Hendro Fernando, Weapon Supplier Who Turned into Quail Eggs Supplier
Friday afternoon January 15, 2016, exactly the day after the Thamrin Bombing tragedy in Central Jakarta, which was accompanied by indiscriminate shootings, marked the end of Hendro Fernando’s journey as an important figure in managing the logistics flow for the East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT). On that day Hendro was arrested at his residence in Bekasi, along with 4 other suspected terrorists.
Hendro was not involved in the Thamrin Bombing case but,according to him, there was an “ambiguous” colleague who was an MIT member who joined the network that masterminded the Thamrin Bombing, and who was tasked with exchanging or buying weapons. The exchange of weapons resulted in Hendro being arrested and, during the arrest, 9 weapons and hundreds of ammunition were found.
“Evidence that was in the warehouse in Bekasi was also taken and confiscated, it was for logistical purposes that we had already plotted for MIT,” explained Hendro.
He also received a prison sentence of 6 years 2 months which in the end he served for 5 years 2 months due to remission or reduced sentence without taking parole (PB).
“I took too long to (decide and accept) the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI), even though the parole had to be taken care of when I had served 2/3 of the sentence,” said Hendro.
Although he did not receive parole, Hendro emphasized that he had decided to refer or return to the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).
Hard Decision
This man who was directly pledged by Bahrumsyah an important figure of ISIS from Indonesia, said that he chatted, socialized, even slept close to and side by side with fellow terror convicts. At that time, almost always, they hadan agenda which Hendro called an ideological strengthening program in the form of da’wah, recitation and memorization. Hendro himself was appointed Ameer, or leader, in the block he occupied while at the Mobile Brigade Command Headquarters.
“It’s like a cellphone with a low battery level, we get charged again or it gets full again, so we get excited again or ghiroh,” said Hendro.
According to Hendro, changes began to occur when he was transferred to prison and there was a separation of those who were considered high risk and at risk from those who were not at risk. For Hendro, this method is quite effective.
From Mako Brimob, Hendro was transferred to the Serang prison, Banten, in 2016, then moved again to the Gunung Sindur prison in 2017. And in 2018, he was transferred from the Gunung Sindur high risk prison, Bogor, to the Kembang Kuning prison in Nusakambangan, Cilacap, Central Java.
Although he was transferred several times, Hendro was only able to accept the deradicalization offered to him when he was at the Kembang Kuning Prison in Nusakambangan. At that time, there was a program from Densus 88 that made him change. Namely, that happened when convicts of terrorism cases, who had decided to refer to the Republic of Indonesia,approached him and asked him to discuss at the Kembang Kuning prison, Nusakambangan.
“They have returned to the Republic of Indonesia, but are still prisoners, and come from different prisons because they are in the Medium (category) prison,” said Hendro, who was in the High Risk category while in Nusakambangan.
There was a discussion between Hendro and the convicts who he said had referred to the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia. Hendro admits that he finds it easier to have a dialogue and exchange ideas with them because they are both convicts.
“With such a fluid atmosphere, communication was established, discussions eventually aroused curiosity. Ask us what the argument is, in the end we ask for the book and that’s where the process comes from,” said Hendro.
Terrorism observer and researcher from Malikussaleh University, Al Chaidar Abdurrahman Puteh, confirmed that, “Disengagement is effective if it is removed from its initial network,” he explained when contacted by The Apex Chronicles.
“If there are still ideological friends, they will strengthen each other and there will be shame if they regret their actions,” he added.
Long Term Impact
Hendro then continued, underlining that the deradicalization process became easier to accept after he went through the process of introspection of his understandings that made him involved in terrorism. “After that, then we can accept the Unitary Republic of Indonesia,” he said.
But then Hendro realized that the choice to return to the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia had consequences that were not easy, which he said were quite serious. From his testimony, several of his colleagues who decided to return to the Republic of Indonesia were rejected by their families, it is unmitigated if he has a wife, his wife will choose to divorce, especially if his family and wife come from what Hendrocalled a “red” environment or have the same understandingwith the network they joined before.
One of the reasons, according to Hendro, is due to financial support such as monthly living expenses, school fees for children and facilities from the terrorist network to the wives or families of the arrested members of the network. Thus, when a convict decides to return to the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia and leave their network, they will be automatically labeled apostates. Funding and facility assistance will be discontinued.
“So there are those who tend to choose the network because their husband’s status has been considered as apostasy by the network,” said Hendro.
DeBintal Foundation
A month after Hendro was released at the end of 2020, he met Gamal Abdillah Maulidi who is also a former terrorism convict and also lives in Bekasi just like Hendro. Gamal invited Hendro to jointly establish a Foundation which will later become a forum for convicts and former convicts who wish to be reconciled or return to the Republic of Indonesia in the areas of Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi.
Hendro also agreed, but on the condition that there must be clear programs that will be of real benefit to fellow convicts and ex-convicts. The foundation was established with an initial membership of 20 people, including Gamal who later became the Chairman of the De Bintal Foundation and Hendro who took the position of Secretary General of the De Bintal Foundation, which was under the supervision of Densus 88.
The foundation, which stands for Dekat (Near) Bintang (Star)and Langit (Sky), initiates programs targeting the empowerment of convicts, former convicts and their families. One of the focuses of this Foundation is economic empowerment. Hendro and the administrators took the initiative to raise laying quail and now they are able to pursue their own target of producing 50 kilograms of eggs per day with the 4000 quails they currently have.
“This is a form of our responsibility to empower friends who are just free or just learning,” explained Hendro.
Assistance then came from several parties who then entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the De Bintal Foundation and assisted with the Job Training Center program for convicts from within the prison.
It didn’t stop there. Hendro and his colleagues also paid attention to issues related to literacy which, according to Hendro, was a problem that had to be overcome apart from economic problems when a convict was released from prison, including by doing da’wah with various media, also using the digital and visual media. This foundation also provides assistance when convicts, ex-convicts and their families have to deal with bureaucracy.
The Director of Identification and Socialization of Densus 88, Kombes Pol. Mohammad Djafar Shodiq, who is the initiator and is still accompanying the De Bintal Foundation, when contacted by The Apex Chronicles said that the initial concept and idea of the DeBintal Foundation used an approach of heart and empathy as the basis for implementing sustainable deradicalization.
“My wish is (De Bintal Foundation) as a role model for reintegration implementation for all convicts in Indonesia,” said Shodiq.
Shodiq added that in the future the DeBintal Foundation must be independent. “In the beginning, we did coaching and mentoring so that in the end they had to be independent like the general public. They have the right to voice, they also have the right to make improvements to their lives which, in the end, are beneficial for many people and do not depend on anyone, including Densus 88,” he concluded.
