Aceh military battalion commander replaced
JAKARTA (JP): The Armed Forces has replaced the commander of a battalion whose members were involved in the killings of four Acehnese in military detention, another local military commander said on Wednesday.
Lilawangsa Military Commander Col. Johnny Wahab told The Jakarta Post that Lt. Col. Iskandar M.S., the commander of Battalion 113, was succeeded by Lt. Col. Bambang Haryana at an official handover in the North Aceh capital of Lhokseumawe.
"Lt. Col. Iskandar is taking up a new position as the Pidie Military Commander," Johnny said, adding that the replacement had had nothing to do with the killing of four alleged separatist rebels in the troubled province on Saturday.
The military have since arrested 26 soldiers who attacked 40 alleged separatist rebels held at the Indonesian Youth Committee building. The 40 alleged rebels were captured during military raids to track down a Free Aceh separatist leader, Ahmad Kandang, and two soldiers believed held by the separatists.
The alleged torturers were members of, among other units, Battalion 113, Battalion 111 and the Guided Missile Detachment.
North Aceh Military Police chief Lt. Col. Musmarsono told the Post on Wednesday that the ranks of the detained troops ranged from second private to major.
"The number of troops detained may increase as we are still conducting an investigation," Musmarsono said, adding that these troops would be court-martialled in Banda Aceh.
Johnny said on Tuesday he was prepared to be held responsible for the actions of his subordinates.
Antara quoted Bukit Barisan Military Commander Brig. Gen. Abdul Rachman Gaffar as saying on Wednesday that the detained troops would be court-martialled later this month.
"I have issued the order that these undisciplined soldiers be court-martialled as soon as possible, before the Idul Fitri Muslim holidays if possible," Abdul was quoted as saying.
Zakaria of the Lhokseumawe General Hospital said on Wednesday that at least 19 people injured in the Saturday incident were still being treated in the hospital.
"Four are in critical condition, another 15 are undergoing treatment while five were taken home by their families on Monday," Zakaria said.
He said the four in a serious condition were suffering from severe head injuries. They were Ayub, 30, Zulfitri, 22, M. Isa, 20, and Zaenudin, 22.
He added that most of the head injuries had been caused by blunt objects.
London-based human rights watchdog Amnesty International has said that the killing of four detainees was "one more grim reminder" of the unchecked power of the military.
"This disproportionate response to the deaths of the soldiers will only fan existing tensions," Amnesty said in a statement.
The Armed Forces accused Ahmad, who reportedly managed to flee the village on Saturday, of being behind the killing of seven off-duty soldiers in Lhok Nibung as well as the kidnapping of two marines in the North Aceh district of Muara Dua last month.
Human rights activists have said that the current outbreak of violence in the province was due to past human rights violations which remain unresolved.
The National Commission on Human Rights team, which had just returned from the province on Saturday, has said that at least 781 people have been killed while thousands of others suffered in the military operations aimed at quashing the separatist movement in the province since 1989. (byg)