No interference in Aceh People's Congress: Minister<\/p>\n
BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): Minister of Human Rights Affairs
\nHasballah M. Saad assured on Thursday the government's neutrality
\nin the long-awaited Aceh People's Congress (KRA) slated to be
\nheld in mid-May.<\/p>\n
"The government will not meddle with the preparations or the
\nresults of the congress. We will leave it up to the Aceh people,"
\nHasballah said during a meeting with the Indonesian Teachers
\nUnion (PGRI) on the eve of the first joint military-civilian
\ntrial of human rights case here on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
"The government will only hope that KRA will be the highest
\ndemocratic forum for Acehnese to further decide the province's
\nfuture," Hasballah said.<\/p>\n
However, the government will reply to any recommendation
\nresulting from the congress by forging a team comprised of a
\nnumber of ministers and related officials, Hasballah said.<\/p>\n
"We hope a dialog between the government and congress
\nrepresentatives will occur in order to end the violence in the
\nprovince, as well as supporting a fair political solution," the
\nminister said.<\/p>\n
A week-long congress was originally slated to start on April
\n22 -- just two days after the opening session of the joint
\ntribunal -- but was delayed by the chairman of the event
\ncommittee, Tengku Syech Syamaun Risyad, who claimed there was too
\nlittle promotion to make it worthwhile.<\/p>\n
Reports, however, said that people were made nervous by the
\nlarge security presence which was aimed at safeguarding the joint
\ntrial on the Bantaqiah murder case along with the widespread
\nviolence in Banda Aceh and neighboring Aceh Besar regency.<\/p>\n
Organizers have not set a new date for the week-long congress,
\nwhich was initially slated to be attended by around 1,500
\nparticipants, including representatives from the moderate wing of
\nthe Malaysian-based Free Aceh Movement Administrative Council.<\/p>\n
GAM's armed wing commander Tengku Abdullah Syafi'ie has
\nrejected the congress because "KRA has been interfered with by
\nJakarta". He said if the congress went forward, GAM would call
\nfor a mass strike.<\/p>\n
Hasballah, however, expressed guarded optimism that the
\ncongress would run in a democratic way and be free from
\nintimidation and fear.<\/p>\n
"Every district in Aceh is free to appoint their
\nrepresentatives. So it will be fair to everyone," he said, adding
\nthat apart from the congress, the government had been holding
\nunofficial talks with GAM leaders on the future of Aceh.<\/p>\n
Violence, however, continued to rock Aceh. In Tapak Tuan,
\nSouth Aceh, one man was killed and two others injured when gunmen
\nraided a house in the village of Berudang around 7:45 p.m.
\nWednesday.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Sgt. Maj. Abdul Wahab and First Sgt. Haswari were
\nshot to death by unidentified gunmen in separate frays in Banda
\nAceh and Peusangan district in Bireuen hours after the joint
\ntribunal on Wednesday, police said.<\/p>\n
In Lhokseumawe, North Aceh, a grenade blast injured three
\nsoldiers late on Wednesday. No details were available, however.
\n(50\/51\/edt)<\/p>",
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