Indonesia will not extradite Kastari to Singapore: Police
Indonesia will not extradite Kastari to Singapore: Police
Fadli, The Jakarta Post, Batam, Riau
Indonesia has no plan to extradite Singapore citizen Mas Slamet
bin Kastari, alias Eddy Haryanto, who was arrested in Tanjung
Pinang on Sunday night for the possession of a fake identity
card.
Authorities in Singapore had been searching for Kastari, who
is believed to be the leader of Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) in
Singapore and is thought to have planned several terrorist
attacks on the island-nation.
The chief of detectives for the Tanjung Pinang Police, Adj.
Comr. Susanto, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday the National
Police had decided not to extradite the suspect to Singapore.
"The police leadership has decided not to extradite Kastari
from Tanjung Pinang. According to our investigation, he was
arrested for using a fake identity card. His wife and four
children will remain in police custody here," he said.
Susanto said Kastari was arrested on Feb. 2 for using a fake
identity card issued in Bengkalis, Mandau district, Riau, but
that his passport was issued by the immigration office in
Surabaya, the capital of East Java.
Kastari is wanted by Singapore for allegedly plotting to crash
an airplane into the Cahgi International Airport.
"An intensive investigation is still under way and, so far,
there is no indication that Kastari was involved in the series of
blasts (in Indonesia) over the last three years," Susanto said.
He said the investigation was focusing on the suspect's
possible involvement in the Christmas Eve 2000 church bombings
and the Oct. 12 Bali blasts.
Susanto acknowledged that Riau was a stepping-stone for
criminals and terrorists making their way overseas, which is why
the province, which is near Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines
and Thailand, was known for the issuance of fake identity cards
and other documents.
He said that in Batam, Tanjung Pinang and Bengkalis, migrants
could get an identity card for Rp 300,000. Passports and marriage
certificates also can be had by paying off local officials.
People who want a fake passport must pay about Rp 1 million
and the passport will be ready in an hour.
Antara news agency reported that police in Bengkalis had
arrested Syafarian A.M.T., secretary of the Mandau district, for
his alleged involvement in the issuance of the fake card identity
to Kastari.
Mandau district head A. Ridwan Yazid confirmed Syafarian's
arrest.
Bengkalis Regent Syamsurizal regretted Syafarian's involvement
in issuing an Indonesian citizenship card to Singaporean Kastari,
saying the case should be processed according to the law and
serve as a warning to other officials in the province.
The chief of the immigration office in Bengkalis, Yana Zaini,
denied having issued a passport to Kastari.
"We have checked all of the files of passport applicants and
found no record of Kastari being issued a passport," he said.