Ba'asyir taken to Jakarta for questioning

Ba'asyir taken to Jakarta for questioning

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Police took detained cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, chairman of
the Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI), to Jakarta on Monday for
questioning over a string of bombings across the country, after
removing him from his hospital bed.

His removal from PKU Muhammadiyah hospital in Surakarta,
Central Java, where he was being treated for a respiratory
ailment for almost two weeks, sparked a clash between police and
Ba'asyir's supporters, who opposed the arrest.

No fatalities were reported but dozens of people on both sides
were injured.

About 150,000 supporters of the 64-year-old Muslim cleric
clashed with police in Surakarta on Monday as they tried to
prevent officers from removing the cleric from his hospital bed.

Threats shouted by Ba'asyir's supporters that they would
launch a massive backlash if police insisted on taking Ba'asyir,
turned out to be baseless.

The police used a minivan to transport him to Semarang's
Achmad Yani Airport, some 80 kilometers west of Surakarta. He was
then flown to Jakarta and admitted to police-owned Raden Said
Sukanto Hospital in Kramatjati, East Jakarta.

The police prohibited both Ba'asyir's lawyers and his
relatives from accompanying him, but law enforcers later yielded
to his family's pleas and allowed his lawyer Joko Trisno Widodo
and some of his relatives, including Ba'asyir's son-in-law, to
stay with him for the rest of his journey.

Strong objections were also raised by a team of lawyers in
Jakarta, who abruptly filed a complaint with the South Jakarta
District Court against the National Police's treatment of
Ba'asyir, 10 minutes after the cleric arrived at Semarang's Ahmad
Yani airport.

At a media conference, Munarman of the Legal Aid Institute
(YLBHI) condemned his arrest and accused the police of failing to
notify relatives and lawyers as regulated in the Criminal Law
Procedures Code (KUHAP).

"This is kidnapping. Our client was taken from his hospital
room. The police had neglected certain legal aspects, which leads
us to suspect that a political motive was behind his transfer in
a bid to comply with international pressure," he said.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri's administration has been
under fresh pressure to take swift and tough action against
terrorism following her meeting with U.S. President George W.
Bush in Los Cabos, Mexico last weekend.

Speaking to Indonesian media before leaving for Jakarta on
Sunday (Monday in Indonesia), Megawati denied accusations that
the arrest of Muslim leaders, including Ba'asyir, and the fight
against terrorism were due to international pressure.

"This is my question: If you were the government, what would
you do? Would you do nothing? In light of the bombing tragedy in
Bali, you would be condemned if you did nothing," the President
said.

Commenting on Ba'asyir's move to Jakarta, the police said that
investigators had acted within the boundaries of the law.

"We simply took swift action in accordance with the law. There
was nothing left to wait for as he (Ba'asyir) had recovered,"
said National Police deputy spokesman Sr. Comr. Prasetyo.

The cleric, who is wanted by Singapore and Malaysia for his
alleged role in terrorist activities there, sat calmly in a
wheelchair and smiled to reporters who packed the hospital. He
did not make any statements to the media.

In protest of Ba'asyir's transfer to Jakarta, his lawyers
refused to sign the case files on the cleric's transfer.

About 30 demonstrators from the Islam Youth Movement staged a
rally in front of the hospital in Jakarta.

Ba'asyir, who is also a chairman of the Al-Mukmin Ngruki
Islamic boarding school in Surakarta, Central Java, is charged
with violating an immigration law, playing a role in a string of
bombings and committing treason. If convicted of the bombing and
treason charges, he could face the death penalty.

Based on confessions from suspects in Singapore, Malaysia and
the Philippines, police said that Ba'asyir was acquainted with
al-Faruq, who is believed to be one of Osama bin Laden's top
operatives for launching terrorist attacks across Southeast Asia.

Meanwhile, Vice President Hamzah Haz asked Muslims to restrain
themselves as questioning Ba'asyir was vital to prove whether the
cleric was guilty or not.

"We have to go through with the interrogation to find out if
he is guilty or not," said Hamzah, who is known to be a strong
supporter of Muslim hard-liners in the country.

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Ba'asyir would not be punished
unless the court ruled he was guilty.

"We are not taking Ba'asyir to punish him, but to question him
and he will not be put in jail unless the court finds him
guilty," he said.

Muhammadiyah chairman Ahmad Syafii Maarif said he was not sure
that Ba'asyir could be the mastermind behind a series of bombings
in Indonesia.

"The charges against him cannot be substantiated," he was
quoted by Antara as saying in Padang, West Sumatra on Monday. "He
(Ba'asyir) is just a radical figure, but only in rhetoric and
ideas, not in actions. I respect him but that doesn't mean I
agree with his views."