Monitoring team for Aceh set up<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The central government has established a monitoring and
\nassistance team to support Aceh's state of civil emergency
\nadministrator Governor Abdullah Puteh in making decisions.<\/p>\n
Underlining that Puteh does not have the authority to solely
\nissue regulations, ad interim coordinating minister for political
\nand security affairs Hari Sabarno said on Monday that the team
\nwould report to his office.<\/p>\n
\"The assistance component is to ensure the effectiveness of
\nthe comprehensive operation (of the administration), while the
\nmonitoring component is to supervise the budget used during the
\nemergency status,\" Hari said after a cabinet meeting led by
\nPresident Megawati Soekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
\"The governor does not have the authority to issue any
\nregulation without consulting the team,\" the minister said.<\/p>\n
Puteh is under scrutiny for his alleged involvement in a
\nmulti-million rupiah graft case during the year of martial law in
\nthe province.<\/p>\n
The government changed the status from martial law to a state
\nof civil emergency on May 19, and Puteh as governor was appointed
\nas the administrator.<\/p>\n
The assistant team consists of representatives from the
\nIndonesia Military (TNI), the Office of the Coordinating Minister
\nof the Economy, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the National Police
\nand the Office of the Coordinating Minister of People's Welfare.<\/p>\n
While the monitoring team comprises State Audit Agency (BPK)
\nofficials and the current independent monitoring team led by
\nIndonesian Red Cross (PMI) chief Mar'ie Muhammad.<\/p>\n
\"The officials will be appointed from Jakarta and are slated
\nto arrive in Aceh next week,\" Hari added.<\/p>\n
The presidential instruction on the establishment of the team
\nwould be issued after a full cabinet meeting on Thursday, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Separately, the lawyer of an Acehnese female activist and five
\nformer Free Aceh Movement (GAM) peace negotiators, Johnson
\nPanjaitan requested the government review its plan of
\ntransferring his clients to a penitentiary on Java island.<\/p>\n
\"Moving them to Java would isolate them from their families
\nand communities and eliminate the chance of their lawyers to
\nprovide legal assistance,\" Johnson said.<\/p>\n
He added his clients were waiting for the Supreme Court's
\ndecision on their appeal, so there was no need to transfer them.<\/p>\n
Johnson represents peace negotiators Sofyan Ibrahim Tiba,
\nNashiruddin bin Ahmed, Amni bin Ahmad Marzuki, Muhammad Usman and
\nTeuku Kamaruzzaman, who were sentenced to between 12 years and 15
\nyears of prison earlier this year by the Banda Aceh District
\nCourt. The verdict was upheld by the Aceh High Court.<\/p>\n
While the woman activist, Cut Nur Asikin, had been sentenced
\nto 11 years for her involvement in a rally demanding a referendum
\nin the province in 2000.<\/p>\n
Johnson said he had sent an official letter to the Ministry of
\nJustice and Human Rights regarding the request, but was yet to
\nreceive an answer.<\/p>\n
The government has been transferring prisoners from Aceh to
\nJava since January due to the limited capacity of penitentiaries
\nin the westernmost province.<\/p>\n
Asikin told the Post that an official from the justice and
\nhuman rights provincial office had informed her of possible
\ntransfers to Tangerang Penitentiary.<\/p>\n
\"I don't know when I will be sent to Java, but I guess it will
\nbe in the very near future. They told me to learn about the
\nideology of the Javanese people,\" she said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/monitoring-team-for-aceh-set-up-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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