National

Indonesian Government to Request Latest Photo of Hambali
Saturday, 12 June, 2004 | 12:14 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The Indonesian Department of Foreign Affairs is to request the latest photo of Hambali, alleged leader of the Jamaah Islamiyah organization, who was arrested in Thailand and handed over to the US authorities sometime ago.

The Indonesian Government will make this request in order to find out the condition of Hambali aka Encep Nurjaman, an Indonesian allegedly involved in acts of terrorism.

“This is considered as a good idea as we will at least be able to see Hambali’s current condition,” Indonesian Foreign Affairs Department spokesman, Marty Natalegawa, told reporters in Jakarta on Friday (11/06).

Natalegawa said that the Indonesian Government also needed to pay attention to the protection of Hambali as an Indonesian citizen.

According to him, the government is worried that about the possibility of Hambali facing similar torture and harassment as took place at the Abu Ghuraib prison in Baghdad, Iraq.

“We have no idea how the US authorities have treated Hambali,” said Natalegawa.

As reported earlier, Hambali was arrested by Federal Bureau Investigation in his apartment in Ayutthaya, Thailand, on August 11, 2003, as he was alleged to be behind several acts of terrorism acts Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia.

The Indonesian Government has repeatedly requested the US Government for access to Hambali but all such requests have always been rejected. (Faisal - Tempo News Room)