Bali bombers transferred to island prison

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.