RI demands direct access to Hambali

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The police are demanding for the direct and independent interrogation of Indonesian-born terror-suspect Riduan Isamuddin alias Hambali, who is currently under United States' custody.

National Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said here on Thursday that his office would soon send three interrogators to question Hambali for his role in a string of terrorist attacks across the country, including the deadly Bali bombings and the JW Marriot Hotel bombing in Jakarta.

Police want direct access to Hambali and to be able to conduct an independent investigation without the presence of U.S. authorities.

"This is our case and interests, we want it to be our interrogation and not a joint questioning," the four-star general said.

The U.S. has granted Indonesia access to interrogate Hambali, but it seems doubtful this will be "free" access.

When Indonesian investigators interviewed suspected terrorist Muhammad al-Faruk last year, they were reportedly accompanied by U.S. officials.

Da'i said on Thursday, that Washington had given permission and arranged the time for the interrogation.

"We are still waiting for the schedule, but we expect that it (the interrogation) will be as soon as possible," said Da'i, adding that he had been informed earlier about the permission by the U.S. ambassador to Indonesia Ralph L.Boyce.

"Permission has been granted, but there are processes -- that need some time to complete -- before we can send the team to question Hambali," he added.

As soon as the date of questioning is finalized the names of the three interrogators will be submitted to U.S. authorities.

Indonesian authorities have been asking Washington to allow them to question Hambali, known as the top operative of the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist network in the Southeast Asia region.

The police suspect Hambali of involvement in a series of bomb attacks in the country since 2000.

Jakarta claims to have legal jurisdiction over Hambali, arguing that he is an Indonesian and was responsible for terror crimes in Indonesia.

Hambali was arrested on Aug. 11 in the town of Ayuthayya, Thailand.

Aside from Indonesia, countries in the region such as the Philippines and Australia also asked Washington for permission to interrogate Hambali.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Blas Ople met on Thursday with the US envoy to Manila to further the request for access to Hambali, indicted in the Philippines for deadly bombings in 2000.

Ople said Washington has yet to issue a formal response to the request forwarded by his office.

"We already made an official request for access to Hambali," Ople told reporters, as quoted by Agence France Press prior to a closed-door meeting with US envoy to Manila, Francis Ricciardone.

Ople stressed that Manila has "a very legal ground" to gain access to Hambali, and said that the Philippines' request invokes a "mutual legal assistance treaty" with the United States, which considers President Gloria Arroyo a staunch ally in its global campaign against terror.