Muslim lawyers to sue RP, M'sia

JAKARTA: A group of Indonesian attorneys known as the Muslim Defense Team (TPM) has announced plans to sue the Philippine and Malaysian governments for creating the false impression that Indonesia is a hub for terrorists, and for naming Abu Bakar Ba'asyir as a member of the al-Qaeda terrorist network.

TPM head Mahendradatta, who is also Abu Bakar's lawyer, said here on Monday that his group would also ask the Philippine and Malaysian governments to restore his client's good name.

However, he refused to reveal how much compensation his group would seek from the two countries, saying that he still needed to consult further with his counterparts.

Malaysian police have named Abu Bakar Ba'asyir as a leader of a Muslim fundamentalist group believed to have links with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terrorist network, widely blamed for the September attacks against the U.S.

Philippine police on the other hand, have also arrested Fathur Rohman Al Ghozi, an Indonesian believed to be a graduate of the Al-Mukmin Islamic Boarding School in Ngruki, Sukoharjo in Central Jakarta, which was once led by Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, for possessing one ton of explosives.

During questioning by Indonesian police on Thursday and Friday, Abu Bakar Ba'asyir denied all the charges against him. -- Antara