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| September 24, 2003 | Wednesday | Rajab 26, 1424 |
Jakarta seeks details on arrests
JAKARTA, Sept 23: Indonesia’s foreign ministry on Tuesday summoned Pakistan’s ambassador to seek clarification on the recent arrest of two Indonesians for suspected terrorist offences, an official said on Tuesday.
Ambassador Syed Mustafa Anwer Husain met Mangasi Sihombing, a director-general of the foreign ministry, on Tuesday.
Mr Husain told reporters that the arrests were not made as a result of pressure from the United States or other countries and said Indonesia would be granted to its two nationals who had been detained.
Foreign ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa told AFP that the ambassador was summoned to “seek further clarifications, especially regarding the second arrest, that of Mohammad Syaifuddin.”
It is the second time ambassador Husain has been summoned in recent days. He was called to the ministry on last Thursday after it was revealed that “Gun Gun” Rusman Gunawan — the brother of alleged top Al Qaeda operative Hambali — had been arrested in Karachi on Sept 1.
Syaifuddin was arrested in Karachi on Saturday.
Mr Natalegawa said Indonesian diplomats in Pakistan were seeking access to their two nationals who are being questioned at undisclosed locations.
“We remain in communication with the Pakistani foreign ministry and its police over the issue,” he said, declining further comments.
National Police Chief General Da’i Bachtiar told journalists at parliament that he had not yet received an official notification of the arrests from the police.
“So far, after checking on the names, we have not yet found any record of crime involving them,” he said.
Gunawan is a younger brother of Hambali, who is already in US custody.
Hambali is the alleged operations chief of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) Southeast Asian terror group blamed for a string of attacks including the van bombing on the Indonesian resort island of Bali last October that killed 202.
JI is described as Al Qaeda’s affiliate in the region, and analysts have said Hambali holds senior positions in both organizations. He was arrested last month in Thailand and is being held at a secret location.
Indonesia’s Vice President Hamzah Haz on Tuesday called on Washington to be “open-minded” and allow Indonesian official direct access to Hambali to question him, Detikcom reported.
Pakistani authorities have said they arrested the two Indonesian students and 13 Malaysians for suspected “undesirable activities prejudicial to the interest of Pakistan.”
They were arrested in raids on three religious schools and some hostels after several weeks of surveillance.
An intelligence official in Pakistan told AFP there was “a possibility” some of the detainees had links with JI. Pakistani officials said the suspects would be deported to their home countries at the request of their respective governments.—AFP
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