http://smh.com.au/news/world/ji-ban-no-solution-to-terrorism- pm/2005/10/05/1128191786291.html
JI ban no solution to terrorism: PM By Cynthia Banham and Tom Allard October 6, 2005 The Prime Minister, John Howard, confirmed yesterday that the Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, would go to Indonesia next week to "push" Australia's case for Jakarta banning Jemaah Islamiah. But Mr Howard continued to play down the "practical difference" that any banning by Indonesia of the Islamic group would have on stopping more terrorist attacks. He said Canberra had no power over the laws of another country. "It is not the be-all and end-all of tackling terrorism in Indonesia, and if it remains as it is or if it is banned in practical terms, it's not going to make an enormous difference," Mr Howard said. The Government has come under increasing pressure, particularly from Labor, since the weekend's Bali bombings to ramp up its efforts to have Jakarta ban Jemaah Islamiah, which both sides of politics acknowledge is a very sensitive internal political issue for Indonesia. The Opposition Leader, Kim Beazley, said yesterday that he "understood all the difficulties" but that the group should be banned because that would help contain its recruitment base for terrorists. Indonesia's senior diplomat in Australia, Kristiarto Legowo, said that a hard push to ban Jemaah Islamiah could undermine the investigation into the latest bombings in Bali. Mr Legowo said Australians should be in no doubt about his country's determination to track down violent extremists. "The police are still conducting an investigation and I think it is important to avoid something [like banning JI] which deflects our attention from this real issue," he said. "We should focus our attention on the investigation, finding these people wherever they are and bringing them to justice." Mr Legowo said that Indonesia had a "very good record" on terrorist arrests and convictions and was now determined to follow the rule of law. This, he said, meant that it could not treat the Jemaah Islamiah spiritual leader, Abu Bakar Bashir, differently, even if it meant cutting his sentence once again as part of a general decree related to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. "We need evidence that is really admissible in the court," he said when asked about Bashir's light sentence. "We can't sentence him if we feel he's guilty or think he is the perpetrator; we need the evidence." Mr Legowo, who is the chargé d'affaires at Indonesia's embassy in Canberra, said he had been humbled by the response of the Australian public to the latest attacks and thanked them for their support. "I am very happy to be posted in a country like Australia where there is strong support for the Balinese," he said. Mr Downer said the focus of his visit to Indonesia would be to "thank the Indonesian Government for what they've been doing in order to assist people as a result of the bombing". But he said the visit would also afford a "good opportunity to have a broader discussion with them about the issue of terrorism" ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Fair play? Video games influencing politics. Click and talk back! http://us.click.yahoo.com/VpgUKB/pzNLAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
