Ba'asyir to skip MMI congress

JAKARTA: The Central Jakarta District Court rejected on Thursday a request to allow Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir out of jail to attend the congress of an Islamic group that he leads.

Presiding Judge M. Saleh said Ba'asyir could only write an address to the congress of the Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI), which he has headed since 2000.

The court also banned Ba'asyir from recording his voice to address the group's congress, which runs from Aug. 10 through Aug. 12 in Surakarta, Central Java.

Ba'asyir, allegedly the spiritual leader of Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) and suspected of plotting to overthrow the government, earlier read out a letter from MMI asking the judges to allow him to address the meeting in person.

He told the judges on Thursday that he was suffering from a cough and chest problems and asked them to adjourn the trial to Tuesday. The panel of judges agreed.

Ba'asyir has been charged with treason and plotting to assassinate Megawati Sukarnoputri before she became president. -- JP