Thai court to charge JI suspects

Thai court to charge JI suspects

THAILAND: Thailand will lay formal charges on Tuesday against
four Thais and a Singaporean suspected of belonging to the Jamaah
Islamiyah (JI) regional network blamed for the Bali bombings,
chief prosecutor Nipon Kwanyo said.

He said on Monday the five would be taken to court to be
charged with planning attacks on foreign embassies and beaches
popular with western tourists.

Three Thais -- a religious teacher, his son and a doctor --
were arrested in southern Thailand in June. The Singaporean,
named as Arifin bin Ali, was detained in Bangkok on May 16 and
sent to Singapore the next day.

The fourth Thai, who police accuse of being the group's bomb
maker, turned himself in and denies the charges.

The Singapore government said Arifin, also known as John Wong
Ah Hung, was believed to be the leader of a group of JI
operatives who had also planned to hijack a plane and crash it
into Changi airport in the city state. --Reuters