In Rohan Gunaratna's May 2002 book Inside Al-Qaeda, pages 174-204 zero in on the threat posed by al-Qaeda's Southeast Asian arm Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and its smaller allies. While the Indonesian political class dithered about and debated amongst itself as to whether or not JI even existed or was a figment of American paranoia, Dr. Gunaratna was warning any government that would listen of the threat posed by JI, even to the point of enumerating most of the principle villains who would later be involved in the Bali bombings 5 months later. Yet the Indonesian political class, so smug in their own security, saw the only major threats as coming from Christian and Acehese separatists rather than from Islamists - they got the Bali bombings in return.

Now in all likelihood, Dr. Gunaratna was in the Moluccas to do research on the various JI offshoots who have been active fighting Christians in the islands. There have been allegations for some time that the Indonesian government has been aiding or at least turning a blind eye to these groups in order to prevent the Christian islands from seceding, a la East Timor, and my guess is that they were afraid that Dr. Gunaratna had seen or would see something that might reflect badly on them. He certainly hasn't shrunk from making these claims in the past, such as his statement in his book that a senior member of President Megawati's government (likely then-Vice President Hamza Haz) was in cahoots with JI.

If you want to let the Indonesian government know what you think of this atrocious behavior, feel free to send your comments here and here.