Hamzah allows ulema to be tried<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro
\nand A'an Suryana
\nThe Jakarta post
\nKuta, Bali<\/p>\n
As police are scouring the country for three possible suspects
\nin the deadly Bali bombing, Vice President Hamzah Haz said here
\non Wednesday that any party, including Muslim clerics, should be
\nbrought to court if evidence indicated their involvement in the
\nterror attack.<\/p>\n
When visiting the bombing site here on Wednesday, Hamzah
\npleaded for all parties to refrain from attaching the blame to
\ncertain groups, including hardline Muslim groups, until
\ninvestigations revealed the perpetrators.<\/p>\n
\"Please, don't hold misperceptions about these radical groups
\nbecause we must see how the investigation progresses. ... Whoever
\nis responsible for the attack must be tried, even if they are
\nulema,\" Hamzah said.<\/p>\n
Hamzah Haz, who previously denied the presence of terrorists
\nin the country, called on the security forces to take stern
\nactions against terrorists now operating in the country,
\nregardless of their religious background.<\/p>\n
\"We now believe that terrorist groups have been operating here
\nand we are conducting an investigation into it,\" Hamzah told
\nreporters after inspecting the bomb site for 20 minutes.<\/p>\n
At least 190 people, mostly foreigners, were killed and more
\nthan 300 others injured by the powerful bomb blasts.<\/p>\n
\"The terrorist attack here was aimed at isolating Indonesia
\nfrom the international community and destroying the country's
\neconomy,\" Hamzah said further.<\/p>\n
Accompanying Hamzah were Coordinating Minister for Political
\nand Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Minister of Health
\nAchmad Sujudi and the National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar.<\/p>\n
Hamzah has in the past defended hardline group leaders,
\nincluding cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, named by Singapore, Malaysia
\nand the U.S. as the leader of Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) which the
\nU.S. labels as a terrorist group.<\/p>\n
The police are still waiting to question Ba'asyir, currently
\nreceiving treatment at a hospital in Surakarta, Central Java.<\/p>\n
Gen. Da'i said earlier that police investigators were looking
\ninto a possible connection between the Bali bombing and JI,
\nnoting that the bombs had similarities to previous attacks by an
\nalleged JI leader Riduan Isamudin alias Hambali.<\/p>\n
However, investigators have not linked Ba'asyir nor JI with
\nthe Bali blasts.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian investigation team leader Insp. Gen. I Made
\nMangku Pastika said that the police were searching for three men
\n-- all Indonesians -- for their possible role in the Bali
\nbombing. Sketches of each have been produced, but they would not
\nbe made available to the public yet.<\/p>\n
\"The team has concluded that there might be suspects after
\ninterviewing dozens of witnesses, who observed three people
\nacting suspiciously at the blasts sites,\" Pastika told reporters
\nat the Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, National Police deputy spokesman Brig. Gen. Edward
\nAritonang said the joint investigative team, including foreign
\ninvestigators, had cooperated with Interpol to locate the three.<\/p>\n
He also said that the joint investigative team had completed
\nforensic examinations of the dead victims.<\/p>\n
The number of identified victims has now reached 56.<\/p>\n
The joint investigative team will consult with the Bali
\nadministration, families of the deceased and their respective
\nembassies over the fate of the remaining bodies that have not yet
\nbeen identified or could not be identified.<\/p>\n
\"It depends on them whether the deceased would be buried or
\ncremated,\" said Aritonang.<\/p>\n
Editorial -- Page 6<\/p>\n
Related stories on<\/p>\n
Pages 2,3,4,6,13,14,17,20<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/hamzah-allows-ulema-to-be-tried-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }