Indonesia had not been bombing was to urge members to do the same. It was a form of shaming, able to confirm the news about the possibility insofar as men would see women being more brave than them and then seek to carry of involvement of two Indonesian citizens in a out suicide bombings themselves. There has historically been much less precedent for terrorist bombing in Jolo, Southern Philippines. suicide bombing in the Philippines than in Indonesia, and in 2018 an Indonesian family Philippine Interior Minister Eduardo Año said the even committed a suicide bombing when parents who had been in Syria detonated two perpetrators of suicide bomb attacks behind explosives at a church in Surabaya. This may be why Indonesians were selected to the attack of the on Jolo Island carry out the bombings in Jolo. At the same time, the article notes the authorities in came from Indonesia. The attack killed 22 people the Philippines still suspect Abu Sayyaf members guided the Indonesian women to and injured 100 people, including civilians and the specific target—the cathedral. This indicated Filipinos were closely involved in the soldiers. “The group responsible (in this attack) operation. was the Indonesian suicide bomber. But the Abu Sayyaf group which guided them, studied the target, According to the article, the authorities in both countries intend to continue to collect conducted secret monitoring and brought the couple evidence and confirm the suspects. Nevertheless, if Indonesian women were involved in to church,” Año said. “The aim of the Indonesian the suicide bombings in Jolo as the article mentions, it would represent the possible start couple was to set an example and influence of a new trend in Mindanao where suicide bombings, foreign fighters, and women will Philippine terrorists to carry out suicide bombings,” more commonly be part of attacks. End OE Watch Commentary (Zenn) he added. “The aim of the Indonesian couple was to set an example and influence Philippine terrorists to carry out suicide bombings.”

Aftermath of the Jolo Cathedral bombings. Source: ALBERT ALCAIN/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO [Public domain], https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aftermath_of_the_Jolo_Cathedral_bombings.jpg. OE Watch | March 2019 27