http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/Swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=5373120
Tuesday 30.11.2004, CET 20:55 November 30, 2004 10:45 AM Indonesians recount bombing horror By Tomi Soetjipto JAKARTA (Reuters) - The relatives of Indonesians killed in last year's bombing of a Jakarta hotel have recounted tales of horror as the trial of Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, accused of leading al Qaeda's Asian arm, resumed. They were the first batch of witnesses called on Tuesday in a trial in which prosecutors are seeking to prove Bashir incited deadly attacks, including the suicide bombing of Jakarta's JW Marriott Hotel in 2003 that killed 12 people, and nightclub bombings in Bali in 2002 that left 202 dead, mostly foreign tourists. Sri Lestari described how her husband, a Marriott hotel security guard, suffered for more than a week in hospital before succumbing to the terrible burns covering most of his body. "For eight days, I saw him with a hose going into his mouth and I could not talk with him," she said before breaking down in tears. Her testimony had to be cut short as she could only give short answers between sobs. The second witness in the trial, which began in October and is expected to drag well into next year, lost his brother-in-law, a taxi driver trying to park at the hotel when the bomb exploded. "My brother was parking. His head was cut off and could not be found anywhere even until now. His legs were also gone. Only his arms were still intact," Husni said. A third witness, a Malaysian militant who fled to Indonesia to evade the police, told the South Jakarta court he was informed that Bashir had taken up leadership of Jemaah Islamiah by an Indonesian militant sentenced to death over the Bali bombings. "I was told by Mukhlas that after Abdullah Sungkar died in 1999, Bashir took over," said Syamsul Bahri, referring to a Bashir associate believed to be the founder of Jemaah Islamiah. Asked whether he had actually witnessed Bashir acting as the leader of the al Qaeda-linked group, Bahri said: "Never". Bahri, who met Bashir several times in Malaysia and Pakistan but never in Indonesia, also said he believed Jemaah Islamiah had no links to terror. Bahri is serving a three-year prison term for attending meetings which were also attended by perpetrators of the Bali and Marriott bombings. "JUDGES FEEL TERRORISED" The chief judge had to warn Bashir supporters to behave themselves. "The judges feel terrorised by the supporters who jeer every now and then," said judge Soedarto. Bashir and his supporters say his prosecution is a response to pressure from countries such as the United States, which they say is leading an anti-Islamic campaign in the name of the war on terror. Bashir was arrested shortly after bombs ripped through two Bali bars in 2002 but courts later ruled charges brought under the criminal code over his leadership of Jemaah Islamiah and links to earlier violence were unproven. Reuters ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> $9.95 domain names from Yahoo!. Register anything. http://us.click.yahoo.com/J8kdrA/y20IAA/yQLSAA/BRUplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> *************************************************************************** Berdikusi dg Santun & Elegan, dg Semangat Persahabatan. Menuju Indonesia yg Lebih Baik, in Commonality & Shared Destiny. www.ppi-india.uni.cc *************************************************************************** __________________________________________________________________________ Mohon Perhatian: 1. Harap tdk. memposting/reply yg menyinggung SARA (kecuali sbg otokritik) 2. Pesan yg akan direply harap dihapus, kecuali yg akan dikomentari. 3. Lihat arsip sebelumnya, www.ppi-india.da.ru; 4. Posting: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 5. Satu email perhari: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 6. No-email/web only: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 7. kembali menerima email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ppiindia/ <*> 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/
