In view of rising threat from Islamic terror groups, an Eminent Persons Group (EPG) of India and Indonesia has suggested enhancing bilateral cooperation in combating terrorism, terrorist financing, money laundering, arms smuggling, trafficking in human beings and cybercrime. It also recommended that the two countries should learn from each other’s experience on deradicalisation.
The EPG added that there was a need for greater interaction between the security forces of India and Indonesia for a better understanding of the Daesh (ISIS) and threats posed by it. “A preventive architecture to counter the physical threats and sharing of intelligence needs to be established. Both countries have segments of populations which could be susceptible to radical propaganda. There is a need for countering the propaganda with pragmatic narratives. Exchange of best practices of these moderate narratives is required,” the EPG said in its report submitted to both Governments recently.
While the Indian Government is yet to formalise a deradicalisation policy, Maharashtra last year rolled out a programme for its minority community to counter both home-grown extremism and the Islamic State (IS) threat. Moreover, national security agencies have over the last couple of years dissuaded several Indians from joining ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Indonesia, on the other hand, has a national deradicalisation programme to rehabilitate terror sympathisers and bring them back to the main stream. This includes involving the families of the terrorists and sympathisers to wean them away from violence.
The EPG also talked about the need for continuation of annual Army-to-Army staff talks; examining the feasibility of upgrading the current joint military exercises from the platoon to the company level and introduction of command post exercises alongside the combined exercises. They recommended the launch of a dialogue on cyber security issues.
The India-Indonesia Eminent Persons’ Group (II-EPG) was established to review India-Indonesia relations and explore ways to widen the existing cooperation towards a sustainable long-term strategic partnership. The group met thrice in 2016 to review the relations between the two countries and suggested ways for future cooperation.
It suggested that the two Governments may consider elevating the existing strategic partnership to a ‘New Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.’
There was some kind of synergy in thoughts on the China’s dominance in the South China Sea. While the Indian members of the EPG observed that China’s Maritime Silk Route and One Belt, One Road initiative were designed as strategic projects to expand China’s influence along its periphery and to give it key naval bases and outposts across the Indian Ocean littoral, the members noted that Indonesia too had been affected by China’s maritime incursions into Indonesian waters off the Natuna Islands. It was suggested that the two nations should work together to promote respect for the law of the sea in the South China Sea and the Indian ocean, including freedom of navigation.
The group further recommended that there was a need to develop infrastructure, security capabilities in the maritime sector. It was suggested to pursue Defence cooperation in the areas of expanding combined patrols.