Ja'far wants to confront witness

JAKARTA: Currently in police custody over agitation charges and accusations of insulting President Megawati Soekarnoputri, arrested Laskar Jihad commander Ja'far Umar Thalib said on Friday he wanted National Police detectives to confront him with the Laskar Jihad follower who reportedly had given incriminating testimony against him.

"I am ready to be tried anywhere in Indonesia. I am not worried. I plan to ask police to confront me with a Laskar Jihad member, whom they say has allegedly given incriminating testimony against me," Ja'far told reporters, following Friday prayers at a mosque in the National Police compound.

Ja'far added that other than the Laskar Jihad member, a police officer had given incriminating evidence against him.

The Muslim hard-line figure was arrested at Surabaya's Juanda airport on May 4, following an outbreak of violence in Maluku, where he had reportedly made provocative speeches.

In response to the demand, National Police chief of detectives for general crimes Brig. Gen. Aryanto Sutadi said that a suspect had no right to make such a demand.

"Any confrontation between a witness and a suspect is the investigators' prerogative, and not the suspect's," Aryanto said.

Separately, National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said on Friday that he had selected three candidates as possible replacements for incumbent Maluku Police chief Brig. Gen. Soenarko. He refused to identify the candidates, saying he would announce his choice upon his return from an upcoming visit to the Maluku capital of Ambon. -- JP