Aceh bloodshed continues despite peace talks

Aceh bloodshed continues despite peace talks

JAKARTA (JP): Bloodshed continued in strife torn Aceh on
Monday even as fresh peace talks on the troubled province got
underway at a secret Swiss location.

Indonesian government officials and separatist rebels of the
Free Aceh Movement (GAM) began their behind-closed-doors
discussions amid a media blackout, AFP reported from Geneva.

The two sides which launched a dialog last year are expected
to continue their discussions until Wednesday, sources close to
the talks said.

In May both sides agreed to a three-month truce, dubbed a
"humanitarian pause" that started in June and has been extended
until Jan. 15. Jakarta has said it will not seek another
extension of the accord.

Meanwhile in Aceh conflict continued with the latest death
toll rising to 33 people killed already the past eight days.

In the latest recorded violence, five people were killed in
North Aceh. One of the fatalities was a Free Aceh Movement (GAM)
rebel, while the remaining four were civilians.

The GAM rebel, identified as Marzuki, 23, was shot dead in a
joint police and military sweeping operation at noon on Monday in
Lhok Bintang Hu village, of Tanah Jambo Aye district in North
Aceh.

"We seized a pistol from the deceased," head of North Aceh
Police Adj. Chief Comr. Wanto Sumardi said later in the day.

The four other victims, aged between 26 and 30, were recovered
from Padang Sakti village in Muara Dua district, near the PT Arun
gas pipeline in North Aceh. Two of the bodies have been
identified as Junizar and Iswadi.

Residents found the bodies after a fierce pre-dawn gunfight
between rebels and security troops at around 1 a.m. on Monday.

"We suspect the four were members of GAM," officer Wanto said.

GAM commander in North Aceh Abu Sofyan Daud confirmed that
Marzuki was a GAM member, while the remaining four were
civilians.

Since the implementation of the humanitarian pause in Aceh
last year, at least 538 people have been killed, 398 of whom were
civilians, 88 military/police and 55 GAM members.

Tension has intensified in the province following a police
ultimatum demanding illegal gun owners hand in their weapons to
the security authorities by Jan. 15, or face repressive actions.

Aceh's National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM)
coordinator Iqbal Faraby urged the police on Monday to clarify
the ultimatum as "the operation procedure is unclear and could
victimize many more civilians in the process".

In Jakarta Minister of Defense Mahfud MD said a major crack
down of rebel leaders in the province will begin as soon as the
accord expires on Jan. 15.

Mahfud claimed that the government already has a list of names
of the people involved in the rebel movement. He said the
government has so far refrained from capturing them to honor the
accord.

"Because of the Humanitarian Pause, we cannot be offensive,
but after Jan. 15 we will take these people. We will strengthen
law enforcement," Mahfud told The Jakarta Post.

He claimed that there was ample proof against these
individuals, including their possession of illegal weapons.
(dja/50/edt)