How important are community support and involvement in the reintegration process for individuals or groups exposed to violent extremist ideologies as they ease back into society? On Wednesday, 31st July 2024, SEAN-CSO held a webinar. We invited our notable speakers: Mira Kusumarini (Founder of Empatiku, Indonesia), Anchana Heemmina (Founder of Duay Jai Group, Thailand) and Khuzaimah S. Maranda (Executive Director of Thuma Lanao, CSO Representative from the E-CLIP Committee, Lanao del Sur, The Philippines) to share their insights, experiences, approaches and challenges they are facing regarding the topic.
Our first speaker, Anchana Heemina from Duay Jai Group, shared her story, experiences and challenges she faced in the effort of Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) for ex-combatant and combatants from insurgency groups in Southern Thailand, especially from Barisan Revolusi Nasional Melayu Patani (BRN) and Pattani United Liberation Organisation (PULO). Anchana mentioned that the insurgency problem in the southern border provinces of Thailand is historically rooted in the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909, which played a significant role in shaping the modern border of Thailand and the relationship with the substantial population in Melayu-Muslim in the south. In addition, the Thai government attempted to integrate the southern province into the broader Thai nation-state through centralization and forced assimilation policies to occupy the region.
Since the violence increased in 2004 after the raid and weapon robbery in Narathiwat military bases, the government intended to solve the problem by implementing martial law, an emergency decree and an internal security act that led to abuse of human rights such as torture, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detentions and extrajudicial killing specifically towards Melayu-Muslim. Although the Thai government wanted to solve the problem through organized meetings and negotiations, a formal peace process only occurred in 2013. Currently, the peace process agrees to work on three goals: reduction of violence, equality participation from the people of the south before the public consultation process, and finding a political solution to resolving the conflict. Yet, the insurgency in the south persists. Despite the ongoing peace process, violence has also increased, given the dominant influences of the military in terms of civil-military relations regarding the conflict.
Anchana and Duay Jai Group focused on the effort of reduction of violence, more specifically, the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) process to facilitate the ex-combatant to surrender and return to being a civilian. Since its establishment in 2010, The Duay Jai Group has been providing rehabilitation programs for torture victims, knowledge and empowerment about human rights, also peace process for the ex-combatant and the community, and the reintegration program for the ex-combatant or suspected persons. In the reintegration program, the Duay Jai Group took steps to ease and return the former combatant into communities. First, provide justice knowledge, starting from the arrest of the combatant to helping the family visit and monitor the condition of the suspect, as human rights abuses often occur during detention or interrogation. In some cases, suspects were tortured or even found dead while in custody. Second, individual counselling and therapy this step start after the release of suspects as, in most cases, many of them have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression and feel isolated from society after their detention, which could hinder the reintegration process. Third, provide knowledge about human rights and non-violently enrol in the peace process. Fourth, organise a role through a volunteer program and provide training to build a strong relationship with the community. Fifth, provide tutoring for the community and ex-combatants to work together using Unarmed Civilian Protection (UCP) and Early Warning Early Response (EWER) to prevent violence outside the community. Sixth, encourage involvement or familiarity with government officers; this step is essential as most former suspects are stigmatised specifically by military and police officers.
When it comes to challenges in the reintegration process, Anchana explained that sustainability is one of the main issues that often lead to the re-enlistment of ex-combatants to violent groups. Besides that, the continuous violence cycle also becomes a primary factor supported by special laws that have been enacted granting impunity to the government, which allows the military to carry out extrajudicial killings and unlawful executions. Therefore, to address the existing challenges, not only is it essential to promote the peace process, but it’s also necessary to create a safe space or environment for ex-combatants or suspected persons for their transition back into the community. In terms of the ongoing conflict and continuous cycle of violence, all conflicted parties involved need to work on the reduction of violence, and the particular law needs to be withdrawn to strip the military of its impunity. Lastly, Anchanna believes it’s crucial to involve the ex-combatant and their family in supporting the peace process as its result is directly related to their reintegration process.
Our second speaker, Mira Kusumarini from Empatiku Indonesia, discussed the models and principles she uses in the reintegration process based on her field experiences and the challenges that come with them. Mira explained that in most of her cases, she often found that many deportees, former terrorist inmates or former violent extremist offenders received social stigma, discrimination and even rejection from the local community upon their return to society. Meanwhile, the radical group offered them the support they needed to return their belief to the cause. Shortly afterwards, there was a realisation that the community could also be part of the problem instead of the solution. Mira said these reasons and challenges drive us (Empatiku) to see that the community is the hero in reintegration and social integration.
Therefore, the models and principles developed by Empatiku aim to enhance and improve community resilience, as communities are critical to the entire reintegration process and efforts to prevent violent extremism. Mira added that there are four pillars or fundamental principles in implementing community-based rehabilitation and reintegration programs. First, improved awareness and understanding of the risk of violent extremism and the ability to identify early warning signs. Second, a case management system must be established. Within the system, cases are also managed after the dialogue or discussion process by establishing networks and partnerships with external resources for referral cases that cannot be handled at the community level. Third, enhanced community social cohesion, post the dialogue and reintegration process, is very important to maintain trust-building among the former inmates and community members through communal activities. Fourth, policy support and legal basis: This pillar ensures that the policy should support the mechanism from the community level at villages to the provincial level.
Mira also explained the importance of building social reintegration through restorative practices. This process offers participants the essential opportunities to listen and to be listened to, to speak and be spoken to, with the aim that all participants can learn from other perspectives and reflect on their views. In the reintegration process, the principles of fair process need to be implemented to ensure the involvement of everyone in the community to have a clear explanation and expectation regarding decisions that will affect and influence them.
As for the social reintegration process itself, Mira emphasises that the key message is that everyone can disapprove of the act that has been done (by former inmates or violent extremists), but people should not push the person away from the community. As a people or community, we must split or divide the action from the person. We can disapprove of their actions, but that should not diminish the fact that they are still human beings and part of the community.
Meanwhile, our third and last speaker, Khuzaimah S. Maranda from Thuma Lanao, shares her story, experiences and approaches in the effort of reintegration of former violent extremists in the province of Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte, specifically from the Dawla Islamiya Maute Group. Khuzaimah’s approach to the community-based reintegration process through Thuma Lanao takes a different route than the process in Southern Thailand, as elaborated by our first speakers, as in the Philippines, the reintegration process involves active participation and support from the government.
The Philippines government is implementing a comprehensive, integrated, and community-based national program that is locally implemented to address the legal status and security of former rebels, as well as their economic, social and psychological rehabilitation needs called Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (ECLIP) institutionalising the “Whole-of-Nation Approach” national campaign. Khuzaima, as the CSO representative for the province committee of Lanao Del Sur, shares that the reintegration program in her province started in 2019 with former president Duterte after the Marawi Siege, encouraging the members of the Dawla Islamiya Maute Group to return to the holds of law with a promise of helping them to start a new life. Along with the influx of returnees from the Maute Group after the fall of their leaders at the Marawi Siege, the provincial government and CSO community decided to institutionalise the reintegration at the local community level.
In the reintegration process, the government was also actively involved; Khuzaimah explained that the process they took in the effort started with profiling of the returnees conducted by the social welfare office of the provincial government. After that, a validation was conducted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and National Police to issue a clearance to give the returnees a safe pass for their movement. Afterwards, the returnees’ information is enrolled in the database of ECLIP and the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government to grant them the social development package. The provincial government is constructing the halfway house as the centre for deradicalisation programs and psychosocial activities. In addition, they are also providing social and economic provisions to the returnees to help them begin their transition.
When talking about how the reintegration process is currently progressing and what has been achieved, Khuzaimah mentioned that ECLIP has successfully organised 13 groups in 13 different areas with the participation of a local cooperative development officer and security sector representatives to ensure that the returnees will have a sustainable life and begin their integration into the community. The involvement of the local government and the security sector is intended to ease and ensure the transition until the returnees can fully manage independently. The committee also ensures that the returnees, whether former rebels or former violent extremists, cases being filed against them will be resolved through the granting of amnesty to ensure they can fully be reintegrated without fear of being arrested for recurrences of cases filed against them. Based on her experiences, Khuzaimah believes and emphasises that government involvement is crucial in the reintegration process, as they are the stakeholders with the resources and responsibility to support sustainability at the community level.
Community support and involvement are crucial in the reintegration process for individuals exposed to violent extremist ideologies. Effective reintegration requires addressing social stigma, building community resilience, and ensuring that former combatants or offenders are not alienated but reintegrated through fair processes and restorative practices. Government participation is essential to facilitate the transition by providing the necessary resources, legal frameworks, and security measures. Successful reintegration programs also focus on reducing violence, promoting peace, and ensuring sustainability through collaborative efforts between communities, governments, and external partners.