KL won't seek extradition of militants

KL won't seek extradition of militants

MALAYSIA: Malaysian authorities won't ask Indonesia to extradite four jailed Malaysians accused of being part of the Islamic militant group Jamaah Islamiyah, police said on Monday.

The four detainees are being held in Indonesia on terror- related suspicions, but it remains unclear whether authorities will press charges and how long they will be held.

"It's up to the Indonesian authorities to take action under Indonesian law," Malaysian Inspector-General of Police Bakri Mohamed Omar was quoted as saying by the national news agency, Bernama. The four suspects "are entitled to be punished there."

The four men admitted in interviews with Malaysia's TV3 network last week that they had been members of Jamaah Islamiyah, which has been blamed for the October 2002 nightclub blasts on Indonesia's resort island of Bali, and an August 2003 car bomb at Jakarta's Marriott hotel.

The detainees claimed they have now renounced Jemaah Islamiyah because it killed Muslims and other innocent people.

Malaysian human rights activists have criticized the interviews' airing last Friday, saying the suspects might have been tortured or coerced into making their confessions. -- AP