Vice President's

Vice President's
aide clarifies

On Wednesday (May 29) evening, I was contacted by one of your
journalists, Moh. Nafik, for information regarding the program of
Vice President Hamzah Haz at the Al-Mukmin Islamic boarding
school, Ngruki, Surakarta.

In the Thursday (May 30) edition of your paper, my statement
was quoted under the one-column report on page 1, column 7,
titled Arrest me, not clerics, says VP.

I deny that I stated, as reported in paragraph 4, that: "The
Vice President made the statement during an unexpected meeting
with Abu Bakar Ba'asyir in Central Java, a controversial Muslim
cleric linked by Singapore and Malaysia with a regional terrorist
network."

On the other hand, I explained that the visit to the Al-Mukmin
Islamic boarding school, Ngruki, was one of four agendas of the
Vice President in Central Java and Yogyakarta on Wednesday, which
was open in nature and had earlier been reported by the mass
media. The Vice President was received in a gathering attended by
hundreds of Muslims, with a welcome speech and a report on the
history and activities of the school, headed by director KH Farid
Ma'ruf.

I also made it clear that the Al-Mukmin Islamic boarding
school was managed by the Foundation for Islamic Education and
Orphanage (YPIA), whose leadership comprises a director, KH Farid
Ma'ruf, and four assistant directors.

In this way, part of paragraph 6 of the news, which appears as
if it had come from my statement, "... Islamic boarding school
run by Ba'asyir at Ngruki in the town of Sukohardjo, Central
Java", is not true.

M. SAID BUDAIRY

Special Assistant to Vice President

Jakarta

Note: Paragraph 4 was a general description. Paragraph 6 was
based on information from aides.

--Editor