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ASIA-PACIFIC 
Garuda crash pilot gets bail
Friday, 15 February, 2008
The Garuda pilot of a plane that crashed killing 21, including five Australians, has been released on bail.
Captain Marwoto Komar has been in police custody in the central Java city of Yogyakarta since being arrested almost two weeks ago.
Police have indicated he will be charged with negligence over the crash when he faces court soon.
He is believed to be the first pilot to face criminal charges over a plane crash in Indonesia, which has a bad aviation safety record.
"Bail for the pilot has been granted," his lawyer Mochtaryudi said.
Komar left the Yogyakarta police headquarters this evening, smiling and accompanied by his lawyer.
"Thanks to the chief of the Indonesian Police and the chief of Yogyakarta Police," Komar said.
"I'm glad now that I can meet my family again."
Komar's arrest sparked protests in Jakarta earlier this month, with dozens of pilots from across the archipelago calling for his release.
The Boeing 737 overshot the runway after landing too fast in March last year and burst into flames.
Five Australians travelling to Yogyakarta for an official visit by the then Foreign Minister Alexander Downer were among those killed.
An air safety inquiry report last year found Komar ignored 15 automatic warnings not to land.
Source: AAP
