Category: Editorials

TEMPO Marks 50 With the End of an Era

Posted by Asia Views | Mar 9, 2021 | Insight, Viewpoints | 0 |

Power, Politics & Corruption

Posted by Asia Views | Feb 6, 2021 | Insight, Viewpoints | 0 |

DO OR DIE DEMOCRACY

Posted by AsiaViews | May 14, 2019 | Insight, Viewpoints | 0 |

CAMBODIA:CEASEFIRE REMAINS FRAGILE WITH UNFULFILLED PEACE

by Asia Views | Nov 2, 2026 | ASEAN, Cambodia, Editorials, Politics, Viewpoints | 0 |

Khmer Times-Oct 27, 2026 A year after Cambodia and Thailand signed a peace declaration in Kuala...

INDONESIA: REVAMPING JAKARTA, AUTHENTICALLY

by Asia Views | Nov 2, 2026 | ASEAN, Editorials, Indonesia, Social Issues, Viewpoints | 0 |

The Jakarta Post-Oct 28, 2026 Jakarta’s plan to revamp four iconic districts could inject fresh...

INDONESIA:REGIONAL AUTONOMY ON ITS LAST BREATH

by Asia Views | Nov 2, 2026 | ASEAN, Editorials, Indonesia, Politics, Viewpoints | 0 |

Tempo-Oct 27, 2026 During his two years in power, President Prabowo Subianto has continued to...

INDONESIA:MICROALGAE SOLUTIONS FOR CARBON EMISSIONS

by Asia Views | Nov 2, 2026 | ASEAN, Editorials, Environment, Indonesia, Viewpoints | 0 |

Tempo-Oct 30, 2026 The National Research and Innovation Agency’s (BRIN) breakthrough in using...

MALAYSIA: SHOULDERING THE REFUGEE BURDEN

by Asia Views | Nov 2, 2026 | ASEAN, Editorials, Malaysia, Politics, Viewpoints | 0 |

New Straits Times-Oct 27, 2026 There are a handful of reasons why refugees and asylum seekers from...

PHILIPPINES:NOT A CRIME

by Asia Views | Nov 2, 2026 | ASEAN, Editorials, Philippines, Politics, Viewpoints | 0 |

Philippine Daily Inquirer-Oct 30, 2026 It’s hard to miss the irony. While allies and supporters of...

PHILIPPINES: AT DEPED, THE GOOD COMES WITH THE BA

by Asia Views | Nov 2, 2026 | ASEAN, Editorials, Philippines, Social Issues, Viewpoints | 0 |

The Manila Times-Oct 27, 2026 With almost a million academic and non-teaching staff to deal with,...

THAILAND:CUT LIFELINE OF ILLEGAL MINING

by Asia Views | Nov 2, 2026 | ASEAN, Editorials, Environment, Thailand, Viewpoints | 0 |

The Bangkok Post-Oct 25, 2026 For more than a year, rivers in northern Thailand have become...

THAILAND:SEEDS NEED FAIR LAW

by Asia Views | Nov 2, 2026 | ASEAN, Editorials, Social Issues, Thailand, Viewpoints | 0 |

The Bangkok Post-Oct 28, 2026 The fracas over legal protection granted to four newly developed...

THAILAND:PREVENTABLE DISASTER

by Asia Views | Nov 2, 2026 | ASEAN, Editorials, Environment, Thailand, Viewpoints | 0 |

The Bangkok Post-Oct 29, 2026 The mudslide of earth and rocks that hit tourist communities in...

Neigborhood Watch

Subscribe To Newsletter

POINTS TO PONDER

EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”

Category: Editorials

Neigborhood Watch

TRENDING

Subscribe To Newsletter

POINTS TO PONDER