Not all GAM members to receive amnesty: Official<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government said on Thursday that not all members of the Free
\nAceh Movement (GAM) would receive amnesty, with those being
\njailed for criminal offenses remaining in jail.<\/p>\n
State Minister of Communications and Information Sofyan Djalil
\nsaid that only political prisoners would be released.<\/p>\n
\"Only prisoners who were charged with treason will receive the
\namnesty, while others charged for crimes will not enjoy such
\npardons,\" Sofyan told reporters following a meeting with other
\ngovernment officials to discuss \"technical matters\" on how to
\nimplement the points agreed by the government and GAM leaders
\nduring last week's peace talks in Helsinki.<\/p>\n
\"Currently, all related ministries and institutions will
\nconduct further arrangements in regard with the amnesty -- that
\nincludes the time-line, the recipients, the conditions and the
\nlegal opinions -- and all of the arrangements must be in line
\nwith our legal system,\" added Sofyan, who was among the
\ngovernment negotiators at the Helsinki talks.<\/p>\n
Among of the agreed points during the talks was that the
\ngovernment would grant an amnesty to GAM members in return for
\ntheir dropping demands for independence.<\/p>\n
The amnesty, which is expected to be given two weeks after the
\ngovernment and GAM leaders officially sign the peace deal on Aug.
\n15, will restore the political, economic and social rights of GAM
\nmembers, who for the past three decades have been fighting for
\nthe separation of Aceh from the unitary state of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The Minister, however, did not disclose the number of GAM
\nprisoners who would enjoy the amnesty.<\/p>\n
According to the Indonesian military there are currently
\naround 1,300 active GAM members and another 1,300 being detained
\nin various prisons in Indonesia including hundreds in the maximum
\nsecurity prison on the island of Nusakambangan in Central Java.<\/p>\n
Most GAM prisoners have been jailed on criminal offenses
\nincluding possession of illegal firearms and collection of
\nillegal taxes (locally called Pajak Nanggroe) from Acehnese to
\nraise funds for their struggle, human rights activists have said.
\nThis means that only a few GAM prisoners would walk free from
\njail once the peace deal has been formally signed.<\/p>\n
Many of the prisoners jailed in Aceh died during the Dec. 26
\ntsunami disaster.<\/p>\n
The tsunami also destroyed all documents about the prisoners.<\/p>\n
Former secretary general of the National Commission on Human
\nRights (Komnas HAM) Asmara Nababan has suggested both the
\ngovernment and GAM leadership change the terms of the amnesty to
\na \"public pardon,\" meaning that all GAM members would receive
\namnesty including those being jailed for criminal offenses.<\/p>\n
A member of GAM's negotiating team Mohammed Nur Djuli has also
\nsaid that the amnesty should be granted to all Acehnese
\nprisoners.<\/p>\n
GAM launched its separatist struggle in 1976. The government
\nand the rebels group agreed a truce in December 2002, but this
\nquickly collapsed with both camps exchanging accusations of
\nviolations.<\/p>\n
In mid-May 2003, the government declared martial law in Aceh
\nand launched a major military offensive against the rebels.
\nRenewed efforts to make peace were triggered by the tsunami
\ndisaster.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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