| Submit your comments on this article |
| Southeast Asia |
| Indonesian Mujahideen Council denies links to JI leaders |
| 2006-04-16 |
| The Indonesian Mujahedin Council (MMI) here Saturday refuted a US Treasury Department allegation that Abubakar Ba`asyir, the MMI chairman, had assets and a bank account linked to the al-Gaeda terror network, thus saying the accusation was "totally groundless". "We have asked the US Treasury Department to provide us with the details of Abubakar`s bank account as soon as possible because it was said to be linked to Al-Qaida," Fauzan Al Anshori, the head of IMM`s data anf information affairs department, said. If the US treasury department could not meet the IMM`s request, we will lodge a protest to the US government for having spread such a slanderous report on Abubakar Ba`asyir," Anshori said. "We see it as a dirty maneuver of the US in a bid to fabricate the reason for sending Ba`asyir to jail again. Baasyir will soon be released on 14 June, 2006. According to Fauzan, his side will directly meet with Baasyir who is now serving his jail sentence in Cipinang correctional institution at about 10:00 in an effort to confirm the US accusation. "As long as I know, Abubakar doesn`t have a bank accont nor asset in foreign country except his own house and car. The house dwelled by his family also belongs to the Ngruki Islamic Boarding School," he said. Earlier, many mass media in Indonesia quoting BBC news report saying the freezing of Abubakar`s bank account and asset together with three other Indonesians following their link with terrorist network. The three Indonesians were reported to be Gun Gun Rusman Gunawan (younger brother of Hambali), Taufik Rifki and Abdullah Anshori. As to the three Indonesia, Fauzan said he had no knowledge of them. He further said that what the US Treasury Department had done was actually wicked manuever in the run up to Baasyir`s release after the issuance of travel warnings by Australia and the US to Indonesia for fear of a bomb blast which would happen on April 2, 2006. "Bomb attack turned out to be a big lie," he said. In fact, the travel warning by Australia and the US has actually brough about psychological and financial impacts on the government and the people of Indonesia, he said. |
| Posted by:Flelet Spavinter3070 |