Separatisme dan Terorisme di Asia Tenggara: Kajian Kes GAM, MILF dan PULO (Separatism and Terrorism In Southeast Asia: The Case of GAM, MILF and PULO)

Abstract

This article discusses separatism and terrorism in Southeast Asia by referring to the cases of Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in Indonesia, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Southern Philippine and Patani United Liberation Front (PULO) in Southern Thai. The focus of this research is to examine the extent to which GAM, MILF and PULO related to terrorisme via several violent incidents that took place in Southeast Asia. This research adopted qualitative method through document analysis such as reports, newspapers dan websites. Between 1990s until 2000s, the three separatist groups had been actively struggling for independence and self-determination. Throughout these periods, a number of terrorist-styled attacks such as kidnapping, suicide bombing and mass shooting had occurred which involved civilians and authorities. This situation had affected the stability and security of Southeast Asia region since the inclination of GAM, MILF and PULO separatists in implementing the ways of transnational terrorist organisations operate e.g Al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyyah to gain attention and for the sake of achieving their self-determination goal. Although the leadership of GAM, MILF and PULO denied their involvement with terrorist activism, this article found that there were similarities in terms of movements’ behaviours, sources for military training, funding and equipments that indirectly supports the argument of the interconnectedness between terrorism and separatist movements in Southeast Asia.