Acehnese activist M. Nazar released
Acehnese activist M. Nazar released
Ibnu Mat Noor, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh
After serving his full 12-month jail term at the Banda Aceh
prison, Muhammad Nazar, chairman of the Aceh Referendum
Information Center (SIRA), was released on Tuesday.
Nazar's release which was witnessed by his lawyers Johnson
Pandjaitan and Imam Syafiie Saragih, was greeted by more than 200
SIRA supporters who had awaited his release for several hours at
the prison.
SIRA supporters held up a huge banner which read referendum
while awaiting the release of Nazar in front of the prison gates.
His supporters greeted Nazar and put him on their shoulders to
express their joy.
Nazar was jailed on Nov. 20, 2000, for calling a self-
determination referendum for Aceh's future and "displaying
hostility" against the government.
Nazar asserted that he and his fellow activists would continue
to seek a peaceful solution to the Aceh problem through a
referendum.
"Of the utmost importance is that Acehnese people must be
freed from the ongoing terrors and intimidation and they must
feel safe on their homeland," he said.
He said he would continue his fight along with SIRA which he
believed would continue winning Acehnese support.
"In the future we will focus on diplomatic struggle to seek a
peaceful solution to all the fundamental problems in the
province. Under the present situation, it is impossible to deploy
masses in fighting for Acehnese people's aspirations," he said.
Meanwhile, a TNI soldier was reported killed and another one
injured in a violent battle between the military and the Free
Aceh Separatist Movement (GAM) in South Aceh on Tuesday.
The deadly exchange occurred when a joint group of the local
military confronted hundreds of GAM rebels on a routine patrol to
Ujong Pasir Village in the regency.
Lt. Col. Agus Permana, chief of the South Aceh Military
Subdistrict, said the body of First Private Bagus, who was killed
in the clash, has been sent to his home village in Tegal, Central
Java, for burial while Second Private Hartoyo has been
hospitalized with gunshot injuries.
He said the military, in cooperation with the Police, would
continue to raid numerous areas which are known to be GAM
strongholds in the regency.