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Jakarta, Indonesia -- Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim nation, is locked 
in an ideological battle between the moderate majority and an increasingly 
vocal radical fringe. 

Indonesia's role in the war on terror is creating an intense debate, one that 
has led to calls to execute one of the most outspoken moderates. 

Ulil Abdalla Abshalla has stirred controversy, declaring that, among other 
ideas, there is no such thing as Islamic law and that the Prophet Muhammed was 
merely a historical figure, open to criticism. 

Ulil wanted debate. Instead he received a fatwa, a religious ruling that in 
this case charged him with blasphemy -- punishable by death. 

"This is a threat to the whole Islamic intellectual debate in Indonesia," said 
Ulil. 

"If you are not a good Muslim, covering your head or dressing in an Islamic 
manner, you are not eligible to talk or speak about Islam whatsoever," said 
Ulil of the Islam Liberal Network. 

A fatwa first
The fatwa represents the first time Indonesian clerics have issued such a 
threat against another Muslim leader. 

The government refuses to recognize the fatwa and thus has no legal standing. 
But that may not stop zealous followers from justifying and carrying out the 
threat. 

Muslim cleric Athian Ali helped to draft the fatwa. 

"Honestly, as a Muslim it makes my blood boil, such a shameful statement 
against something exalted and noble. That's why we put out this reminder that, 
according to Islamic law, anyone who slanders Islam can be punished with 
death," Athian. 

Counter-productive
Moderate leaders have condemned the death threat, but have also criticized 
Ulil's combative style. 

"He is very brave to make such writings. And the way he expresses his ideas is 
something like vulgar or blunt. It makes things worse. Ulil thinks that the 
material will convince them. But, no, it's counter-productive," said 
Solauhuddin Wahid of Nahdlatul Ulama, a muslim scholars' organization founded 
in 1926. 

Ulil continues to defend his controversial views, though he is now flanked by 
bodyguards. 

Islamic intellectual debate is thriving in Indonesia, due in no small part to 
the global war on terror. But Ulil's supporters warn that death threats are 
stifling that debate and endangering Indonesia's freedom of religion. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ABC Radio Australia News 
23/01/2003 01:04:22
Malaysia and Indonesia combine to smash terror network 

Malaysian police say they have agreed with Indonesia to form a special force to 
track down members of the al-Qaeda linked Jemaah Islamiyah terror network 
blamed for the Bali bomb attack. 

Police chief, Norian Mai, said the agreement came at a meeting of Association 
of Southeast Asian Nations police chiefs in Indonesia this week.

He said the special force would comprise Malaysian and Indonesian police 
personnel who would focus primarily on hunting down J-I members involved in the 
Bali bombing.

Indonesian police have arrested 30 people over the bombing, which killed more 
than 190 people, most of them western tourists in October last year. 

They are still searching for 10 suspects, including three Malaysians. 

The police chief said the detention of some 80 suspected Islamic militants 
belonging to J-I and its local affiliate, the Malaysian Militant Group, over 
the past 18 months had contained the threat of terrorism in Malaysia.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Daily Telegraph
Terrorism 'widespread'
January 23, 2003

BALI bombing investigation chief General I Made Mangku Pastika candidly 
admitted yesterday that terrorism is rampant in Indonesia.

In an exclusive interview with The Daily Telegraph, General Pastika said his 
investigations into the October 12 blasts made him realise that "terrorism 
exists in Indonesia and we have to fight against that". 

He also admitted that his force was new to dealing with organised terrorism. 

In other developments yesterday: 

* BALI prosecutors told police they must get more independent witness 
statements before the first case - against confessed smiling bomber Amrozi - is 
ready for court; 

* AS rifts appeared among the suspects, Amrozi's two brothers Ali Imron and 
Mukhlas announced they had changed legal teams and were no longer represented 
by a Muslim lawyers' organisation, which still represents Amrozi and Imam 
Samudra; and 

* POLICE revealed they now believe a fugitive known as Idris sent the SMS 
message which detonated the Sari Club bomb. 

In the interview, General Pastika told The Daily Telegraph police have a wealth 
of witness statements against the suspects already in custody. But he said 
prosecutors were worried that these come mainly from the confessions of fellow 
suspects and there are no independent witness accounts. 

General Pastika is concerned that his forces may not be able to fulfil this 
wish - due to the secretive nature of the operation, independent witnesses are 
scarce. 

Police confirmed yesterday they would not be ready to return the dossier or 
brief of evidence of Amrozi to prosecutors this week, meaning there will almost 
certainly be a delay in beginning the first trial. 

"Some advice from the prosecutors we can fulfil but some, maybe not. We must 
get witnesses from outside who are not suspects. But this is a conspiracy, they 
talk only among themselves, not to outsiders," General Pastika said. 

"We have to convince the prosecutors of this and of the nature of the crime," 
he said, adding that this type of crime, terrorism, was new to both 
investigators and prosecutors. 

On the issue of the SMS message, The Daily Telegraph confirmed that police now 
believe a man known as Idris, who is still on the run, is the man who sent the 
SMS text message which detonated the most deadly of the Bali bombs - the Sari 
Club car bomb which killed the most people. 

Idris has previously been described as the assistant chief of the operation and 
a conduit between the boss and field operatives. 

But there is still confusion over who drove the explosive-packed mini van to 
the club because, according to police, the suspects are not being entirely 
truthful in their confessions. 

General Pastika said rifts were appearing between the suspects. Ali Imron has 
told investigators he was "very disappointed" that his co-conspirators, such as 
Imam Samudra, the commander of the operation, had not been entirely truthful 
with police, including withholding the vital information about the location of 
the house where the deadly bombs were made and tested. 

"Ali Imron said Imam Samudra is not the gentleman he thought before," he said. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ChannelNewsAsia.com
22 January 2003 1744 hrs (SST) 0944 hrs (GMT) 
Earthquake hits northern Sumatra 

An earthquake measuring 5.0 on the Richter Scale rocked Indonesia's northern 
Sumatra on Wednesday, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or 
damage.

Officials said the earthquake, whose epicentre was in the nearby Strait of 
Malacca, hit the region just before 10am local time, and that it was also felt 
in Medan, the capital of North Sumatra province.

Thai authorities also said the aftershocks were felt in the capital Bangkok, 
and several southern provinces like Phuket and Hat Yai.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Age (Melbourne)
FBI report pointed to Bali bombing
January 23 2003
By Marian Wilkinson, Washington

A confidential FBI report revealing that a key member of the extremist group 
Jemaah Islamiah planned to bomb Westerners in bars and nightclubs from Thailand 
to Indonesia is believed to have been distributed to America's allies almost 
two months before last year's Bali bombing. 

The report, obtained by The Age, was based on the confession of a top JI 
recruit, Mohammed Mansour Jabarah, who is in custody in the US awaiting trial.

Jabarah's confession confirms in detail that a meeting held by JI's operations 
chief, Hambali, in Thailand in January, 2002, decided to hit so-called "soft 
targets" throughout South-East Asia. 

At the meeting, according to the FBI report, "Hambali discussed carrying out 
attacks with his group. His plan was to conduct small bombings in bars, cafes 
or nightclubs frequented by Westerners in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, 
Philippines and Indonesia". 

Hambali, whose full name is Riduan Isamuddin, has been named by one of the Bali 
bombing suspects as the man who conceived and planned the attack on October 12 
that killed nearly 200, including 88 Australians.

Jabarah told the FBI that al Qaeda used specific code words in Asia, including 
the phrase, "white meat" to describe American interests.

The FBI report was first revealed in detail over the weekend by the Canadian 
newspaper The National Post. It charted how Jabarah, a Kuwaiti-born Canadian 
citizen, had been sent to the region by one of al Qaeda's most senior figures, 
the architect of the World Trade Centre attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, and 
worked with Hambali. 

He was captured in March last year in Oman and deported to Canada. His 
confessions, first to Canadian intelligence and then to the FBI, provide a 
disturbing insight into al Qaeda's strength in South-East Asia at the time of 
the September 11 attacks in America, long before last year's Bali bombing. 

The FBI report carries a note indicating it was distributed to other agencies 
soon after it was written on August 21 last year.

Although there has been no official confirmation that Australia received the 
report, defence and intelligence experts are convinced that the material would 
have been forwarded as a matter of course. 

Leading terrorism expert Clive Williams, of the Australian National 
University's Strategic and Defence Studies Centre said yesterday: "There is 
absolutely no question we would have received it under our intelligence-sharing 
agreement with the US, UK and Canada."

The report was significant because it revealed plans to attack soft targets, 
when previous intelligence leaks had only identified Hambali's call for 
terrorist attacks at the meeting in Thailand, Mr Williams said.

A spokeswoman for federal Attorney-General Daryl Williams refused to confirm 
whether the report was received.

She said the government was aware of a potential threat in the region and made 
a number of public statements to this effect before the Bali bombings.

"We issued warnings about travel in the region, including specifically around 
the anniversary of September 11," she said.

A government-commissioned inquiry late last year found that no information had 
been received warning specifically of the Bali attack.

The spokeswoman added: " "Also, both the US and the UK - independently - have 
publicly confirmed that they had no prior intelligence in respect of the Bali 
attack."

However, following the FBI report, and other intelligence gathering, the US 
embassy in Jakarta began issuing warnings in September to its nationals to 
avoids bars and night clubs frequented by Westerners in Indonesia. 

By the time the FBI produced its report, Jabarah had been in US custody since 
May. He was considered a big catch. 

Although only 19, Jabarah is believed to have travelled to Afghanistan in July, 
200, where he came to the attention of Osama bin Laden's top cadre. From there 
he was sent to Karachi in Pakistan where he met Khalid who had long set the 
September 11 attacks in motion. 

According to a report in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal, Jabarah met bin Laden 
four times before he was sent to South-East Asia by Khalid. 

He was specifically asked to plan attacks on Western embassies.

Jabarah was put in contact with Hambali, who was then the most senior 
operational commander of JI. 

In a chilling disclosure, the FBI report revealed that Jabarah was ordered to 
South-East Asia to work with JI only days before the New York and Pentagon 
attacks. He went on to Malaysia, according to the FBI report, and met JI 
operatives who were already planning to bomb the US and Israeli embassies in 
Manila. According to his FBI confession, Jabarah, "was in charge of financing 
for the operation". 

The Manila embassies proved too difficult to attack and led Jabarah and his JI 
colleagues to shift their attention to Western embassies in Singapore in 
October.

Singaporean authorities have revealed those targets included the Australian 
High Commission. 

Throughout the FBI report it is clear that Hambali, who had links to both JI 
and al Qaeda, was directing Jabarah and other JI operatives.

Videotapes taken by Jabarah and his group were later discovered in the deserted 
house of one of bin Laden's military chiefs in Afghanistan who died in the US 
bombing. 

Soon after that discovery, in early December, Hambali shut down the Singapore 
operation, advising Jabarah that they should instead "move the target back to 
the US and Israel embassies in the Philippines". 

But after Singapore began rounding up JI operatives, based on the US 
intelligence from Afghanistan, Jabarah fled Malaysia. 

In January, 2001, according to the FBI, Jabarah, Hambali and other JI 
operatives met in Thailand to discuss bombing Western civilians in the bars and 
nightclubs of South-East Asia. 

But by now, Western intelligence agents were in pursuit of Jabarah. He fled to 
Oman and was attempting to link up with al Qaeda leaders in Pakistan when he 
was arrested in March. 

Hambali had also left South-East Asia around this time, apparently handing over 
day-to-day operations to the Malaysian JI boss, Mukhlas, who is now in custody 
in Indonesia over the Bali bombing.

In August last year, according Indonesia police, senior JI operatives met in 
central Java and decided on Bali as their target. This was just as the FBI 
report on Jabarah's confession was being distributed.

Jabarah is now reportedly attempting to negotiate a plea bargain with the US 
Justice Department in exchange for his confessions.
-- with Mark Forbes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sydney Morning Herald
Family rift among bomb suspects
By Philip Cornford in Denpasar
January 23 2003

The smiling Bali bomber Amrozi has been shunned by his brothers, who have 
appointed a different team of lawyers to defend them. 

His older brother, Mukhlas, 42, and younger sibling, Ali Imron, 30, confirmed 
yesterday they have ended the services of a group of Muslim lawyers who have 
represented all the accused Bali bombers since their arrests.

Their move has stunned their former lawyers, who are also the defence team for 
Abu Bakar Bashir, the spiritual leader of the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiah 
(JI) and who is facing trial in connection with a series of bombings in 2000.

Their former lawyers met separately with Mukhlas and Ali Imron at their police 
prison and said later the men had told them they had made the change on the 
advice of their families. It is significant that they made no attempt to 
include Amrozi in the move.

"It is difficult to understand why they are doing this," said Ahmad Michdan, 
head of the team of lawyers which will continue to defend Amrozi and another 
accused bomber, Imam Samudra, 35. "You will have to ask the families why they 
did not include Amrozi."

The appointment of a separate team of lawyers is the first public indication of 
a rift among the prisoners, who are facing the death penalty. 

The lawyers are associated with Indonesia's fifth biggest political party, 
Bulan Bintang, one of whose members is the Minister for Justice, suggesting 
that the families of Mukhlas and Ali Imron, who are both married with children, 
are hoping to minimise their connections with JI.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ESPN.com
Wednesday, January 22, 2003
Tournament will raise money for Bali relief effort
Associated Press

Jakarta, Indonesia -- Ernie Els, Nick Faldo and Robert Allenby will play in a 
charity tournament in Bali to raise money for relief efforts and boost tourism 
in the wake of last October's deadly bombings.

Els, coming off consecutive PGA Tour victories in Hawaii, will headline the 
Bali Invitational at Nirwana Bali Golf on Feb. 8-9, according to event 
marketers IMG.

A fourth professional will also play but has yet to be announced.

The tournament is the latest effort by authorities and business groups to 
promote Bali since the bombings that killed nearly 200 people, most of them 
foreign tourists.

The $100,000 in prize money will be donated to four charities working on Bali's 
recovery, organizers said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Laksamana.net
Kopassus Behind Militia Attacks: Report
January 22, 2003 10:00 AM

Laksamana.Net - The Army's elite Special Forces (Kopassus) is reportedly behind 
recent incursions into East Timor by militia fighters. 

A leaked United Nations report alleges that gangs armed and supported by 
Kopassus have been entering East Timor and threatening to kill villagers and 
community leaders who oppose them, the AustralBroadcastingting Corporation said 
Wednesday (22/1/02). 

Militiamen on January 4 raided the hamlet of Tiarlelo near Atsabe town, which 
is 25 kilometers from the border with Indonesian West Timor. The bandits killed 
one man and left three people wounded, including two children. 

At the same time, another militia group attacked Laubuno village, 14 kilometers 
away, killing two people and wounding several more. Four more bodies have since 
been found, leaving a death toll of seven, The Sydney Morning Herald reported 
Tuesday. 

The use of automatic weapons and discovery of bullet shells from Indonesian-
issue SKS rifles raised fears of a return of Kopassus-ordered militia attacks. 

In the wake of the second attack, Portuguese soldiers were called in to 
disperse the militia after Australia reportedly rejected a request for 
intervention by Australian peacekeepers. 

Villagers later managed to capture between six to eight militiamen, at least 
one of whom reportedly confessed to being ordered by Indonesian soldiers to 
carry out the incursions. 

East Timorese Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta is certain the Indonesian 
government has no strategy to destabilize East Timor, but concedes that rogue 
Indonesian elements might have been involved in the attacks. 

Kristio Wahyono, head of Indonesia's diplomatic mission in East Timor, said he 
had been assured by West Timor military commander Lieutenant Colonel Tjuk Agus 
and militia leader Joao Tavares that no ex-militias had crossed the border and 
attacked. 

"If anyone did, there were certainly no instructions from the Indonesian 
military," Wahyono was quoted as saying by the Herald.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Australian
Unleash troops on militia: E Timor
By John Kerin and Terry Plane
January 23, 2003

East Timorese Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta has appealed to Australia to 
release its troops to combat Indonesian-military backed militia raids on the 
fledgling country.

Mr Ramos Horta said yesterday that incursions backed by elements of the 
Kopassus, Indonesia's notorious special forces, had become increasingly serious 
but the UN and the Australian Government considered the matters "low in order" 
of priority. 

"Contrary to some factors some people believe or try to make us believe these 
are not the internal problems of East Timor," Mr Ramos Horta told the ABC. 

"They are militias who train in West Timor (with) sophisticated weapons that 
totally overwhelm our police." 

Mr Ramos Horta said East Timor had proposed a joint operation between East 
Timorese troops and UN peacekeepers to put down the incursions. 

"That is where the UN has been a bit reluctant," he said. 

The comments follow claims by an East Timorese government official on Monday 
that the country was facing the greatest security threat since becoming an 
independent nation last May. 

West Timorese militia armed by elements of Kopassus, according to a UN report, 
made incursions into East Timor on January 4 and January 13. 

The official claimed Australian UN peacekeepers were reluctant to get involved 
in local policing matters and the incursions were repelled by villagers and 
Portuguese troops. 

Although the mandate for the UN-sponsored force is to be formally reviewed in 
May an Australian government source said yesterday it was almost certain it 
would be extended to May 2004. Australia has 1100 peacekeeping troops in East 
Timor - almost a quarter of the force. 

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said yesterday that while he was concerned 
about the cross-border raids there was no evidence they had been armed by 
Kopassus. 

Mr Downer said there had been no request from the East Timorese for Australian 
government help to repel the incursions. 

"The peacekeeping force isn't an Australian peacekeeping force," Mr Downer 
said. 

"There are Australians who play a very big part in the peacekeeping force but 
this is a United Nations peacekeeping force. 

"There have been a couple of incidents during January which have been a concern 
for us. 

"(But) this is a matter between the United Nations and the East Timorese, it 
isn't a matter that directly involves the Australian Government." 

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd said the Government was so 
preoccupied with the deployment of troops to Iraq that it was ignoring the 
threats to East Timor. 

"This view ... is danger ously naive and demonstrates just how distracted the 
Government has become by Iraq." 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ABC Radio Australia News 
22/01/2003 19:06:06
Australia accused of refusing security support for E Timor 

Australia's foreign minister Alexander Downer has rejected suggestions that 
Australia refused peacekeeper support for security in East Timor earlier this 
year.

A leaked United Nations report has warned that Indonesian-backed militias have 
infiltrated East Timor and threatened villagers and community leaders.

The federal opposition has accused the government of shirking its regional 
security responsibilities by not protecting East Timor against armed militia. 

The shadow foreign minister, Kevin Rudd, says peace keeping forces should be 
used to alleviate the threat. 

"East Timor is a new democracy - it's our neighbour - it faces threats to its 
security, therefore we have no alternative but to assist," Mr Rudd said.

Mr Downer says it is not an Australian peacekeeping force, but a United Nations 
force.

"There have been a couple of incidents during January which have been of 
concern to us and the East Timorese wanted the defence force to deal with one 
of those incidents - which they did," Mr Downer said.

"But this is a matter between the United Nations and the East Timorese. This 
isn't a matter directly involves the Australian government," he said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Age (Melbourne)
More Australian soldiers not needed: Gusmao
January 23 2003
By Jill Jolliffe, Dili

President Xanana Gusmao has denied a report that East Timor is seeking 
increased Australian military involvement in the territory to curb militia 
infiltrations from West Timor.

"We have been very happy with the performance of the peacekeepers," he 
said. "We don't need more Australian soldiers. They are needed for the war in 
Iraq; it's more important." 

Mr Gusmao also denied claims, attributed to an unnamed East Timor official, 
that Indonesia's elite Kopassus unit had sent in Timorese militiamen believed 
responsible for attacks in the Atsabe district. "The Indonesian Government has 
its own problems and doesn't have anything to do with this," he said. "These 
people are Timorese ex-militias who came from West Timor and are using local 
bandit groups. They might say they are sent by Indonesian generals but that has 
to be proved."

Eight men are being held in Dili on charges of disturbing security, illegal 
border crossing and transporting arms. According to defence lawyer Cancio 
Xavier, they surrendered peacefully to villagers in their home district of 
Bazartete a week ago.

"They said they had instructions by Indonesian army officers in Atambua (West 
Timor) to wage guerrilla war," he said. "But they changed their minds after 
crossing the border and decided to surrender."

A hunt is under way for other armed groups believed to have crossed the border 
last month. Seven people died in raids on Atsabe, 25 kilometres from the 
Indonesian border, on January 2 and 4. SKF automatic rifles, which are standard 
issue for the Indonesian army, were used in the attacks and were also carried 
by the Bazartete infiltrators.

After a meeting with the President, UN administrator Kamalesh Sharma also 
played down the situation. Asked whether East Timor was facing a major security 
crisis, he said: "There have been disturbances in some areas, and we hope that 
we can build up capacity to deal with it."

Mr Gusmao said the security situation was of great concern. "We know there are 
six or seven armed groups at large, and that those responsible for the Atsabe 
attacks fled south. If we don't disarm them we'll have further problems."

He said the planned withdrawal of UN peacekeeping forces in June next year 
would increase these worries.

The former guerrilla commander criticised human rights groups that have 
condemned the use of the Timorese defence force in special operations in 
Atsabe. He said although Timorese soldiers should only be used to counter 
external threats, the current situation was exceptional and covered by a UN 
agreement. "Two NGOs (non-governmental organisations) have spoken of human 
rights problems yet armed elements are attacking our population," he 
said. "They don't speak of this."