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."