Indonesia cracks down on terrorists

Plans for emergency death penalty

Indonesia's president Megawati Sukarnoputri prepared to issue an emergency decree that will introduce the death penalty for terrorists, as police widened their hunt for the Bali nightclub bombers yesterday.

An anti-terrorist decree would be the strongest indication since the Bali explosions that the Indonesian government is ready to crack down on militant Islamic groups after years of turning a blind eye to organisations linked to al-Qaida.

Under sweeping new powers that could be announced today, she will also allow the Indonesian police to arrest suspects without trial for the first time since the downfall of the military dictatorship in 1998.

Cabinet ministers said the presidential decree, which bypasses full parliamentary debate, will also include the establishment of a new intelligence agency.

Despite opposition from civil rights groups and leaders of the Muslim community, Ms Megawati won approval for the anti-terrorist measures yesterday from the speaker of parliament and other political leaders.

International pressure on Indonesia to take action intensified yesterday, when US president George Bush telephoned Ms Megawati to extract a promise of a "swift and decisive response" to the Bali bomb.

A more emotional vow to catch those responsible was delivered in person by the Australian prime minister John Howard, who flew into Bali last night for a memorial service.

Clearly moved by the tears of the many bereaved Australian families, Mr Howard said the atrocity could "never be understood, never be excused".

Driving home the message that Indonesia will be regarded as a dangerous, terrorist haven unless it acts, the Australian and British governments warned their nationals to leave the country yesterday, citing new intelligence that further attacks are likely.

Malaysia's intelligence agents yesterday named one of the country's citizens, Azahari Husin as a suspect in the Bali blasts.

"Azahari is well-trained in all types of bombs, especially remote-controlled explosives. He has experience in handling large amounts of explosives," a Malaysian government official told reporters.

In Indonesia, police arrested Habib Rizieq Shibab, the alleged leader of FPI, a fundamentalist organisation believed to be behind the bombing of several nightspots in Jakarta. He is not a suspect in the Bali bombing.

In Bali, detectives intensified their hunt for the bombers by bringing in two more men for questioning, one of whom is reportedly from Yemen, in addition to the two Indonesian men they have been interrogating for several days.

Investigators believe the attack was carried out by an eight-man team that travelled to the Kuta nightclub area in two vans. One of them - a Toyota Kijang with C-4 plastic explosives packed into its roof - was left outside the Sari nightclub, while the other was used for a getaway.

An international team of forensic experts is examining the rubble left by the explosion to discover whether the driver escaped or whether he was killed in the blast along with 180 mostly young foreign tourists.

In the crater left by the bomb, Indonesian police sifted through the dust with an artist's brush and a magnifying glass.

Amid the debris beside the Sari club, bulldozers pushed aside several layers of rubble, pausing every few minutes to allow Australian detectives to fill a small bag with human remains.

Indonesian police spokesman Saleh Saaf said the evidence so far suggested the attack was not the work of a suicide bomber. "The car was left on the street. That is from analysis because there was no human flesh found inside it," he said.

With parts of disintegrated bodies still being uncovered, the process of determining the death toll and identifying the victims is continuing and may never be completed.

In a sign of the still uncertain situation, the casualty figures provided by the British consulate have fluctuated daily as new missing persons are reported and others found. The latest totals are 11 identified dead, six dead who are believed to be British but whose identities have not yet confirmed, and 16 missing.

The confused and painstakingly slow progress has enraged many of the families who have flown to Bali to repatriate the remains of their loved ones.

Their anger has grown in the past two days as stricter Interpol criteria - using DNA and dental records rather than visual confirmation by friends or relatives - have been introduced at the recommendation of the Australian police.

With a long wait - possibly of several months - inevitable for many grieving families who have made the trip to Bali, detectives suggested anyone thinking of joining them should stay at home.

Contributor

Jonathan Watts in Bali

The GuardianTramp

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