CANBERRA, Aug 25: Australia would leave no stone unturned in pushing Indonesia to lay fresh charges against a militant after he was acquitted of involvement in the 2002 Bali bombings, Prime Minister John Howard said on Wednesday.
Idris, alias Jhoni Hendrawan, was sentenced on Tuesday to 10 years jail for the bombing of the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Jakarta last year, but acquitted on a terrorism charge relating to the Bali blasts that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.
In acquitting Idris, the Indonesian court cited a July constitutional court ruling that annulled a law allowing anti-terror legislation to be used retrospectively in the Bali case and that has already been used to convict several people.
Mr Howard said he was concerned the court ruling that allowed Idris to be acquitted would also be used by others to successfully appeal their Bali bombing convictions. "We will continue to put all the legitimate pressure we can on the Indonesian government to make certain that these people remain in jail, remain punished and remain fully accountable before the law," Mr Howard told Australian radio.
"I can promise the families of the victims that no stone will be left unturned by my government to see that these people remain behind bars," he said. More than 40 people have been convicted of the Bali and Marriott bombings, which are both believed to be the work of the militant Jemaah Islamiah network. A suicide bomber blew up a van packed with explosives outside the Marriott, killing 12 people. -Reuters
