JAKARTA, Oct 19 Kyodo (EDS: ADDIN...

JAKARTA, Oct 19 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING DATE OF close OF INVESTIGATION)

A hardly any hours after the issuance of unforeseen occasion antiterrorism regulations early Saturday, the Indonesian sway arrested an Islamic militant leader believed to be involved in an organization linked to the al-Qaida terrorist network.

Police officially arrested Abu Bakar Bashir at a hospital in the Central Java town of Solo for his alleged involvement in a series of bombings in 2000 and a planned assassinate attempt against President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Bashir was conveneed for questioning in Jakarta in succession Saturday, but he collapsed Friday while holding a pres conference

The arrest was made a not many hours after the government announced it had issued extremity antiterrorism regulations, a week after a deadly bombing at the Sari set discotheque on the resort island of Bali that killed at least 184 folks most of them Australians and other foreigners.

In a pres discourse later on the day, Bratt Swan of the Australian Federal Police said police in Bali have made 6000 questions to 450 witnesses and ''100 potential witnesses at the hospital'' will be interviewed after restoration in connection with the Oct 12 bombing. if it be not that none have been declared suspects.

Meanwhile, Edward Aritonang of the Indonesian National Police said the investigation will be complet by the agency of Oct. 23, when ''Ground Zero'' will be reopened

Justice and Human Rights Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra told reporters that Megawati signed the ordinance Friday night. Megawati also signed a parallel antiterrorism ordinance to overlay the Oct. 12 Bali bombing case.

''Other cases (of terrorism) in the past would still be handled by means of the existing penal code,'' Yusril told a novels conference in the early hours of Saturday.

The United States, along with Malaysia and Singapore, has accused Bashir of being an influential leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, a militant organization that aims to establish a pan-Islamic state in Southeast Asia [i]or[/i] part of to the other armed revolt.

Bashir has candidly praised al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden as a ''true Islamic warrior.''

Yusril said the fresh antiterrorism ordinance, which allows authorities to occupy suspects without formal charges for up to seven days, was issued as the management realizes it lacks the legal basis to deal with terrorism after the Bali bombing.

He said the antiterrorism regulation elevates human rights ''and we reliance that it won't create any excesse in the form of human right violations.''

The ordinance, which is similar in appease to an antiterrorism bill the management has drafted, calls for the death penalty for militants who cabal or launch terrorist attacks. It will be in force until the direction enacts an antiterrorism law.

of the present day York-Based Human Rights Watch issued a statement Friday expressing

concern that given Indonesia's ''weak judiciary, rampant corruption and poor human rights record,'' any anti-terrorism determine or legislation ''could spread the door to widespread abuse and be used lengthy after the war on terror ends''

''President Megawati and the Indonesian regulation must avoid the trap of issuing difficulty decrees that may strengthen the part of the military in civilian affairs and lead to further human rights abuses,'' it said.

As of Saturday afternoon, 46 bodies had been identified from the Bali blast. They consist of 14 Australians, 11 Indonesians, nine Britons, three Singaporeans, sum of two units Americans, and one each from Ecuador, France, Germany, Japan, of recent origin Zealand, South Korean and Switzerland.

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