Castle Point MP, Bob Spink, today told how he warned of the "cancer" of Muslim extremists in Indonesia - back in July.
Following the terrorist bombing of a nightclub in Bali in which 190 people perished, the Conservative MP said he raised the question of an Al-Qaida presence in eastern Indonesia during a commons debate in July.
Mr Spink, who once worked as an engineer for an oil company in Indonesia, said: "Everyone is saying they didn't know Al-Qaida were working out there, well I told the Government on July 17 and I specifically asked the Indonesian Government to supply enough personnel and police to tackle the problem."
During the debate on Christian communities in Asia, Mr Spink said: "Laskar Jihad invaded the Moluccas with about 7,000 fighters to wage a jihad or so-called holy war against indigenous Christians.
In December 2001 the head of Indonesia's national intelligence agency, Lieutenant General Hendropriyono, publicly confirmed that members of the Al-Qaida terrorist network were joining Laskar Jihad in fighting Christians in Sulawesi.
Calling on the Indonesian government to ban the organisation, Mr Spink said: "The British government should pressure the Indonesian authorities to ensure there are enough police and troops to enforce peace."
Published Tuesday October 15, 2002
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