SIRA chairman demands case against him proceeds<\/p>\n
BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): Detained chief of Aceh Referendum
\nInformation Center (SIRA) Muhammad Nazar demanded on Friday that
\nthe case against him be brought to court \"to reveal the truth
\nbehind all the conflict in Aceh\".<\/p>\n
Nazar talked to local journalists after a closed-door meeting
\nwith Aceh Governor Abdullah Puteh at the Banda Aceh penitentiary
\non Jl. Cut Meutia, about 100 meters away from the Aceh Police
\nHeadquarters on Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Nazar is currently a detainee of the Banda Aceh prosecutor's
\noffice, pending the trial on his case.<\/p>\n
\"I do not want my case to be dismissed.<\/p>\n
\"I want to go on with the trial as I believe my case is
\nrelated to the political situation here and that through the
\ntrial I can reveal the truth,\" he said, while adding that some of
\nhis personnel notes and diary had been taken away by the
\nauthorities during his detention.<\/p>\n
Nazar was responding to several calls from activists for his
\ncase to be dropped.<\/p>\n
He is being charged under Articles 154 and 155 of the criminal
\ncode for showing hostile intentions\/treason against the state and
\nfor expressing hatred against the government, respectively. The
\narticles carry a maximum sentence of seven years and four and a
\nhalf years in jail, respectively.<\/p>\n
SIRA is an influential non-governmental organization in Aceh
\nthat has been actively fighting for a referendum in the province.<\/p>\n
Governor Puteh only smiled and refused to talk to journalists
\nafter ending his one-hour visit at 2:30 p.m. local time.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Nazar said that the governor visited him to learn
\nabout his condition and exchange information about the latest
\nsituation in Aceh.<\/p>\n
\"As SIRA coordinator, I'm also glad to hear that GAM (Free
\nAceh Movement) have decided to remain committed to independence
\nthrough diplomatic efforts instead of armed struggle,\" he said.<\/p>\n
M. Nazir Djamil, a provincial legislator who also attended the
\nmeeting, said the event was \"merely a meeting between the Aceh
\ngovernor as the people's leader and the SIRA chairman as a local
\nfigure.\"<\/p>\n
\"We hope to maintain peace and togetherness in facing this
\ndifficult period for Aceh,\" Djamil said.<\/p>\n
Violence, however, continued to rock the province.<\/p>\n
In the town of Langsa, East Aceh, two policemen were
\nreportedly injured in an incident on Friday.<\/p>\n
Three people, including two soldiers, were killed in Aceh in a
\ndrive-by shooting on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\"Two soldiers, identified as Col. Rustam and Col. P. Hutasoit
\nwere shot dead when gunmen opened fire from a passing vehicle in
\nJuli Kedai Dua, Bireun regency on Wednesday,\" chief of Infantry
\nBattalion 113\/Jayasakti Lt. Col. Erda Bachtiar said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
A resident named Umar Sidi was also killed during the pursuit
\nof the gunmen.<\/p>\n
Not long after the shooting, some 100 houses and shops in the
\narea were set on fire.<\/p>\n
North Aceh police chief Adj. Comr. Wanto Sumardi blamed GAM
\nrebels for the shooting.<\/p>\n
But North Aceh GAM commander, Teungku Darwis Djeunib, denied
\nhis men were to blame.<\/p>\n
\"All (our) troops have been back at our base since Jan.16. I
\nthink the attack was the result of an internal dispute between
\nthe police and the military,\" Darwis said. (50\/edt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sira-chairman-demands-case-against-him-proceeds-1447893297",
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