RI interested in interrogating Hambali

RI interested in interrogating Hambali

Febiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Indonesian government wants access to terror suspect Hambali,
currently in U.S. custody, to question him about a string of
attacks in the country, including the Aug. 5 JW Marriott Hotel
bombing that killed 12 people and injured more than 140 others.

Thai authorities confirmed that Hambali, an Indonesian, was
handed over to the United States after he was arrested in the
ancient temple city of Ayutthaya on Monday, and that the
suspect was being interrogated at an undisclosed location in
Thailand.

National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said that Indonesia
was very interested in questioning Hambali, and wanted to bring
him home for trial.

"We want access and, if possible, we wish to take Hambali back
to Indonesia for trial," Da'i said after a series of limited
meetings with President Megawati Soekarnoputri and security
ministers on Saturday.

"This man (Hambali) is thought to be tied to a series of
bombings in Indonesia since 2000, to have been the man behind the
Bali blasts and may be behind the Marriott bombing. We have
prepared officers to question him," Da'i said.

Hambali is believed to be the top operative of the Jamaah
Islamiyah (JI) terrorist network in Southeast Asia, and is
alleged to be the architect of the bloody Bali blasts.

Born Encep Nurjaman in the village of Sukamanah in Cianjur,
West Java, Hambali is also allegedly tied to the Sept. 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.

He was arrested in Ayutthaya in a joint operation between
Thailand and the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said on Saturday
Hambali had been planning attacks during the Asia Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit scheduled for October in
Bangkok.

"We arrested two or three suspects before we managed to arrest
Hambali .... Intelligence gathering clearly showed that they were
planning to do something which I do not want to elaborate on,"
Thaksin said during a weekly radio address, as quoted by AFP.

Hambali's current location is being kept a closely guarded
secret.

"We have not yet been informed about the whereabouts of
Hambali, but we assure you that Indonesia is interested in
gaining access to question him," Coordinating Minister for
Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said.

Foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda said President Megawati
Soekarnoputri would contact her Thai counterpart about being
given access to Hambali.

"Diplomatic efforts to gain access to interrogate Hambali will
be conducted at the presidential level and also through my
office," Hassan said.

Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra said
the government had jurisdiction to try Hambali under Law No.
15/2002 on terrorism.

"The law applies to all Indonesians, living here or abroad,
allegedly involved in terrorism," the minister said.

However, he said Indonesia did not have an extradition treaty
with the U.S., and it was the Thai government's decision whether
or not to hand the suspect over to the U.S.

Former minister of defense Juwono Sudarsono said trying
Hambali in Indonesia would help refute conspiracy theories that
the U.S. created JI and was itself behind the bombings in
Indonesia.

"Should the Americans keep him it would seem to confirm those
conspiracy theories," the Indonesian Ambassador to England told
The Jakarta Post.