S'pore ambassador skips hearing

JAKARTA: For the second time, Singapore's ambassador to Indonesia failed to appear in court for a hearing of the libel suit filed against the Singapore government by Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir.

The South Jakarta District Court adjourned the trial for three weeks.

Ba'asyir filed the suit in response to a press release from the Singapore Embassy in Jakarta containing a statement from Singapore Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew accusing Ba'asyir of being a terrorist.

The Singapore government said earlier the suit should be dismissed, arguing that international law provided its government and embassy immunity. -- JP