November 3, 2009:
So far, police have killed or arrested 21 people involved in the July 17 terrorist attacks in the capital. This, the police believes, effectively wipes out one of the better led terrorist groups still operating in Indonesia. But because the top people refused to be taken alive (often committing suicide when the police closed in), it's been difficult to find out how many other Islamic terror cells are still in the country. Captured documents indicated that there were still hundreds of actual or potential recruits, and some of these people are now being watched. There are still thousands of Indonesians willing to use violence in support of their religious beliefs.
The KPK (Corruption Eradication Commission) has run afoul of the police. While the KPK has not gone after the police (one of the more corrupt branches of government) yet, the police decided to strike first. Two senior members of the KPK have been arrested and accused of corruption. But there does not appear to be much to the charges, and the arrests are seen as an attempt by the police to intimidate the KPK.
In Aceh, an attempt by Islamic conservatives to impose a ban against women wearing pants, has backfired. There was considerable backlash, not just from a lot of women, but from many Islamic clerics as well. The Islamic radicals, defeated in their attempt to use violence to establish an Islamic dictatorship, are now trying to do it the slow way. But that still requires the use of intimidation and violence, and it isn't working.
East Timor continues to fester, largely because there is no economy, and the population is kept alive by foreign aid.
The military announced that it has developed three UAVs, for use in patrolling coastal areas, as well as inland. The first of these three UAVs (all weighing under 100 pounds), called Puna, will enter service next year. Puna has a range of about 120 kilometers and is controlled by using GPS coordinates to assign it a patrol route. The flight control software then automatically flies the route, and the cameras on board enable the operator to see whatever is below.
October 16, 2009: In West Java, Islamic radicals threatened violence against local authorities, and forced them to cancel permission for local Christians to build a church.
October 9, 2009: For the first time in two months , a gunman fired on a bus transporting workers to a huge mining complex in Papua. This time there were no injuries, and the gunman got away. Since July, there have been several attacks, leaving three dead and fifteen wounded. Police have been unable to determine who is responsible (separatists, angry locals, unhappy employees).
October 8, 2009: Police killed two brothers who were sought as participants in the July 17 hotel bombings. The two brothers resisted arrest, using guns and explosives. The two were accused of recruiting the two suicide bombers used in the July 17 attacks. Both brothers had a long involvement in Islamic radicalism, and were believed to represent an al Qaeda branch in Indonesia.