The Australian, January 07, 2003
No al-Qa'ida Bali links: Minister
By Patrick Walters, Jakarta
INDONESIA is yet to uncover any direct evidence of al-Qa'ida involvement in the Bali
bombing and other terrorist incidents, according to the country's most senior cabinet
minister.
In an exclusive interview with The Australian , the Co-ordinating Minister for Politics
and Security, Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono, also praised the work of the Australian
Federal Police, which he said had made a fundamental contribution to the success of
the Bali bombing investigation.
Mr Yudhoyono said the good progress of the investigation meant that trials of some of
those arrested in relation to the October 12 Bali bombing could begin as early as next
month.
He said Indonesian authorities had conducted intensive unpublicised investigations in
recent weeks, which had exposed the involvement of the radical Muslim network,
Jemaah Islamiah, in a spate of recent bombing including Bali and the Christmas 2001
church bombings.
Mr Yudhoyono said some members of Jemaah Islamiah had trained in Afghanistan
and some of them had been acquainted with Osama bin Laden before returning to
Indonesia.
"But there is no strong evidence right now of involvement of al-Qa'ida in acts of
terrorism in Indonesia."
He also said no direct evidence had been produced yet linking radical Muslim cleric
Abu Bakar Bashir with the Bali bombing.
Mr Yudhoyono said police had identified three local Jemaah Islamiah cells – East
Java (Ali Gufron alias Mukhlas and his brother Amrozi), West Java (Abdul Aziz alias
Imam Samudra) and Central Java (home of Bashir's Muslim boarding school) – from
which the network behind the Bali bombing was probably recruited.
"You could say that Bashir might know of the planning of acts of terror but there is no
hard evidence of his involvement. But the investigations are ongoing."
The Government's counter-terrorism strategy included building a legal framework by
which Indonesians understood that terrorism was not an indiscriminate crime,
overhauling the capacity of the police and other security agencies to fight terrorism
and convincing Muslims of the gravity of the threat facing their country.
"We realise terrorism is a serious threat to Indonesia. We have to counter that threat."
Mr Yudhoyono said the contribution of Australian police to the joint Bali investigation
helped improve the operational capability of Indonesia's police force.
"This is the first time our police have dealt with such a big terrorist act. The
contribution and the role played by Australian police has been really important."
Mr Yudhoyono warned that a US attack on Iraq could generate a wave of protests in
Indonesia.
"If the US acts outside the framework of the UN it could damage relations. We will
deal with that problem wisely and properly. When it happens Indonesia will do
something diplomatically but Indonesia realises (the importance of) its relations with
the US and its allies."
He also expressed concern about support for Papuan secession in friendly countries,
including Australia, and said both Canberra and Jakarta would have to maintain close
dialogue on matters relating to the Free Papua Movement.
© The Australian
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