The Jakarta Post, 5/29/2002 3:36:26 PM
VP visits school of Muslim cleric accused of terror links
JAKARTA (JP): Vice President Hamzah Haz on Wednesday visited an Islamic
boarding school in Central Java founded by Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, a Muslim cleric who
has been linked by Singapore to aterrorist network, reports said.
Hamzah met the director of the Al-Mukmin Muslim boarding school at Ngruki just
south of the Central Java town of Surakarta, AFP reported.
It was also reported that Hamzah delivered a speech in front of the boarding school
members, El Shinta radio reported.
The employee, who identified himself as Sofa, described the occasion as a "brotherly
visit" but declined to elaborate.
He did not say whether Hamzah would later meet the school's founder, Abu Bakar
Ba'asyir.
Singapore says Ba'asyir is a leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist group. Late last
year 13 suspected Jemaah Islamiyah operatives were detained in Singapore for
allegedly plotting to blow up US targets there.
Hamzah, who leads Indonesia's largest Muslim party the United Development Party,
earlier this month visited the detained leader of the Laskar Jihad Islamic militia, Jafar
Umar Thalib.
Critics said he was seeking support from hardline Muslim groups before the 2004
elections.
Jafar is being held for allegedly inciting a massacre of Christian villagers in the Maluku
islands, where thousands of Laskar Jihad fighters were deployed in recent years.
Indonesian police have questioned Ba'asyir over his alleged terror links but did not
detain him, citing lack of evidence.
The South Jakarta District Court rejected earlier this month a Rp 1 trillion libel suit
filed by Ba'asyir against the Singaporean ambassador over Senior Minister Lee Kuan
Yew's remarks in an embassy press release accusing the plaintiff of having links to
international terrorism.
Ba'asyir denies the allegations but has described Osama bin Laden, the alleged
mastermind of the September 11 attacks on the US, as "a true Muslim fighter".
The vice presidential secretariat said Hamzah's visit to the school would last for 50
minutes. Antara news agency said he would be accompanied by Health Minister
Ahmad Sujudi.
Hamzah's visit was made on the sidelines of a visit to Yogyakarta in Central Java, to
congratulate the local sultan, Hamengkubuwono X, on the marriage of his eldest
daughter on Tuesday. Hamzah was also opening a factory of state pharmaceutical
company PT Sari Husada.
All contents copyright © of The Jakarta Post.
|
