RI won't bow to foreign pressure on terrorism: VP

Ivy Susanti and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Vice President Jusuf Kalla said on Friday that the government would reject any intervention from foreign governments regarding the country's problems, including terrorism.

He said, however, the government would take into account "their aspirations" when dealing with particular issues.

Kalla made the statements following the Oct. 1 bomb attacks on Bali and ahead of an upcoming visit by Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer to Indonesia and amid reports that the latter country had asked the government of Indonesia to outlaw alleged terror group Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) and objected to a possible further cut in the jail term of Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, a Muslim cleric accused of being the spiritual leader of JI.

Downer is scheduled to visit Indonesia on Oct. 12, in conjunction with the 2002 Bali bombing commemoration.

Downer will also meet President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo Adi Sucipto and National Police chief Gen. Sutanto to discuss counterterrorism cooperation.

"We'll listen to their aspirations but it will be us who makes the decisions. We'll reject any form of intervention," the Vice President told the press.

Foreign countries, Kalla said, often blame Ba'asyir for any bombs in the country.

"He is still in jail and the government keeps an eye on him. Foreign countries usually try to implicate him in any bombing case here. Why don't we let the courts decide?" he said.

Ba'asyir is serving a 30-month prison term in Jakarta for conspiracy in the 2002 Bali bombings.

Separately, Hassan said the Indonesian government was reviewing the 1999 presidential decree on prisoner remissions, but he did not say when the President would endorse any changes.

"The government is reviewing the presidential decree on remissions, particularly concerning serious crimes, including terrorism. We realize there is a need to do that," he said.

However, he denied the move was in response to Australia's protest against a sentence cut for Ba'asyir.

Hassan also said that Downer had not formally informed him that he would raise objections to the possibility of Indonesia granting another sentence reduction to Ba'asyir.

"We learned about it from media reports. Since he's coming here, I'd prefer to hear it directly from him," Hassan said.

Australian newspapers reported earlier this week that their federal government would oppose any move to reduce Ba'asyir prison sentence.

Ba'asyir had his sentence cut by 135 days on Indonesia's Independence Day on Aug. 17, sparking anger from Australia and the families of the bomb victims.

He could have another month taken off to mark the end of Ramadhan in early November, prison officials say.

The regular prison remission program grants jail term cuts to prisoners with good conduct if they have already served at least six months, on Independence Day and religious holidays.

Hassan also reiterated that the Indonesian government could not ban JI because the organization was not a legal entity.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard told a radio interview in Sydney on Wednesday that he would "work out the most appropriate way to push" the Indonesian government to outlaw terrorist organizations, like JI, and would express it when Downer visited Jakarta next week.

JI was blamed for the Bali bombings in October 2002 that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.