U.S. grants Manila access to information on Hambali<\/p>\n
Agencies, Manila\/Bangkok<\/p>\n
The United States has agreed to grant the Philippines access to
\ninformation on captured Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) militant Hambali
\nbut will not allow Filipino investigators to directly question
\nhim, the foreign secretary said on Monday.<\/p>\n
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, in a letter to the
\nPhilippine foreign office, also expressed his commitment to
\ncooperate with Manila in relation to Washington's investigations
\ninto the activities of Hambali, Blas Ople said.<\/p>\n
Hambali, an Indonesian whose birth name is Riduan Isamuddin,
\nwas arrested in Thailand last month by Thai police and CIA agents
\nand is being detained by U.S. authorities at an undisclosed
\nlocation.<\/p>\n
Manila formally asked Washington last month to allow Filipino
\nauthorities access to the man accused of involvement in deadly
\nbomb attacks and plots in Manila and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n
He was the suspected pointman for Asia of the al-Qaeda group
\nblamed for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, as
\nwell as the operations chief of the JI, a Southeast Asian terror
\nnetwork.<\/p>\n
Hambali is accused of masterminding last year's nightclub
\nblasts that killed 202 people on the Indonesian island of Bali
\nand Jakarta Marriot hotel's bombing last August that killed 12
\npeople.<\/p>\n
\"The U.S., which is in the process of interrogating Hambali
\nand cross-checking the information given by Hambali, has also
\nagreed to provide us with any information that would help us in
\nour fight against terrorism as well as information that might
\nhelp save lives in the Philippines,\" Ople said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Ople had earlier asked the U.S. government to give Philippine
\ninvestigators access to Hambali.<\/p>\n
Manila also wants Hambali turned over to Philippine
\nauthorities to face charges relating to bomb attacks around
\nManila that killed 22 people in December 2000.<\/p>\n
Indonesian JI militant Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi, also charged
\nwith the bombing, had earlier told Philippine prosecutors that
\nHambali provided the funds to buy the explosives used in the
\nattacks.<\/p>\n
Al-Ghozi however escaped from a Philippine jail in July,
\ntriggering a security alert across the region.<\/p>\n
\"There are many questions that our authorities would like to
\nask and the U.S. has agreed to pose these questions to Hambali,\"
\nOple said.<\/p>\n
However, \"because Hambali's interrogation is ongoing and
\nbecause the need to conduct his interrogation in a carefully
\ncontrolled environment, direct access to Hambali at this time is
\nnot possible,\" Ople said.<\/p>\n
In another development, a Thai newspaper has reported that
\ncosmetic surgeons in Thailand will be asked to keep alert for
\npossible terrorists seeking to change their appearance.<\/p>\n
Thousands of foreigners flock to Thailand for facelifts and
\nother cosmetic surgery because of the high quality and low prices
\noffered.<\/p>\n
The Medical Council of Thailand said it will ask surgeons to
\nbe on the look out for suspicious characters, noting that the
\ncountry keeps no proper records on foreigners entering the
\ncountry for plastic surgery, The Nation newspaper reported on
\nSaturday.<\/p>\n
Council president Dr. Somsak Lolaekar said he expected
\nsurgeons to cooperate given that national security was at stake.<\/p>\n
Thailand has stepped up security ahead of next month's Asia-
\nPacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum which will be attended
\nby 21 regional leaders, including U.S. President George W. Bush.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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