71 alleged rebels to be charged with treason

71 alleged rebels to be charged with treason

Nani Farida and Aan Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh/Lhokseumawe

While the military offensive to crush the armed rebellion in Aceh
continues, legal action against alleged separatists started on
Wednesday with at least 71 suspects facing charges of treason.

The police in Banda Aceh said that so far they had handed over
evidence on the 71 suspects' involvement in separatist activities
to the local prosecutor's office.

Provincial police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Sayed Husainy said
that the 71 rebels who were detained in the city and several
regencies in the province would be charged with trying to topple
the legitimate government, as well as armed criminal activity.

Most of the suspects and detainees have been interrogated both
by the police and the military without being accompanied by
lawyers. Only a very few of them actually expressly waived their
right to have a lawyer by their side.

The police statement made it clear that the suspects would
stand trial in the district court. This follows widespread rumors
that they would be indicted under the antiterrorism law, which
carries the death penalty.

Hundreds of other alleged rebels and GAM supporters who have
been arrested since the military offensive to quell the
separatist movement was launched on May 19 are still undergoing
military interrogation in Banda Aceh, while, according to the
police, those voluntarily surrendering to the security
authorities were being subjected to "special indoctrination"
before being set free.

Among the alleged GAM supporters in detention are a number of
civil servants and councillors, who the authorities say
politically and financially supported the armed rebellion, which
has lasted for around 26 years and claimed more than 12,000
lives.

The government, which has deployed around 40,000 military and
police personnel to Aceh, claims at least ten more rebels were
killed on Wednesday in separate clashes with security forces in
the province. This follows a claim that 18 rebels were killed on
Tuesday and 12 others over the weekend.

According to military figures, a total of 403 rebels had been
killed and more than 800 others arrested as of Wednesday.

Military operation spokesman Lt. Col Ahmad Yani Basuki said
the ten rebels had been killed in six clashes in five different
regencies.

Despite earlier claims that it controlled 100% of Aceh, the
military now says it only controls 75 percent of Aceh's
territory, but continues to insist that it has the support of the
majority of Aceh's four million people in its effort to crush the
separatist movement.

"The results of our evaluation so far shows that the TNI has
put 800 rebels who were killed or arrested out of action, and
most of GAM's physical and non-physical facilities have been
destroyed," Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu said in
Bandung, West Java, on Wednesday.

Despite these claims, he nevertheless said the war would
likely last for a long time to come as the military was facing
guerrillas who were staging an armed rebellion in inaccessible
areas.

"Of the most importance is that we have won the Acehnese
people's support because more and more people are daring to
oppose the separatist movement," he said.