ABRI begins pulling out combat troops from Aceh<\/p>\n
By Efendy Naibaho<\/p>\n
LHOKSEUMAWE, Aceh (JP): The Armed Forces (ABRI) have begun to
\nwithdraw troops from Aceh following the lifting of the province's
\nstatus as a military operation region.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, the first group of 250 soldiers left Aceh -- long
\nblighted by the excessively violent suppression of small numbers
\nof armed insurgents. The second group of 660 troops will leave on
\nAug. 31.<\/p>\n
From the first group to leave, 100 troops were returning to
\ntheir original base in Bangkinang in Riau, and a further 100 were
\ngoing back to Padang Panjang in West Sumatra. Fifty members of
\nthe Army's Special Force (Kopassus) were sent back to Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Let. Col. Agus Ramadhan, spokesman for the military command
\nwhich oversees Aceh, Riau, North and West Sumatra, said the
\nsecond group of soldiers (including 29 from Kopassus) would also
\nbe returned to their bases in Riau, Padang Panjang and Java.<\/p>\n
Maj. Gen. Ismed Yuzairi, chief of the Bukit Barisan Northern
\nSumatra Military Command, saw the troops off in a military
\nceremony here yesterday. Also in attendance were Aceh Governor
\nSyamsudin Mahmud -- who recently requested a formal lifting of
\nthe military operation status from the province -- local
\nofficials, religious leaders and some survivors of violent
\nattacks by separatist rebels.<\/p>\n
The troops looked happy and sang popular songs like Sayonara
\nand Di Sini Senang Di Sana Senang\" (here I feel happy, there I
\nfeel happy) aboard the 10 trucks leaving the city.<\/p>\n
ABRI Commander Gen. Wiranto, during his visit to Aceh on Aug.
\n7, decided to lift the military operation status from the
\nprovince and pull out all non-territorial soldiers. The move was
\nmade in the midst of mounting uproar over human rights abuses
\nperpetrated by the military in the province.<\/p>\n
Thousands of people have reportedly been killed, arrested and
\ngone missing, and thousands of houses have been burnt down in a
\nmilitary operation -- code-named Red Net -- which has been in
\nprogress since 1989, when it was launched to crush the Aceh
\nMerdeka separatist group.<\/p>\n
Col. Dasiri Musnar, chief of the Aceh military district, said
\nthe separatist group's activities have drastically declined and
\nits number of armed members had fallen to only 54.<\/p>\n
Passive members and supporters of the separatist movement, he
\nsaid, would no longer pose a threat to the people.<\/p>\n
He said 236 weapons had been confiscated over the course of
\nthe operation.<\/p>\n
Yuzairi asked the Aceh military district and the provincial
\npolice to cooperate more closely with local social and religious
\nleaders, and youth and students organizations to maintain
\nsecurity in the area.<\/p>\n
\"The presence of territorial troops and police should no
\nlonger instill fear and hatred in the local people. They must
\nadjust to the new situation and help to create a feeling of
\nsafety,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He also apologized for all the mistakes committed by the
\nmilitary during the nine-year operation. \"On behalf of the ABRI
\nleadership...I apologize to all the Acehnese people for the
\nwrongdoings committed by troops while they were stationed here,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Al Khatam, who witnessed the troops' withdrawal, denied the
\npresence of a separatist group in the province, saying that it
\nwas \"an old story.\" He also said people were happy to see troops
\nleaving because they would no longer have to live in fear of
\ndeath, arrest and torture.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in Pidie regency, Baharuddin Lopa from the National
\nCommission on Human Rights said yesterday that his four-man
\ndelegation intended to excavate a number of what people have
\nclaimed to be mass graves containing the victims of ABRI
\natrocities in the province.<\/p>\n
\"We are here for a serious business and ... (after we finish)
\nwe will recommend that Aceh be restored to the situation it was
\nin before the operation started,\" he was quoted by Antara as
\nsaying.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/abri-begins-pulling-out-combat-troops-from-aceh-1447893297",
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