Howard vows to pressure RI over Bali bombers
Howard vows to pressure RI over Bali bombers
Agencies, Canberra/Wellington
Australia's leader vowed on Wednesday to pressure Indonesia into ensuring militants convicted of the Bali bombings are punished, after an Indonesian court dropped charges against a confessed conspirator in the attack that killed scores of Australians.
Indonesian Mohamad Ihsan, alias Idris, was sentenced on Tuesday to 10 years in prison for involvement in a bombing at a Jakarta hotel, but was cleared of charges of helping to plan the October 2002 attack on the resort island of Bali.
The ruling followed a decision by Indonesia's Constitutional Court last month that prohibited the retroactive application of the anti-terror law used to charge him. The law had been enacted after the Bali attacks, which killed 202 people including 88 Australians and three New Zealanders.
Tuesday's verdict raised concern among Australians that the 32 militants previously convicted over the Bali bombings could be freed on appeal.
Howard said on Wednesday he would do all he could to ensure the militants were punished.
"We will continue to put all the legitimate pressure we can on the Indonesian government to make certain that these people remain in jail, remain punished and remain fully accountable before the law," Howard told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.
"I can promise the families of the victims that no stone will be left unturned by my government to see that these people remain behind bars."
Howard also expressed concern that the convicted Bali bombers would appeal, as many of them have said they planned to.
"It doesn't automatically follow that people already in custody and already convicted of offenses can be freed as a result of the Constitutional Court decision," Howard told ABC.
Another 10 defendants face terror charges over Bali and more are expected to be arrested in the ongoing Indonesian police investigation.
Idris was imprisoned for providing the chemicals for the bomb in the J.W. Marriott Hotel blast that killed 12 people in August 2003.
Both attacks were blamed on the al-Qaeda linked Jamaah Islamiyah terror network, which allegedly has operatives throughout Southeast Asia.
In Wellington, New Zealand Foreign Minister Phil Goff said on Wednesday that Idris who admitted helping to plan the Bali bombing should not go free.
"If charges cannot be brought under the new terrorism laws because that would conflict with the constitution, then surely there must be other charges, ordinary criminal charges for harm against individuals, that could be brought against this particular person," Goff said in a radio broadcast.
Foreign affairs experts on the National Radio broadcast predicted that the Constitutional Courts decision could spark appeals from others already convicted of involvement in the bombing.