S'pore ambassador skips hearing

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