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| Southeast Asia |
| Indon politicos starting to back off from Bashir? |
| 2002-11-12 |
| Legislator Ahmad Sumargono, who chairs the Crescent Star Party (PBB) faction at the House of Representatives, strongly denied on Tuesday an allegation that he was a supporter of terrorist suspect Abu Bakar Bashir. The allegation was contained in an "intelligence report", which someone delivered to him by hand after the legislator gave a lecture at a mosque in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta, on Sunday. "I strongly deny this document because its content is misleading and malicious slander, which a certain party has disseminated on purpose to put me in a difficult position," Ahmad was quoted by Antara as saying. According to him, the "intelligence report" was astounding because it claimed, among other things, that he was involved in mobilizing people to demonstrate against Ba'asyir's arrest on the grounds that it was a violation of human rights. He was also accused of having drawn a plan to stage rallies in various provinces. "No! No! I never liked the man, never agreed with what he stood for. I never really wanted to join the party, but you know, the business contacts..." |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |