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Roundup: Indonesia to take firm stance against nationals arrested in Turkey planning to join IS

Xinhua, March 20, 2015 Adjust font size:

Indonesia would possibly negate the citizenship of its nationals recently arrested by Turkish authority should they were adamant with their refusal to be repatriated to Indonesia.

Indonesia has sent teams from the foreign affairs ministry and the intelligence agency of BIN to coordinate with Turkish authority regarding further handling in the 16 Indonesian nationals now detained in Turkish detention center.

"If they were defiant, refuse to be returned to Indonesia, government would possibly negate the citizenship of all of those 16 nationals," President Joko Widodo said during his visit to Jogjakarta on Friday.

The 16 Indonesia nationals were arrested in Gaziantep, a Turkish city located near the border to Syria following report from Indonesian authority about the missing of its nationals while they were conducting tour in Turkey since Feb. 24.

They were arrested in the route commonly used by IS supporters to enter Syria.

They refused to be returned to Indonesia by Turkish authority, saying that they have nothing left in Indonesia.

All of those 16 Indonesian nationals allegedly have plans to join IS radical group in Syria since part of them have family links to Indonesian militants already killed in Syria during their services with ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria).

Reports said that more than 500 Indonesian militants have joined ISIS, departed to Syria through the third countries. BIN recorded that four Indonesian ISIS militants were killed in Syrian wars so far.

Indonesia's Legal and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly said that government planned to issue a legal basis in relation to determine the citizenship status of those 16 nationals arrested in Turkey but refused to be returned back to Indonesia.

"Discussions (to issue the legal basis) were still underway. It could be a Perppu (President's Regulation in lieu of Law)," Yasonna said here on Friday.

He said government assumes that all of those 16 nationals have the intention to join IS movement in Syria.

In his response to the issue, Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla said on Thursday that government would automatically negate citizenship of Indonesian nationals who are waging for other country.

During the administration of then-president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Indonesia has banned the IS ideology from developing in the country as it was against values adhered by Indonesian people. The apparatus have arrested IS supporters and operatives trying to recruit people in Indonesia. Endi