A doctor indicted for allegedly plotting terrorist sabotage has denied knowing Arafin bin Ali, the Singaporean member of the Indonesia-based Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist network. The Criminal Court heard Dr Waemahadi Waedao's statements during cross-examination yesterday. He is charged along with Maisuri Haji Abdulloh, owner of a Narathiwat ponoh school, Muyahi Haji Abdulloh, Mr Maisuri's son, and Samarn Waekaji. The defendants have been charged with aggravating outside threats to the country, being members of a clandestine group and secret society and conspiring with Bin Ali to plot the bombing of five foreign missions in Bangkok.
They were arrested on June 10, 2003 in tambon Manang Tayo, in Narathiwat's Muang district and deny the charges. Dr Waemahadi denied any connection to JI. He said he only heard about the organisation through the media. Some people may have become confused by Islamic associations with similar names in the southern province, he said.
| "We call our local medical association Jemaah Is-LUM-iyah, for instance..." |
Dr Waemahadi said he was vice-chairman of one such association in Narathiwat, registered 40 years ago. He said he had no idea who Bin Ali was and first came across the name while he was remanded in police custody prior to being charged. Dr Waemahadi said police had sought US help to trace his phone calls. But the checks were conducted on a ''Dr Waema Hadai'', which was not him.
| "Yeah! He wears glasses! I don't!" |
On the day of his arrest, several men turned up outside his home. He was afraid he might be kidnapped as word had spread that community figures had gone missing. The defendant said he tried to leave the house through the back but he was caught. A man held him at gunpoint and escorted him to a car. His captors identified themselves as plainclothes police but did not say which precinct they worked in. Nor did they produce a search warrant. Dr Waemahadi said the men took him from Narathiwat to Pattani. On the way, they slipped a sack over his head and tried to extract from him information about people in his community. He was later taken to the police station. |