Analysts dismiss terrorism threat to South-East Asia amidst Batam alert and Gaza peace deal

Terrorism analysts have dismissed any immediate threat to Indonesia and its neighbors following the announcement of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan earlier in October. At the time, Batam authorities tightened supervision at ports and immigration checkpoints amid concerns that returning fighters could exploit the Indonesian island’s proximity to enter Malaysia and Singapore. This comes as the peace plan may cause some terror groups to lose their bases of operation in Syria, Iraq, and other conflict zones in the Middle East, causing their members to return home, including to Indonesia. ‘Ideologically, these fighters still want to fight to establish an Islamic state (in the Levant region). Returning to Indonesia amounts to leaving Islam, which automatically makes them an infidel because of embracing democracy,’ said Khoirul Anam, a terrorism analyst at Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia.