Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda here on Thursday responded to the disappointment of Australia over the release of Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, saying that the country upheld the supremacy of law.

"The legal process in a country should be respected," said the minister, adding that the Indonesian judiciary made the decision based on clear evidence and other proof, although the Australian government and the people of Australia whose family were the big part of the 2002 Bali bombings victims were angered over the release of the cleric here on Wednesday.

"The case was handled by our independent legal institution, reflecting the firmness of punishment," he told reporters.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard earlier sent a letter to Indonesia about the anger of Australians over the release, but Indonesia said it has not received the letter.

Wirajuda said that the issue would not be put on the agenda of the upcoming meeting between Indonesian President Susilo Bamabang Yudhoyono and John Howard on June 26 in Indonesia's tiny island of Batam.

Indonesian intelligence chief Syamsir Siregar earlier on Thursday said that the intelligence would not conduct a surveillance on the cleric and foreign countries should not interfere in Indonesian domestic legal affairs.

"There is no surveillance. He (Baashir) is an ordinary citizen, " he said.

The 67-year-old cleric, sentenced for involvement in the first Bali bombings in 2002, on Wednesday completed a 25-month jail term. He was believed to be the spiritual leader of the Jemaah Islamiah terror network who committed the attacks that killed 202 people, most of them Australian holidaymakers.

Source: Xinhua