The Jakarta Post, 5/30/2002 2:12:49 PM
VP defends meeting with cleric accused of terror links
JAKARTA (JP): Vice President Hamzah Haz on Thursday defendedhis meeting with a
Muslim cleric who has been linked by Singaporeto regional terrorism, saying they
talked about Islam's peacefulmessage, report said.
Hamzah, speaking to reporters about his meeting with AbuBakar Ba'asyir, also said
there is "no such thing" as aninternational terrorist network in the country,
AFPreported.
Singapore says Ba'asyir is a leader of the Jemaah Islamiyahregional terrorist group.
Late last year 13 suspected JemaahIslamiyah operatives were detained in the island
republic forallegedly plotting to blow up US targets there.
Hamzah met Ba'asyir, 64, during a visit Wednesday to the Al-Mukmin Muslim
boarding school founded by the cleric nearSurakarta in Central Java.
Asked what they talked about, Hamzah replied as quoted by thenews agency: "I said
that Islam should be used as a symbol ofpeace. Activities of Islamic boarding schools
should be thereflection of the notion. That is what I'm hoping for."
He said the National Police chief had made it clear there wasno international terror
network in the country and the centralbank had found no evidence of terrorist funds
here.
AFP quoted the US State Department, which in itsannual report this month,
expressed concern that as of lastDecember "terrorists related to al-Qaeda, Jemaah
Islamiyah, andKMM (the Malaysian Mujahedin Group) were operating in Indonesia."
Hamzah, who leads the largest Muslim party the UnitedDevelopment Party, earlier
this month visited the detained leaderof the Laskar Jihad Islamic militia, Jafar Umar
Thalib.
Critics said Hamzah was seeking support from hardline Muslimgroups before the
2004 elections.
Jafar is being held for allegedly inciting a massacre ofChristian villagers in the Maluku
islands, where thousands ofLaskar Jihad fighters were deployed in recent
years.Indonesian police have questioned Ba'asyir over his allegedterror links but did
not detain him, citing lack of evidence.
Ba'asyir denies the allegations. He has described al-Qaedaleader Osama bin Laden,
who was the alleged mastermind of theSeptember 11 attacks on the US, as "a true
Muslim fighter".
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