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| Southeast Asia |
| Indonesia Plans Emergency Anti-Terrorism Measures |
| 2002-10-16 |
| Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri prepared Wednesday to enact emergency anti-terror measures, her most decisive move yet to crack down on militant Islamic groups following the Bali bomb blasts. A presidential decree would bypass parliament, which has blocked anti-terrorism legislation. That's because their parliament's chock full of terror sympathizers, who don't think it could happen to them... Meanwhile, investigators said the C4 plastic explosives that demolished the Sari nightclub and nearby bars on Kuta Beach were packed into the roof of a minivan. An authority on al Qaeda, citing documents from a U.S. interrogation of a member of the network, said an unidentified Saudi supplied funds to the Indonesian-based Jemaah Islamiah to buy explosives that could have been used in Bali. A Soddy. An "unidentified" but charitable Soddy... At a news conference, Bali Police Chief Budi Setyawan offered no further information on the interrogation of two Indonesians in connection with the blast that killed more than 180 people, mostly foreign travelers. He said only neither was from Bali. Maybe from Java? Sumatra? Peshawar, perhaps? Australia said it could take weeks to identify many of the charred and mutilated victims of the late Saturday attack. Prime Minister John Howard appealed to grieving families to be patient. So far, 33 Australians have been confirmed dead and 140 are missing. Slaughtered for drinking beer and having fun... With the United States and jittery Asian neighbors piling pressure on Indonesia to take firm action, a top aide to Megawati said in Jakarta a presidential decree would be issued "as soon as possible." An anti-terror bill giving police stronger powers to act against suspects has been languishing in draft form, as the government tries to come up with a version acceptable to parliament. That would be no version at all... Thanks to Steve, as usual... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |