RI awaits approval to meet terrorist suspects

RI awaits approval to meet terrorist suspects

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesian Police and Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials
are seeking assistance from the Philippine authorities in a bid
to obtain more facts and to provide legal protection for three
Indonesian citizens who have been arrested for alleged
involvement in terrorism in the Philippines, with a reported
connection to al-Qaeda.

Marty Natalegawa, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, said the Indonesian diplomats in Manila met with the
local police at about 2 p.m. local time on Saturday, but they
were told that the police had no authority to provide them the
access to the Indonesian prisoners.

"Soon after the meeting, we requested the Philippines Ministry
of Foreign Affairs to help provide us access. They are supposed
to notify us of any arrest, but we are now still waiting for
their response," Marty told The Jakarta Post.

The Philippine police arrested three Indonesians identified as
Agus Dwikarna, Abdul Jammal Balfas and Tamsil Linrung, along with
five other suspected terrorists at the Manila airport as they
were trying to leave for Bangkok. Police found bomb-making
components on their person.

Both Agus and Tamsil are members of a group calling itself the
South Sulawesi chapter of the Islamic Law Enforcement Committee
(KPSI).

Agus is also reportedly the chief of the Laskar Jundullah
Muslim organization, while Tamsil apparently resigned very
recently as deputy treasurer of the National Awakening Party
(PAN) to run a coal business.

It was the second arrest of Indonesian nationals this year by
the Philippine police who also arrested Fathur al-Ghozi in
January for his alleged involvement in bomb attacks in that
country.

Like al-Ghozi, the three Indonesians arrested on Friday are
said to be linked to the al-Qaeda-affiliated group Jamaah
Islamiyah (JI).

Marty said that "thus far, the Philippine police have not yet
found a connection between the four".

He argued that the latest arrest of Indonesians overseas did
not prove anything about Indonesia's failure to take concrete
actions in the global war against terrorism.

The new arrests came as the United States' Federal Bureau of
Investigation's top officials were visiting Indonesia and other
Asian countries to step up mutual cooperation in dealing with
terrorism and transnational crimes.

Separately, National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Saleh Saaf
said on Saturday the Indonesian police detectives were collecting
information about the three men from concerned institutions,
including the immigration office.

Indonesian security authorities have persistently denied the
possibility that the country was a hotbed for international
terrorism activities, despite strong accusations from Singapore
and Malaysia that key figures of JI, and possibly al-Qaeda, were
roaming free in Indonesia.

Meanwhile, head of PAN's legal section Fachri Harahap admitted
that Tamsil once served as the party's deputy treasurer
but quickly distanced themselves by claiming that he resigned
recently.

"Pak Tamsil Linrung once served as our deputy treasurer. But
due to his business activities, he resigned both from his post
and the party in January 2002. Therefore, we (the party) are no
longer responsible for him," Fachri said.