Komnas HAM reports Aceh abuses<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) submitted to
\nthe government on Friday reports of human rights abuses since
\nmartial law was declared last May.<\/p>\n
Komnas HAM Chairman Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara said that
\nboth the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the Free Aceh Movement
\n(GAM) were committing rights abuses in the ongoing war.<\/p>\n
"We have monitored the escalating violence in Aceh since May
\nlast year and filed reports on a series of rights abuses in the
\nprovince," Abdul Hakim said after holding a meeting with
\ngovernment officials here.<\/p>\n
The government issued a presidential decree in May 2003
\ndeclaring a state of emergency in Aceh and imposing martial law,
\nwhere GAM rebels have been fighting for independence for the
\nresource-rich province since 1976.<\/p>\n
It also deployed over 40,000 military and police personnel in
\nthe province to fight some 5,000 poorly equipped Acehnese rebels,
\nraising fears of rampant human rights abuses.<\/p>\n
"The two warring parties, the TNI and GAM, should be held
\nresponsible for rights abuses in the province," said Abdul Hakim,
\nunderlining that "regardless of its non-state status, the
\nsecessionist movement has violated someone else's rights by
\nholding hostages."<\/p>\n
Abdul Hakim said rights abuses in Aceh could be put into five
\ncategories -- forced deportation of people, arbitrary arrest,
\nforced disappearances, rapes and extra-judicial killings.<\/p>\n
"We will immediately send a team to Aceh to hold further
\ninvestigations into the reports and we expect to conclude the
\nresults in two months," he said.<\/p>\n
During the meeting, the government was represented by acting
\nCoordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Hari
\nSabarno and TNI Lt. Gen. Djadja Suparman.<\/p>\n
"The government took our reports seriously and promised to be
\ncooperative," Abdul Hakim said.<\/p>\n
After several months of relative peace, order and stability in
\nthe province as a result of an internationally brokered peace
\npact, President Megawati Soekarnoputri decided that peace was
\nfostering separatism and so declared martial law on May 19, 2003
\nfor an initial six-month period. She, along with the TNI brass,
\nvowed to wipe out once and for all, the GAM secessionist movement
\nin that time, but was forced to extend it for another six months
\nin November after the military admitted it needed more time.<\/p>\n
The TNI has claimed that 1,300 GAM fighters have been killed
\nsince then, while around 2,300 rebels have surrendered.<\/p>\n
Despite the greater number of GAM members captured, the
\nmilitary thus far has confiscated just 1,000 weapons from the
\nrebels, fueling speculation that government troops have been
\ntargeting civilians in their purge against members of the
\nseparatist movement.<\/p>\n
Responding to widespread allegations of rights abuses in Aceh,
\nKomnas HAM set up posts in Bireuen and Lhokseumawe regencies to
\nreceive accurate reports directly from the field.<\/p>\n
Lhokseumawe is a regency where the Aceh Military Operation
\nheadquarters is located, while Bireuen is a regency the military
\nhas categorized as a GAM stronghold.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/komnas-ham-reports-aceh-abuses-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}