No subject

headquarters of the police Mobile Brigade unit, a tough, battle-hardened police 
corps.

They fired on the buildings and set them ablaze. When police reinforcements 
arrived by truck, the soldiers fired an antiaircraft gun at the vehicle, 
killing the driver, according to a police sergeant in the truck.

Five days after the battle, Army Chief of Staff Ryamizard Ryacudu discharged 20 
soldiers. In a ceremony broadcast on national television, he stripped them of 
their uniform shirts and hats. The 20 are on trial in a military court in 
connection with the attack but face only token sentences ranging from 10 months 
to 3½ years.

No other soldiers have been charged. Despite a police investigation, North 
Sumatra police spokesman Amrin Karim said it was still unclear why the military 
went to such lengths to win Marwan's release.

"We feel deeply sad," Karim said, "because we still have a long way to go to 
uphold the law." 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Jakarta Post.com
Headline News
December 11, 2002
Bali bombings wake-up call for Indonesian Muslims 
Azyumardi Azra, Rector State Islamic University (UIN), Jakarta

The terrorist bombing of Legian, Bali, on October 2002 is, no doubt, a tragedy 
in contemporary Indonesia. In fact, the bombing reflects a new phase of 
violence and terror in the country. This can be seen not only in the relatively 
large number of the victims, but also in the use of lethal weapons by the 
terrorists to inflict the greatest psychological impact both domestically and 
internationally.

But now, after intensive police investigation, the Bali bombing, for several 
reasons, could turn out to be a 'blessing in disguise'. 

First, police have been able not only to catch the alleged perpetrators of the 
bombing, but also to reveal fresh evidence of the networks of radicals in 
Indonesia and Southeast Asia in the general. The revelation of the networks has 
been crucial to establish the fact that networks of radicals have been working 
in Southeast Asia, in Indonesia in particular, in the last few years to achieve 
their ends, the most important of which is supposedly an "Islamic Nusantara 
State" that would consist of Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Singapore 
and, probably also southern Philippines. 

After the unsolved series of bombings since the fall of President Soeharto from 
power in 1998, now the police with the help of their counterparts from 
Australia, for instance, have been able to uncover the links between the Bali 
blast and a number of bombings in the past two years at least. 

Second, the revelation of the networks of radicals by the police in a 
convincing way has silenced most of the skeptics, who from the very day of the 
Bali blast have maintained that the bombing was simply a U.S. or Western plot 
to discredit Islam and destroy the image of Muslims in the country. The 
skeptics, some of them prominent Muslim leaders, who seem to believe in the so-
called conspiracy theory, in fact have accused President Megawati's government 
of being slavishly surrendered to the pressures and wishes of U.S. President 
Bush in particular. 

The disclosure of the networks of extremists has disproven the conspiracy 
theory. The statements of Amrozi, Imam Samudra and others allegedly involved in 
the Bali and other bombings makes it clear that the bombings have been 
motivated by both genuine radicalism and hatred for the U.S. and other Western 
powers. The fact that the perpetrators show no remorse about the innocent 
victims has further strengthened the premise that they have been strongly 
motivated by their own ideology rather than by anything else. 

Third, the revelation of the networks of radicals points to the fact that there 
are indeed terrorists among Indonesians, who happen to be Muslims and who are 
more than happy to use violent means to achieve their ends. Before the police 
disclosure, there was widespread reluctance among Indonesian Muslim leaders to 
admit that there are terrorists among Indonesian Muslims who have misused the 
teachings of Islam to justify their terrorist activities. In fact some of the 
prominent Muslim leaders have issued statements that could create a wrong 
impression in the eyes of the public by not only defending the radicals, but 
also condoning violence and terrorist acts. 

It is now the right time for Indonesian Muslim leaders, the great majority of 
them moderate, to sincerely admit that there is a serious problem of radicalism 
among certain Muslim groups. This problem should be fairly addressed by 
moderate Muslim leaders hand in hand with law enforcement agencies for the sake 
of the image of Islam as a peaceful religion and of Indonesian Muslims as the 
Islamic people with a smiling face. 

The problem of the radicals is to be seen at two levels: First, the abuse and 
manipulation of Islamic doctrine to justify radicalism and terrorism. The abuse 
undoubtedly comes from a literal interpretation of Islam. Second, the problem 
of the use of violence and terrorist acts, which undoubtedly runs contrary to 
Islam. 

Therefore, it is time now for moderate Muslim leaders to speak more clearly and 
loudly that literal interpretation of Islam will only lead to extremism, which 
is unacceptable to Islam, and that Islam cannot condone, let alone justify, any 
kind of violent acts. There is absolutely no valid reason for any Muslim to 
conduct activities that harm or kill other people, Muslims and non-Muslims 
alike. 

Furthermore, the moderate Muslim leaders should not be misled by the claims and 
assertions of the radicals. The radicals are shrewd not only in abusing Islamic 
doctrine for their own ends, but also in manipulating Muslim sentiment through 
the manipulation of mass media, particularly television. The claims that the 
arrest of certain radical leaders means the suppression of Islam and the ulema 
(Muslim religious scholars) are very misleading. Similarly, the claims that the 
police investigation into certain pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) in the 
search for the perpetrators of the bombings will lead to hostility and 
suspicion toward all pesantrens are even more misleading. 

The identification of radical leaders and groups with Islam and ulema is again 
very misleading. In fact the radicals are only a very small fraction of the 
ocean of moderate Muslims who by their sheer numbers can be fairly regarded as 
representative of the peaceful nature of Indonesian Islam. 

Some have argued that the defensive attitude of certain moderate Muslim leaders 
originates from the trauma of political engineering and abuses by the police 
and military of the Muslims during the Soeharto period. This argument, I 
believe, is not relevant in view of the current political situation. There is 
no evidence that Megawati's government is hostile to Islam and Muslims. 

In fact President Megawati seems to be very sensitive to Muslim issues compared 
for instance to President Abdurrahman Wahid. Lacking Islamic credentials, 
President Megawati in fact avoids making statements, let alone policies, that 
could spark opposition from Muslims in general. 

It appears that she does not realize that the moderate Muslim leaders and 
organizations are more that willing to rally behind her in opposition to any 
kind of religious extremism and radicalism. 

As for the police force, it has become increasingly more difficult for them to 
commit human rights abuses. The fall of the authoritarian regime and the rise 
of democracy in Indonesia has forced the police to be more sensitive to human 
rights issues and to the protection of the rights of the alleged perpetrators 
of any kind of violence and terrorism. 

Therefore, it is the duty of the public to control and watch the police closely 
in their investigation in order not only to prevent any possible wrongdoings 
and mishandling of the suspects by the police, but also to establish credible 
procedures and due process of law. 

Moderate Muslim leaders while maintaining a watchful eye on the police efforts 
to bring to justice all perpetrators of violent and terrorist acts, should 
support the police in their investigation. 

Above all, the future of Indonesian Islam is very much dependent on the fair, 
objective, pro-active attitude of the moderate majority to respond to any 
development in Indonesian Islam. A reactionary and defensive attitude is not 
going to help efforts to show to the world that Islam is a peaceful religion 
and that Muslims are peace-loving people. Again, it is time for the moderate to 
be more assertive, to lead the way to reestablish the peaceful nature of 
Indonesian Islam. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Police: Man Sent Money to Bali Suspect
The Associated Press
Bali, Indonesia Dec. 10 

Police said Tuesday that a man detained by authorities in Malaysia delivered 
$30,000 to Indonesian militants who used it to finance the Oct. 12 bombings on 
the resort island of Bali.

Maj. Gen. Made Mangku Pastika, who is heading the investigation into the 
blasts, said Wan Min Wan Tat of Malaysia was the treasurer of regional terror 
network Jemaah Islamiyah, suspected in the blasts that killed nearly 200 
people, mostly foreign tourists.

Pastika said Wan Min gave $30,000 to Mukhlas, an Indonesian man arrested here 
last week. Police accuse Mukhlas of taking part in the Bali blasts and being 
Jemaah Islamiyah's operational commander.

The revelation appears to confirm the regional nature of Jemaah Islamiyah, 
which has been linked to the al-Qaida network and failed terror plots in 
Southeast Asia.

Wan Min was arrested by Malaysian police in September. Authorities there have 
identified the 42-year-old as the leader of Jemaah Islamiyah in Johor, the 
Malaysian state next to Singapore.

Wan Min has confirmed to his Malaysian interrogators that he handed over the 
money, but claims he did not know what it would be used for, a Malaysian 
official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Police in Indonesia have arrested scores of suspects in connection with the 
Bali blast. At least three have been identified as playing a major role in the 
attacks.

Indonesian police have also arrested two more suspects in Thursday's bombings 
at a McDonald's restaurant in and a car dealership in south Sulawesi province, 
officers said Tuesday.

The arrests bring to five the number of people arrested in the bombings in 
Makassar.

Three people were killed in the McDonald's blast. There were no injuries in the 
bomb at the car dealership.

Officials in Singapore and Malaysia say Jemaah Islamiyah has cells in several 
Southeast Asian countries that received help from al-Qaida in a plot to blow up 
the U.S. Embassy and other targets in Singapore.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Straits Times
Dec 10, 2002 Tue
Trial may be held in Bali 

Bali - Police in Indonesia said they hope to present their case on the deadly 
Bali bombings to prosecutors on Thursday and that the resort island was a 
logical place for the trial.

'We will coordinate with the prosecutor to have the case ready by Thursday,' 
the chief investigator in the Bali case, Major-General I Made Mangku Pastika, 
told reporters yesterday. 

Indonesian police were busy compiling evidence ahead of the trials of each of 
the Bali bomb suspects in custody.

Maj-Gen Pastika said he had told his officers to start defining the role of 
each suspect, and to list supporting evidence. 

Police have so far arrested more than 20 people over the Oct 12 Bali nightclub 
bombings which killed at least 191. 

They are still hunting for five people whose photos and descriptions were 
released last month. These include a man called Dulmatin who is believed to 
have triggered the deadly van bomb with a mobile phone message. 

It is not clear how many of those arrested are directly implicated.
-- Reuters, AFP 
**********
Makassar blast linked to Bali 
Jakarta 

The bombers who killed three people at a McDonald's restaurant in Makassar are 
part of the network that staged the Bali bombing, a senior Indonesian police 
officer was quoted as saying yesterday. 

'They are part of a national or international terrorist network, the same one 
responsible for past bombings in Indonesia, including the one in Bali in 
October,' South Sulawesi police chief Firman Gani told the Jakarta Post.

The people responsible for the blasts in Makassar last Thursday were also 
planning to bomb churches in the city and other towns in South Sulawesi, Mr 
Gani said. 

He told reporters that pictures of churches and maps of their locations were 
discovered in a metal workshop owned by one of the suspects still at large. 

Police also found 2.5 kg of TNT, some black-powdered low-explosive material, 
detonators and a booklet on how to assemble bombs. 

Mr Gani said one of the bombers was killed in the blast. Police have arrested 
three suspects and are looking for two more. 
-- AFP, AP
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Straits Times
Dec 10, 2002 Tue
Solving Bali blasts turns police image around 
-- Nailing the masterminds of the plot has helped change the view that they are 
a corrupt and flatfooted lot 
By Derwin Pereira 

JAKARTA - After a series of embarrassing gaffes, Indonesia's police has boosted 
its credibility by unravelling the plot behind the country's worst terrorist 
attack with old-fashioned detective work and foreign help.

Within two months, they have caught the masterminds of the Oct 12 Bali bombings 
and hauled up a total of 29 suspects.

Indonesia's police has suffered from a reputation for corruption and lack of 
professionalism.

But Bali proved to be a turning point.

Observers said the devastating bombings gave the police a 'solid political 
cover' to carry out investigations.

Under international pressure for failing to crack down on extremist elements, 
Jakarta was left with little wriggle room and had to produce results.

Said a one-star police general: 'It was much easier for us to carry out the 
investigations because of support from the palace. 

'We never got 100 per cent from the government previously because they doubted 
our ability. Bali was a wake-up call.'

President Megawati Sukarnoputri's husband Taufik Kiemas, who played a key role 
behind the scenes in Jakarta's response to the attack, told The Straits Times 
in an interview that unlike in previous investigations, the chain of command 
was streamlined to avoid thorny inter-agency rivalries.

The police were able to call the shots on the ground, he said.

He also credited Major-General I Made Mangku Pastika, who headed the 
investigation, for his leadership.

The 51-year-old Major-General, one of Indonesia's most respected policemen, 
served as a commanding officer for the United Nations police in Namibia in the 
late 1980s.

In his last appointment in strife-torn Papua, he was known for being 'neutral' 
and standing up to hawkish military elements.

Asked recently by The Straits Times why he was selected, Maj-Gen Pastika 
replied bluntly: 'I am not a terrorist expert. I don't come with any baggage or 
agendas. I just want to get the job done.'

Two lucky breaks early in the investigation, including the discovery of a red 
getaway motorcycle, combined with old-fashioned detective work, led him to the 
first key suspect, Amrozi, almost a month after the bombing.

A month later, Imam Samudra and Ali Gufron alias Mukhlas, both key operatives 
of the Jemaah Islamiah terrorist group, were caught.

Maj-Gen Pastika was quick to note the invaluable help from foreign 
counterparts, especially the Australians.

The capture of Samudra and Mukhlas, in particular, would not have been possible 
without their technology and intelligence, he said.

A senior diplomat said: 'It helped raise the technical expertise of the 
Indonesian police. Suddenly, terrorists who all along have been roaming freely 
in the country were caught on the back foot.'

Police were also driven by the need to show not just their foreign 
counterparts - but rival military and intelligence agencies in the country - 
that they were up to the task.

Added the one-star police general: 'This was our chance to show the military 
and others that we can do the job without them.'

Such rivalry is prevalent across the ranks in the police, which have long 
played second fiddle to the army generals. But it can be dangerous.

The Bali bombings happened in part because of inter-agency tensions between the 
military, police and BIN, the state intelligence outfit.

Despite the recent arrests, analysts say the terror threat is far from over.

And senior intelligence officers in BIN warn there could be another wave of 
attacks in Indonesia as several terrorist masterminds are still on the run, 
including Riduan Isamuddin alias Hambali.

A senior intelligence source said: 'There are around 25 of them in the country, 
all linked to Hambali and all capable of coordinating some kind of attack in 
Indonesia and the region.

'This is not a time to give yourself a pat on the shoulder and say 'job well 
done'.'

Will the police, who brushed off BIN's alert to terrorist cells in the country 
earlier this year, heed these warnings? 

In a meeting with Ms Megawati the morning after the blast, police chief Da'i 
Bachtiar even suggested that BIN had conspired with the CIA to bomb Bali to 
drag Jakarta into Washington's war on terror.

But analysts say the police will play ball.

The diplomatic source explained: 'They have now gained something which is 
invaluable: pride and the ability to get things done. Why throw it all away and 
let their rivals gain the upper hand?' 
-----------------------------
Why probe worked
- The Bali blasts gave police 'solid political cover' for investigations.
- The chain of command was streamlined to avoid thorny inter-agency rivalries.
- A 'neutral' figure, Major-General I Made Pastika, was appointed as chief 
investigator.
- Help given in areas of technology and intelligence from foreign counterparts, 
especially the Australians. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Jakarta Post.com
National News
December 11, 2002
International scrutiny looms over rights trial 
Debbie A. Lubis and Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The country's failure to conduct a fair and impartial human rights trial will 
become the subject of an international discourse next year, including at the 
International Human Rights Commission in Geneva, a rights activist warned on 
Tuesday.

Asmara Nababan, former secretary-general of the National Commission on Human 
Rights, said that such discourse would take place as the country had shown 
irregularities and deviations in its court system. 

"We cannot predict how the conclusion of the discourse might affect us. But one 
thing is certain: the latest trial over violations of human rights in East 
Timor has proven that impunity still exists in the country," he said. 

Asmara was commenting on the poor performance of the country's ad hoc tribunal 
trying the gross human rights violations that took place in East Timor 
following a vote of independence on Aug. 30, 1999. 

Many believe that the Military, as well as the National Police, were involved 
in the violence that claimed hundreds of innocent lives. But the Court has 
failed to send any security officer to jail. 

Only civilians -- former East Timor governor Abilio Jose Osorio Soares and 
former commander of pro-Jakarta militia Aitarak Eurico Guterres -- have been 
declared guilty over the violence. 

Asmara said that the international court was the only option if the national 
court mechanism did not uphold justice. 

"We used to believe that impunity would be abolished through the human rights 
trials, which are part of the national court mechanism. But we have seen the 
trial of East Timor cases and will also see the same thing happen again in the 
Tanjung Priok trials next year," he said. 

Agung Yudha Wiranata of the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsham) 
criticized the rights tribunal for not sending Eurico to jail immediately. 

"The Court has sentenced Eurico to 10 years' imprisonment. Even though it is a 
minimum jail term it shows the seriousness of the crimes committed by Eurico," 
Agung told The Jakarta Post. 

Asmara then urged the public and the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) to 
demand that the government take firm measures to protect and promote human 
rights in the country. 

"A failure to maintain human rights would be a black mark on the record on the 
current government and discredit the country before the international 
community," he said. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Advertiser
Timor's promise of jobs for youth
11dec02

Dili: East Timor's Government has promised to tackle the fledgling nation's 
chronic youth unemployment but warned that a repeat of last week's deadly and 
destructive riots would only repel foreign investors.

"The priority is now on education and health and how to help market the produce 
of the people . . . and also open employment for the youth," said Prime 
Minister Mari Alkatiri after a two-day meeting of the new country's leading 
foreign donors.

He urged young people to halt destructive actions, otherwise "investors will 
leave".

Hundreds of people rampaged across Dili last week, burning buildings and 
vehicles and looting shops in unrest that was triggered by the arrest of a 
student.

Two people were killed and 25 injured. 

Analysts have blamed widespread unemployment and unrealised expectations since 
independence on May 20.

But some also said that unidentified provocateurs, possibly with a political 
agenda, had stirred up the unrest. 

The donors' conference, organised by the Government and the World Bank, was the 
first since independence and the sixth in a series since 1999, when the country 
passed from Indonesian to United Nations administration. 

At the previous meeting, on May 15, international donors pledged $641 million 
over three years in new aid for East Timor, Asia's poorest nation. 

World Bank vice-president Jemaluddin Kassum said despite the many challenges 
faced by East Timor, donors pledged continuing commitment to help it develop. 

The head of the United Nations' Mission of Support in East Timor, Kamalesh 
Sharma, told the donors' meeting yesterday that unemployment in urban areas 
remained high, particularly among young people. 

Unemployment is estimated at 43 per cent in Dili and Baucau, the second largest 
town. 

Mr Sharma said 41 per cent of East Timor's 800,000 people were living below the 
poverty line and three-quarters of the population depended on agriculture for a 
living 

Nearly half the adult population had difficulty reading and writing, he said. 

Despite these sobering figures, agricultural production and gross domestic 
product had recovered to pre-1999 levels and primary school enrolment had 
reached 95 per cent.