Ba'asyir to skip MMI congress

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