The only suspect to show remorse for the carnage of last year's deadly Bali bombings went on trial yesterday, accused of planning and carrying out the attacks that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.
Ali Imron, the fourth key suspect to face justice over the Oct. 12 bombings, appeared in court in a Western-style suit and tie, and not the Islamic attire worn at earlier hearings for the other main accused -- Imron's two older brothers Amrozi and Mukhlas and alleged mastermind Imam Samudra.
Also unlike the other suspects -- who punctuated their court appearances with theatric shouts of religious slogans and claims that the blasts were part of a holy war against the enemies of Islam -- Imron sat quietly as charges were read against him.
All four men have admitted taking part in the blasts and face the death penalty if found guilty under newly passed anti-terror laws.
Earlier yesterday, judges said they would announce a verdict against Amrozi on Aug. 7.
At the start of his trial, Imron looked straight ahead as prosecutors detailed how he allegedly helped assemble the bombs and drove the minivan used in one of the blasts to the scene of the attack.
"The defendant took part in the planning ... and the execution of the Bali bombings," prosecutor Gusti Putu Sulaba said.
The trial was adjourned until next week when prosecutors will call their first witnesses.
After his arrest last year, Imron gave a media conference in which he showed reporters how he and others allegedly assembled the explosives used in one of the bombs.
"In my heart, I regret this," he said at the time. "I want to apologize to the victims' families in Indonesia and to foreign families."
Imron's lawyer told reporters on Sunday that his client believed the attack was not permitted under Islam.
"Imron is not like Amrozi," said Suyanto, who goes by a single name like many Indonesians. "He believes that jihad in Bali is wrong."
Imron, described in court as a religious teacher, is one of more than 30 people arrested over the blasts. At least nine are accused of playing a direct role in the attack.
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the southern coast of Mindanao in the Philippines at 7:38am today, prompting the US Tsunami Warning System to issue an alert for neighboring countries, including Taiwan. The system issued a purple alert indicating a "tsunami threat." The potential threat zone includes Taiwan, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Yap and Palau. Philippine authorities were assessing the damage from the quake, with the office of civil defense seeking to verifying initial reports that 15 people had been killed and 129 injured in the region, mostly from falling debris. Arlene Hollero, disaster chief of Maasim town in the Philippines' Sarangani Province,
‘GRAY ZONE’ PRESSURE: Beijing’s activities are intended to create the deceitful impression that China has jurisdiction over the area around Taiwan, the CGA said Taiwan’s rights over its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone must not be violated by any country, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that it will not accept any unprovoked actions. The council issued the remarks in response to the China Coast Guard conducting maritime enforcement drills near eastern Taiwan and claiming to fully exercise China’s maritime administrative law enforcement authority. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) has been closely monitoring the situation and is taking concrete steps to defend the nation’s sovereignty and secure its waters, the council said. China has no sovereign rights over the waters off eastern
RESILIENCE: Taiwan plays a key role in semiconductors, energy, information infrastructure and advanced manufacturing, AIT Director Raymond Greene said Taiwan’s continued investment in deterrence and resilience remains vital, especially in uncrewed systems and other emerging technologies, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene said yesterday. Greene made the remarks at the annual National Strategic Summit on Supply Chain Resilience held by the Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET), a government-backed think tank. As Taiwan last year became the US’ fourth-largest trading partner and supply chain security is becoming more important, cooperation in emerging technologies continues to deepen between the two countries, he said. The US is committed to accelerating innovation, building key infrastructure, strengthening cooperation
RIGHT DIRECTION: Taiwan’s efforts to prevent forced labor include a proposal to ‘fully prohibit’ employers from withholding workers’ documents, an official said Taiwan is to establish a mechanism to restrict imports of goods linked to forced labor, the Executive Yuan said yesterday, after the US proposed imposing additional tariffs on Taiwanese goods over labor concerns. “The Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Economic Affairs are to establish an interministerial review procedure,” Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said at a news briefing in Taipei. “The government is to use the Foreign Trade Act [貿易法] as the legal basis to restrict imports of goods produced with forced labor” and bring its supply chain governance more in line with international standards on human rights, resilience
RSS