Downer asks SBY not to cut Ba'asyir's, bombers' sentences

Eva C. Komandjadja and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer met President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and several ministers here on Thursday, reiterating his appeal for Indonesia not to cut the jail terms of radical Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir and those convicted of the Bali bombings.

However, Downer said he was not attempting to intervene in Indonesia's legal system regarding the remission issue.

"These (cases) are a matter for the Indonesians ultimately, not a matter for us," he said after meeting with Susilo at the State Palace, Jakarta.

Downer said he had raised the issue during separate talks with Susilo and Indonesian ministers "just to inform them of the reaction in Australia to the remissions" granted to Ba'asyir and convicted Bali bombers during Indonesia's 60th independence anniversary in August.

Ba'asyir is serving a 30-month prison term in Jakarta for conspiracy in the 2002 Bali bombings. He and other terror convicts may get their sentences cut further during next month's Idul Fitri.

Such a regular prison remission program grants jail term cuts to prisoners with good conduct if they have already served at least six months of their sentence, on Independence Day and religious holidays.

Downer said he was "impressed" by what the Indonesian government promised to do to revise its remission system, so terrorist convicts may be exempted from its remission program in the future.

"We have been assured that this is a matter which the Indonesian government is now working on. They are working on making changes to this remission system.

"They explained some of that to us but I am not going to do into publicly because these are sensitive issues here in Indonesia," he said. "But it remains to be seen what conclusion they'll will finally reach as a result of the work they are doing".

As Downer left the room, Indonesian journalists loudly protested, criticizing Downer for refusing to answer their questions, while complying with their Australian counterparts.

Downer, who was accompanied by Justice Minister Chris Ellison, also mentioned the sentence reduction issue during separate meetings with his Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirayuda, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo Adi Sucipto and National Police chief Gen. Sutanto.

Hassan has confirmed that the Indonesian government was reviewing the 1999 presidential decree on prisoner remissions, particularly concerning serious crimes such as terrorism, saying "there is a need to do that".

Earlier this week, Vice President Jusuf Kalla, responding to Australia's request not to reduce Ba'asyir's prison term, said Indonesia rejected any intervention into its internal affairs by other countries.

Downer also said President Susilo "was enthusiastically receptive" about Australia's offer to send a team of experts to brief Indonesian officials on new counter terrorism laws being introduced in Australia.

He told the President that the new laws had been somewhat controversial but nevertheless "we had to show in our case, in Australia, a great deal of resolve in fighting terrorism and protecting our people".

"The point I make is that we are making substantial changes to our counter-terrorism laws, and other countries can note that and be interested in it or not," Downer said.

Downer arrived in Indonesia on Tuesday evening and attended a ceremony on Wednesday to mark the third anniversary of the 2002 Bali bombings, which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.

He flew home later on Thursday.