Goff welcomes Bali bombing verdict

Foreign Minister Phil Goff has welcomed the guilty verdict handed down today in the first of the Bali bombing murder trials.

Amrozi bin Nurhasyim, who admitted taking part in last year's attack, has been sentenced to death by a court in Denpasar, Bali.

He is the first of over 30 suspects to be convicted for the bombing of two nightclubs in which 202 people were killed, most of them foreign tourists.

"We welcome the guilty verdict. The evidence, and testimony of the accused, was conclusive," Mr Goff said.

"I hope the verdict provides some sense of comfort for those who lost friends or relatives in this tragedy, and that they feel in some way justice has been done.

"New Zealand does not support the death penalty but it is for the Indonesian system to determine what the appropriate penalty should be.

"We will not be raising concerns about the death penalty being handed down in this case."

Mr Goff praised the speed with which Amrozi had been arrested and brought to trial.

"In pursuing the perpetrators of the Bali bombings the Indonesian Government has shown its commitment to fighting terrorism. We are partners in that.

"New Zealand joins with the international community in thanking the Indonesian Government, its police investigators and its prosecutors for their effectiveness in bringing to account those responsible for the bombing.

"Tuesday's hotel blast in Jakarta was a tragic reminder that the threat of terrorist attacks in Indonesia remains. The efficiency of the Indonesian court in dealing with the Bali bombing, however, sends a clear message to those who would engage in such activities," Mr Goff said.

Both attacks have been linked with Jemaah Islamiah, an al Qaeda-linked Islamic fundamentalist group believed to be operating in Southeast Asia.

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