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| Southeast Asia | |
| Indo SC Clears Bashir - Frees Him From Jail | |
| 2006-12-21 | |
| New Bali threat as Bashir is cleared INDONESIA'S Supreme Court has overturned a guilty verdict against the Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir for involvement in bombings in Bali in 2002 and last year and an attack on the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta in 2003. The ruling yesterday came as the Federal Government warned of a very high threat of terrorist attacks in Indonesia, including Bali, where thousands of Australians plan to spend Christmas and the new year. The court had heard from 30 witnesses in a review of charges that led to Bashir spending 2Å“ years in jail. The cleric, 68, was greeted by thousands of cheering supporters when he was released from jail in June. At the time the Prime Minister, John Howard, expressed his disappointment to the Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, that Bashir had been released. One of the Supreme Court witnesses was Amrozi, the so-called smiling assassin, who was convicted over the first Bali bombing. He and other convicted Bali bombers are awaiting similar reviews of their convictions. Meanwhile, the Government said it continued to receive a stream of reports indicating that terrorists were in the advanced stages of planning attacks against a range of targets in the country of 245 million people. The warning, issued yesterday through the Department of Foreign Affairs travel advisory system, follows a similar warning issued by the US this week. There was a credible threat of a terrorist attack in Indonesia in the Christmas-new year period, the department warned. Security analysts in Jakarta said the warnings were justified because of credible information that the Malaysian-born terrorist Noordin Top had been planning new attacks. Top was the mastermind of attacks against Western targets in Jakarta and Bali, where 92 Australians died in separate bombings in 2002 and last year. Indonesian police this week intensified their efforts to catch Top, distributing his photograph widely throughout Central Java. Police last year killed Azahari Husin, an associate of Top and a leader of the Jemaah Islamiah terrorist network. Indonesian police have already increased security around churches in Jakarta. The Australian advisory warned that people should reconsider their need to travel to Indonesia, including Bali. If Australians chose to still travel to Bali or other places in Indonesia despite the warning they should exercise extreme caution, the warning said. The Supreme Court decision is expected to anger the families of the Australian victims. Australia has previously protested about what is seen as the lenient treatment of Bashir, who has consistently denied any connection to the bombings. Bashir's lawyer, Mahendradatta, described yesterday's court's decision as "God's will". Indonesian police said last night that they regretted the court's decision clearing Bashir, who runs an Islamic boarding school in Solo, Central Java. A police spokesman, Sisno Adiwinoto, said: "I am sure he was involved Â… from the police's point of view [his involvement] has been proved." Bashir last week complained publicly that he remained on a United Nations list of international terrorists even though he had been released from jail. "I am terrorist No. 35 on the list," he told a seminar.
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| Posted by:.com |
| #9 easier to kill out of prison? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-12-21 20:19 |
| #8 The wonderful Balinese legal system |
| Posted by: tipper 2006-12-21 19:04 |
| #7 Dang nab cookie monster! The above was me. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-12-21 13:48 |
| #6 Sanctions for all Muslim majority countries who allow any implementation of sharia law within their borders. Bashir should have assumed room temperature long ago. |
| Posted by: Kent Brockman 2006-12-21 13:46 |
| #5 Bashir is IndonesiaÂ’s O.J. Simpson. Everybody knows heÂ’s dirty, but the prosecution was so inept that the Court had to set him free. |
| Posted by: cingold 2006-12-21 13:33 |
| #4 I think the point has been made here before that Australia should invade Bali and annex it. I'll second that motion. From what I understand, I could be wrong, but most of the people on Bali are Christian or at least not muslim and they welcome surfers. The place has good surf as does most of Indo. It's a damn shame to leave it in the hands of muslims who care more about jihad than they do about surf. |
| Posted by: Elmereter Hupash6222 2006-12-21 12:24 |
| #3 This ought to take a bite out of the tourist trade. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2006-12-21 12:02 |
| #2 What a great surprise. Standard muzzie tactic...catch and release. These scumbags are more likely to be let go than any Northern Pike in Minnesota. |
| Posted by: SpecOp35 2006-12-21 10:54 |
| #1 In an effort to shoot themselves in the foot, Indo placed the gun squarely at the back of their own head and pointed it downward to their feet. With full knowledge of what would happen the Indo supreem court slowly and decisively pulled the trigger.... And the RB crowd orders more popcorn! |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2006-12-21 10:42 |