Fadli Zon Supports Govt Plan to Repatriate Ex-ISIS Indonesians
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5 February 2020 18:25 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Member of the House of Representatives' (DPR) Commission I, Fadli Zon, has announced his support on the government's plan to repatriate ex-ISIS Indonesian citizens. Fadli said that the government has a constitutional obligation to protect its citizens whilst not ignoring the former-ISIS Indonesians.
“There must be efforts to return them to the right path as citizens and (these efforts) must be facilitated. (These efforts) must not be ignored because we have a constitutional obligation to protect every Indonesian citizen," Fadli said at the Parliamentary Complex, Jakarta, on Wednesday, February 5.
According to Fadli, the government needs to record the data of all Indonesian citizens who were former members of ISIS, in order to find out what their position and motivation were. He considered the possibility that Indonesian citizens could instead be the victims of propaganda or human trafficking.
“But if they are lost because of certain ISIS doctrines, then they must be returned because they are victims of propaganda,” said the Chief of the Committee for Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation (BKSAP).
Furthermore, Fadli Zon stated that the government must facilitate the Indonesian citizens who would voluntarily want to return to Indonesia, but with an in-depth examination.
The plan to repatriate ex-ISIS Indonesians was previously revealed by the Minister of Religion, Fachrul Razi. He had claimed that National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) would repatriate 600 Indonesian nationals who are members of ISIS from the Middle East, prior to correcting his remarks and saying that the government was still examining this possibility.
"The plan for their return has not yet been decided by the government and is still being reviewed carefully by various related agencies under the coordination of the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs (Menkopulhukam)," Fachrul said in a press release received by Tempo on Tuesday, February 4, 2020.
BUDIARTI UTAMI PUTRI | HALIDA FISANDRA | DIO SUHENDA (Intern Translator)
