Aceh military goes after activists<\/p>\n
Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh<\/p>\n
The Aceh martial law administrator has vowed to go after non-
\ngovernmental organization (NGO) activists in the province, saying
\nmany of them were accomplices of the separatist Free Aceh
\nMovement (GAM).<\/p>\n
\"What is certain is that the activists arrested (by security
\nofficers) are involved in the separatist movement,\" martial law
\nadministration spokesman Col. Ditya Sudarsono said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Ditya was asked to confirm the rampant arrests of activists in
\ntroubled province Aceh.<\/p>\n
At least three activists are now being detained by security
\nofficers in Aceh and many more have been placed on the wanted
\nlist.<\/p>\n
\"We don't consider them activists, but people who either
\nsympathize with GAM or openly help the rebels,\" Ditya told The
\nJakarta Post on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
He also admitted that many activists in Aceh had fled to
\nJakarta and other provinces outside Aceh.<\/p>\n
\"Outside Aceh they are shouting that the military has
\ncommitted abuses in Aceh. They (activists) do not change the
\nsituation for the better,\" Ditya said.<\/p>\n
The Aceh martial law administration, according to Ditya, is
\ndetermined to pursue those activists wherever they go.<\/p>\n
\"Clearly their actions hurt national interests. They have to
\nbe arrested and questioned,\" he stressed.<\/p>\n
He declined to reveal the number of activists the martial law
\nauthority was targeting.<\/p>\n
National and international NGOs have slammed the abduction of
\nsix student activist in Aceh recently by the police and demanded
\ntheir immediate release.<\/p>\n
The six detainees were identified as Harlina (22), Nova Rahayu
\n(23), Nursida (22) from the Acehnese Democratic Women's
\nOrganization (ORPAD), Iwan Irama Putra from the Linge Students
\nNetwork (IMPEL), and Syafruddin from the Students' Solidarity
\nwith the People (SMUR).<\/p>\n
The last was Masrizal, who is reportedly a member of GAM's
\nmilitary wing. The six were students of Syahkuala University and
\nAr-Rainiry Islamic Teaching Institute (IAIN) in the Aceh capital
\nof Banda Aceh.<\/p>\n
NGOs have said the students are human rights activists and
\nwere arrested as they had uncovered grave human rights violations
\nsince the imposition of martial law on May 19 last year.<\/p>\n
The government declared war against the Acehnese rebels in May
\nlast year to crack on the separatist movement which has been
\nfighting for independence for the resource-rich province since
\n1976.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, AFP reported that the police are denying access to
\na detained activist who has reportedly been beaten up. A lawyer
\nand his wifehave since last week been barred from visiting
\nMuhammad Nazar, the head of the Aceh Referendum Information
\nCentre.<\/p>\n
The centre campaigns for an independence referendum in the
\nprovince in Sumatra island, where police and troops are battling
\nseparatist guerrillas.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/aceh-military-goes-after-activists-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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