Rights body tries to make amends with military<\/p>\n
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Lhokseumawe, Aceh<\/p>\n
In an apparent attempt to bury the hatchet with the Indonesian
\nMilitary (TNI), the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas
\nHAM) has pledged its support to the ongoing conflict in Aceh.<\/p>\n
Komnas HAM members Achmad Ali and Taheri Noer met with
\nhundreds of soldiers at the Blang Rancung military post in
\nSyamtalira Aron regency on Sunday to give them a primer on human
\nrights regulations.<\/p>\n
\"Komnas HAM is not a monster to the TNI and nor is the TNI to
\nus. You (the soldiers) should not think human rights is a
\nnightmare anymore. The emergency law stipulated here gives many
\nexceptions to laws which protect basic rights.<\/p>\n
\"You are doing a noble job here, where your life is at stake.
\nHuman rights violations are natural under such conditions, but
\nthe issue is whether there can be legal sanctions given to the
\nperpetrators,\" Achmad Ali told the soldiers.<\/p>\n
Soldiers convicted for crimes such as rape should not question
\ntheir commanders' policy to bring them to trial, said Achmad Ali,
\napparently unaware that the 411th Infantry Battalion, which had
\nthree members convicted of rape, were in attendance.<\/p>\n
Military Operation Commander Maj. Gen. Bambang Dharmono also
\nwas in attendance, as well as soldiers of the Aceh marines, and
\nthe Army's 143rd Infantry Battalion, the 3rd Marine Battalion and
\nthe Mobile Taskforce 3rd Battalion.<\/p>\n
One of the marines told The Jakarta Post that although their
\ncommander had always given them guidelines on human rights
\nissues, it was the first time they had ever heard it from a \"key
\nsource\".<\/p>\n
The soldiers asked many questions about whether what they had
\ndone was a violation of people's basic rights and whether their
\nown basic rights were protected by the commission.<\/p>\n
\"The plenary meeting of Komnas HAM, which is the only
\ndecision-making institution, has never called for an end to the
\nmilitary operation in Aceh. Just do your job. If you don't shoot
\nor bomb, you are not soldiers, just a joke,\" said Achmad Ali.<\/p>\n
The grudge between the TNI and Komnas HAM started when the
\nlatter conducted investigations into possible rights violations
\nby the military and police in East Timor in 1999, the bloodshed
\nin Tanjung Priok, East Jakarta, in 1984, and the shootings of
\nstudents in 1998 and 1999 in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The latest quarrel occurred when Komnas HAM's monitoring team
\nfor war in Aceh, led by M.M. Billah, said it had evidence of mass
\ngraves and other rights abuse cases. There was yet a further
\ninvestigation into the accusation.<\/p>\n
In a press conference, Achmad Ali admitted that the team's
\nthree-day visit to the province was part of efforts to show them
\nthat \"the commission is not an enemy of the TNI\" and reduce
\npossible rights violations during the military operation.<\/p>\n
When asked whether the fence-mending campaign was too late to
\nhave an affect, Achmad Ali said it was a follow-up because they
\nhad started it at the marine post in Surabaya long before the
\ntroops were sent to Aceh.<\/p>\n
Bambang Dharmono, who welcomed the team, told reporters that
\nthe cooperation with Komnas HAM to give lectures on human rights
\nwas evidence of the military's concern of such issues.<\/p>\n
\"We scheduled the team to meet the soldiers on duty in North
\nAceh and Pidie regencies, because there are the concentration
\npoints of troops,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/rights-body-tries-to-make-amends-with-military-1447893297",
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