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Southeast Asia |
Wan Min, the money man... |
2002-12-12 |
Laksamana.Net The connection between the Bali bombers and Malaysia is becoming more evident. According to the testimony of one suspect, Ali Gufron alias Mukhlas, a Malaysian man named Wan Min Wan Mat supplied funds amounting to around $30.000 to finance the October 12 Bali bombings. We knew that. Got anything more? This, according to police, is a significant development. âIf I am not mistaken, Wan Min is the Jemaah Islamiyah treasurer,â said chief police investigator for the Bali bombing, Maj. Gen. I Made Mangku Pastika. Oooh. That's a nice thing to know... A team is expected to leave for Malaysia soon to cross check the statements given by Gufron. I'll bet they are... The story of the Malaysian connection began in February 1985, when Abu Bakar Baasyir and the late Abdullah Sungkar, the founder of the Central Java-based Ngruki Islamic boarding school, fled to Malaysia to avoid arrest for their political activities against the Suharto regime. The group, later popularly known as the Ngruki exiles, consisted of Abdullah Sungkar, Abu Bakar Baasyir [Bashir], Fikiruddin, Abu Jibril alias Fikiruddin MuqtiAgus Sunarto, Ahmad Fallah, Rusli Aryus, Mubin Bustami, Fajar Sidiq and Agung Riyadi. After obtaining refuge in Malaysia, in August 1985 the Ngruki group held a series of meetings at which they decided they would seek funds for the movement by asking âjemaah membersâ in Solo to recruit fellow members to work in designated companies in Malaysia and turn over 20% of their salaries to the jemaah. Nice racket, huh? If anybody feels like kicking in 20% of their salary to me, drop me an e-mail. I promise to use the money Thus, the nucleus of the secret society was set in motion. Abdullah Sungkar, the leading figure of this network, started to identify a number of sympathetic Malaysian Guess you have to sweep up the useful idiots as well... Wan Min Wan Mat has been picked up in Malaysia, and, according to The Straits Times, admitted that he had been instructed by Hambali to hand over the money to Mukhlas, another key JI operative. Wan Min was told that the money was to fund âan important projectâ in Indonesia, but he was not told what that project was. "No! I mean, really! I had no idea...!" âOnly after a meeting in Solo, Indonesia, in the middle of the year did the purpose of the funds become clear, he told security officials,â the report states. During his interrogation, Wan Min also made clear that Hambali was still the most important member of the JI network in the region. Wonder where Riduan might be these days? |
Posted by:Fred Pruitt |