Inmate marries girlfriend in jail

SURABAYA: Jumali bin Sawal, 21, one of the suspects in the Pasuruan riot late last month, married his girlfriend Nikmah binti Suwaji, 18, on Sunday inside an East Java Police detention center.

"We received the permit at 10 a.m., the family quickly arranged the marriage," Jumali's lawyer, Firdaus Febrianto, told Antara.

Nikmah was not present in the wedding ceremony.

Jumali was one of 144 people arrested for their alleged involvement in the riot, which broke out after the House of Representatives called for a special session of the People's Consultative Assembly to hear President Abdurrahman Wahid's accountability speech.

The wedding had been scheduled to take place in Pasuruan.

Police joined in the celebrations and provided food for the wedding party.(dja)