http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/topofthehour ... ryId=52644

Immigration, not terror raps, eyed vs Dulmatin's wife

Charges in violation of Philippine immigration laws and not those in relation to terrorist acts could be lodged against the wife of Jemaah Islamiyah bomb expert Dulmatin, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said Monday.

"I don't think we have any law here that makes membership in the JI a criminal offense especially because we have no anti-terrorism law at this time," Gonzalez told an ANC interview.

The military claimed that Istiada Oema Sovie, an Indonesian national, had told probers that she is a JI member who has lived in Mindanao since 2003. She was arrested by the military in Patikul, Sulu, with her two sons last week. She was taken to an undisclosed safehouse in Manila on Monday.

Gonzalez said Dulmatin's wife is with the Bureau of Immigration for being an undocumented alien.

He said she will be charged for violating immigration laws because of her illegal entry and stay.

"She will definitely be charged with immigration violation. She is an illegal alien in this country and she came in without any credentials," he said.

Gonzalez said that authorities are continuing their probe on the woman who was brought to the DOJ office in Manila following an initial interrogation in Zamboanga City last week.

"We don't know what things we can discover from her answers to questions that are being asked of her. If she has become an active combatant with her husband, for example, then we could charge her," Gonzalez said.

During the DOJ questioning, Gonzalez said that Dulmatin's wife told him that her husband will not surrender to authorities.

The DOJ chief added that Dulmatin's wife understood the implication of her statements and justified them by saying that "they (JI members) believe that the JI is in a crusade for something good for Islam."

Dulmatin is believed to be holed up somewhere in the jungles of Patikul with Umar Patek, another JI member. Both are wanted for their roles in the October 2002 bombings in the resort island of Bali, Indonesia. The blasts left about 202 people dead.