Bali bombers transferred to island prison

I Wayan Juniartha and Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar/Semarang

Three convicts responsible for the 2002 Bali bombings were transferred to a Central Java prison on Tuesday as Balinese prepared to mark the anniversary of the tragedy.

The transfer came on the heels of mounting pressure from the Balinese that the convicts on death row -- Amrozi, Imam Samudra and Ali Ghufron alias Mukhlas -- be executed immediately. Public pressure increased for the death sentence to be carried out following a second bomb attack in Jimbaran and Kuta Square here on Oct. 1, which killed 23 people.

The three convicts were seen escorted out of Krobokan Prison in Denpasar to three armored cars guarded by some 30 armed police. The transfer plan had apparently been leaked as some 60 people had already gathered outside the prison when they were walking out of the prison and entering the armored cars. The protesters shouted: "Kill Amrozi and friends!"

The convicts were flown to Nusa Kambangan prison and arrived at about 1:45 p.m. local time.

Bali justice and human rights office head I Gede Rata confirmed the transfer, arguing security concerns were the main reason for the move.

Rata denied that the transfer was intentionally done prior to a massive protest slated to be held on the anniversary of the 2002 Bali bombings on Wednesday, saying it had been planned three months ago.

In the past few months, the office had transferred several inmates linked to the Bali bombings to other prisons in Bali and Kalimantan, he said.

"Out of over 30 Bali bombing inmates only 19 are currently still in Kerobokan," he said.

The maximum security prison Nusa Kambangan, dubbed the Indonesian Alcatraz, is located on an island off the coast of Java, where several high profile criminals and corruptors are incarcerated. Businessman Muhammad "Bob" Hasan had once stayed in the prison and Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, the youngest son of former President Soeharto, is currently doing time there.

The transfer took place only a day after some 100 Balinese staged a street protest demanding the immediate execution of Amrozi, Imam Samudera and Mukhlas, who were convicted of the 2002 bombings that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.

A bigger protest is planned for Wednesday, the third anniversary of the first Bali bombings. Among the public figures slated to attend the commemoration is Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer. Downer is set to hold talks with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono after the ceremony and high on the agenda was how to capture the terrorists responsible for the Oct. 1 bombing in Jimbaran and Kuta Square.

Meanwhile, Balinese protesters expressed concern over the transfer, saying that the fact that the terrorists were transferred indicated that the government doubted the Balinese could hold a protest in a peaceful manner. "We are angry and disappointed by the move," one of the organizers Semara Cipta said.

The rally was supposed to take place at 4 p.m. on Wednesday at Kerobokan prison. The rally would involve not only Balinese students and members of traditional customary villages or desa adat, but also a large number of westerners. The transfer of the bombers, however, had forced the organizers to change their plans. "We will not postpone or cancel the rallies. We will just hold them at a new location," Semara Cipta said.