Australia's leader vowed yesterday to pressure Indonesia into ensuring militants convicted of the Bali bombings are punished, after an Indonesian court dropped charges against a confessed conspirator in the attack that killed scores of Australians.
Indonesian Jhoni Hendrawan, alias Idris, was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison for involvement in a bombing at a Jakarta hotel, but was cleared of charges of helping to plan the October 2002 attack on the resort island of Bali.
The ruling followed a decision by Indonesia's Constitutional Court last month that prohibited the retroactive application of the anti-terror law used to charge him. The law had been enacted after the Bali attacks, which killed 202 people including 88 Australians.
Tuesday's verdict raised concern that the 32 militants previously convicted over the Bali bombings could be freed on appeal.
Howard said yesterday he would do all he could to ensure the militants were punished.
"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," Howard told Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC) 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."
Howard also expressed concern that the convicted Bali bombers would appeal, as many of them have said they planned to.
"It doesn't automatically follow that people already in custody and already convicted of offenses can be freed as a result of the Constitutional Court decision," Howard told ABC.
Another 10 defendants face terror charges over Bali and more are expected to be arrested in the ongoing Indonesian police investigation.
After Tuesday's ruling was announced, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer suggested Hendrawan be charged with murder.
Hendrawan was imprisoned for providing the chemicals for the bomb in the J.W. Marriott Hotel blast that killed 12 people in August last year.
Prosecutors had accused Hendrawan of playing a role in the Bali blasts, including attending planning meetings and helping survey the two nightclubs targeted in the attacks.
In earlier court sessions, Hendrawan admitted taking part in both attacks, which he said were aimed at America and "its henchmen who oppress Islam."
Both attacks were blamed on the al-Qaeda linked Jemaah Islamiyah terror network, which allegedly has operatives throughout Southeast Asia.
Four contenders are squaring up to succeed Antonio Guterres as secretary-general of the UN, which faces unprecedented global instability, wars and its own crushing budget crisis. Chile’s Michelle Bachelet, Argentina’s Rafael Grossi, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan and Senegal’s Macky Sall are each to face grillings by 193 member states and non-governmental organizations for three hours today and tomorrow. It is only the second time the UN has held a public question-and-answer, a format created in 2016 to boost transparency. Ultimately the five permanent members of the UN’s top body, the Security Council, hold the power, wielding vetoes over who leads the
A humanoid robot that won a half-marathon race for robots in Beijing on Sunday ran faster than the human world record in a show of China’s technological leaps. The winner from Honor, a Chinese smartphone maker, completed the 21km race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, said a WeChat post by the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, also known as Beijing E-Town, where the race began. That was faster than the human world record holder, Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo, who finished the same distance in about 57 minutes in March at the Lisbon road race. The performance by the robot marked a significant step forward
An earthquake registering a preliminary magnitude of 7.7 off northern Japan on Monday prompted a short-lived tsunami alert and the advisory of a higher risk of a possible mega-quake for coastal areas there. The Cabinet Office and the Japan Meteorological Agency said there was a 1% chance for a mega-quake, compared to a 0.1% chance during normal times, in the next week or so following the powerful quake near the Chishima and Japan trenches. Officials said the advisory was not a quake prediction but urged residents in 182 towns along the northeastern coasts to raise their preparedness while continuing their daily lives. Prime
HAZARDOUS CONDITION: The typhoon’s sheer size, with winds extending 443km from its center, slowed down the ability of responders to help communities, an official said The US Coast Guard was searching for six people after losing contact with their disabled boat off the coast of Guam following Typhoon Sinlaku. The crew of the 44m dry cargo vessel, the US-registered Mariana, on Wednesday notified the coast guard that the boat had lost its starboard engine and needed assistance, Petty Officer 3rd Class Avery Tibbets said yesterday. The coast guard set up a one-hour communication schedule with the vessel, but lost contact on Thursday. A Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules aircraft was launched to search for the six people on board, but it had to return to Guam because of
RSS