Remaining combat troops withdrawn from Aceh<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Armed Forces (ABRI) has pulled out the 300
\nremaining combat troops from Aceh following the restoration of
\norder in the riot-hit province.<\/p>\n
The troops were transported by military trucks from the Aceh
\nMilitary District Headquarters in Lhokseumauwe, North Aceh, on
\nWednesday. No ceremony was held to mark their departure.<\/p>\n
Lt. Col. Agus Ramadhan, spokesman for the Bukit Barisan
\nMilitary Command which oversees Aceh, North and West Sumatra and
\nRiau, said the troops would be the last to leave Aceh following
\nthe recent lifting of the province's status as a military
\noperation zone. \"As of today, Aceh is free of combat troops,\"
\nAntara quoted him as saying.<\/p>\n
The first and second withdrawals of more than 1,000 troops
\ntook place on Aug. 20 and Aug. 31 respectively.<\/p>\n
Combat troops had been deployed in the province since the
\nJaring Merah (red net) military operation was launched in 1989 to
\ncrush an Acehnese separatist movement.<\/p>\n
ABRI had postponed withdrawing the remaining troops following
\nthe recent riots in Lhokseumauwe and Idie Rayeuk in East Aceh. It
\nsaid the remaining troops would be withdrawn only after the
\nsituation in the province had been brought under control.<\/p>\n
Almost 200 shops, government offices and other buildings were
\nlooted and set on fire in a riot that rocked Lhokseumauwe only
\nhours after the second consignment of troops were withdrawn from
\nthe town. At least nine people have been detained for their
\ninvolvement in the riot.<\/p>\n
First Lt. Dwi Cahyono, chief detective in the East Aceh
\nPolice, said four people had been detained in connection with the
\nriot in Idie Rayeuk last week. Around 100 students have also been
\narrested for their role in the riot.<\/p>\n
Many have said the riots were engineered by certain parties
\nwho were attempting to prolong the combat troops' presence in the
\nprovince. ABRI has denied inciting the riots.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Aceh branch of Association of Indonesian Moslem
\nStudents (HMI) has called on Minister of Defense and
\nSecurity\/Armed Forces (ABRI) Commander Gen. Wiranto to set up a
\nteam to investigate the riots and alleged atrocities committed by
\nthe military in the province.<\/p>\n
\"Wiranto should set up an ABRI investigation team if the
\nrecent findings of the National Commission on Human Rights team
\nhave made him hesitant,\" Muhammad Saleh, chairman of the Aceh
\nbranch of the HMI branch, said.<\/p>\n
The investigative team set up by the rights body team recently
\nestimated that at least 780 people were killed during the
\nmilitary operation in the province. They also exhumed a number of
\nhuman skeletons from several mass graves in the province which
\nare believed to contain the remains of those who died at the
\nhands of the military. Wiranto has disputed some of the team's
\nfindings.<\/p>\n
A House of Representatives fact-finding team which recently
\nvisited the province on a similar mission, called on President
\nB.J. Habibie to visit Aceh.<\/p>\n
However, Muhammad said it would be better for the military to
\nset up a fact-finding team than for Habibie to pay an official
\nvisit.<\/p>\n
A military honor council was set up by Wiranto last month to
\ninvestigate the abduction of a number of political activists. As
\na result of the council's findings, former Army Special Force
\n(Kopassus) commander Lt.Gen.(ret) Prabowo Subianto was discharged
\nfrom the Armed Forces and two senior Kopassus officers were
\nremoved from active duties. The whereabouts of the missing
\nactivists remains unclear. (rms)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/remaining-combat-troops-withdrawn-from-aceh-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}