E-MAIL THIS LINK
To: 

Australian Federal Govt: We want Bashir in jail !!
THE Federal Government will oppose any move to further reduce the jail sentence for the alleged spiritual leader of the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiah, Abu Bakar Bashir. With JI suspected of being involved in the latest Bali bombings, Bashir's name is on a list of prisoners eligible to have their sentences cut, according to a report in today's The Australian newspaper.

In August, Bashir's 30-month sentence for conspiracy in relation to the 2002 Bali bombings was cut by four and a half months to commemorate Indonesia's independence day.

The paper said it could now be cut by a further 30 days, with the militant preacher listed for another remission to commemorate the Islamic holiday of Idul Fitri on November 4, which marks the end of Ramadan.With time already served, The Australian said he could be free as early as April. Australian Justice Minister Chris Ellison said today the Government was strongly opposed to any reduction in sentence for the cleric.
Sooner he's released, the sooner the SAS can get to him.
"We've certainly registered our strong protest over any remission for Abu Bakar Bashir," Senator Ellison said. "We totally reject that and we've made our position very clear to Indonesia.

"But in the Indonesian prison system, the sentencing system, there are automatic remissions which apply to prisons to mark Indonesian independence day and others.
Charity begins .. and ends for Moose-limbs. Of course, the Bali victims are still dead.
"We certainly have said that this should not apply to Abu Bakar Bashir who, after all, has been in prison for terrorism-related offences and is the spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiah."

Bashir's earlier sentence reduction provoked a furore in Australia and a flurry of high-level protests by the Federal Government. Prime Minister John Howard lobbied Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to review the automatic remission laws when he met him in New York last month.

Bashir has said the weekend restaurant bombings in Bali which killed at least 22 people, including up to four Australians, were a warning from Satan God. From his prison cell, Bashir has condemned the attack but also said in a statement yesterday the bombings were a sign of God's displeasure with the Indonesian Government.

Senator Ellison said Indonesian police were continuing to interview two men in relation to the attacks but would not say whether they were witnesses or suspects. "I'm not sure whether they are finished with the questioning of those two men, but no arrests have been made," he said.
I'm sure Inspectors Clouseau and Legume are on the case.
He said it was too early to say if there were any links between the bombers and terrorist groups in the southern Philippines.
Oh no, none at all, why would we ever suspect that?
The Australian also said intelligence officials believe the bombers may have been trained by Filipino terrorist groups. "Certainly the southern Philippines has been a concern to us and we have a strategy for dealing with that," Senator Ellison said.

"But it's still early days in this investigation; we certainly can't say anything at this stage as to whether these suspects, people who carried out the bombing, were from the Philippines."
Posted by: Oztralian [AKA] God Save The World 2005-10-05
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=131358