Cambodia to try JI suspects

Cambodia to try JI suspects

CAMBODIA: Five foreign and Cambodian men accused of belonging to
the regional terror group Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) and having links
to al-Qaeda will go on trial in Phnom Penh on Friday, lawyers
said.

Three of the defendants, an Egyptian and two Thais, were
arrested last May ahead of a visit to Cambodia by U.S. Secretary
of State Colin Powell, as police announced they had broken up a
radical Islamic network.

They will face court along with a Cambodian suspect, 23-year-
old Sman Ismael who was arrested in June, and another Egyptian
who will be tried in absentia, said Kao Soupha, the lawyer for
the first three defendants.

"I am ready to defend my clients during the trial," he said,
insisting along with Sman Ismael's lawyer Mach Try that the men
had done nothing wrong.

"I strongly hope that my client will receive justice from the
court," Mach Try said. "There has been no proof that my client
was involved with JI."

All five face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.

The case was postponed last year when the presiding judge said
more concrete evidence against the defendants was needed before
bringing them to trial. -- AFP