Acehnese pay homage to slain activist

Acehnese pay homage to slain activist

LHOKSEUMAWE, Aceh (JP): Relatives and neighbors flocked on
Thursday to the home of Jafar Siddiq Hamzah to pay their respects
to the Aceh activist who was slain in Medan, North Sumatra.

Groups of people for the last two days have been crowding
Jafar's home located in the village of Blangpulo, close to the
Arun gas refinery, some 10 kilometers west of the North Aceh
capital of Lhokseumawe.

Jafar, the chief of the New York-based International Forum on
Aceh (IFA), was reported missing in early August.

He was last seen in the North Sumatra capital of Medan, but
efforts to locate him had been fruitless until Tuesday when one
of five decaying bodies found in the Tanah Karo region was
identified as that of Jafar. Tanah Karo is some 80 kilometers
north of Medan.

Forensic experts confirmed on Wednesday that one of the dead
bodies was Jafar's.

The remains were flown from Medan at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday.

"The body will be buried at a local cemetery tomorrow
(Friday)," a local, who requested anonymity, said on Thursday.

Deputy Free Aceh Movement (GAM) chief in North Aceh Abu
Sofyan Daud called on Acehnese to come to Jafar's home to pay
their respects, although Jafar was not a GAM member.

The United States embassy extended on Thursday its deepest
sympathy to Jafar's family, which has been living in uncertainty
since his disappearance.

"It is a cruel and tragic irony that he, a staunch proponent
of peaceful change, should fall victim to the violence that has
already cost too many lives in Aceh," the press statement made
available to The Jakarta Post said.

Meanwhile, violence continued in the restive province. A gun
battle between Indonesian troops and GAM members and a grenade
attack on a joint police/army dormitory in Lhokseumawe left at
least 12 wounded on the government side.

An official report had yet to be made available Thursday
night.

Investigation

In a related development, a police officer vowed on Thursday
to proceed with the investigation of three Free Aceh Movement
(GAM) members who have been under arrest since Tuesday, despite a
demand from the movement's leader that the three be released
within three days.

"They were arrested for carrying weapons which is a violation
of the law," Aceh Police Headquarters deputy chief Sr. Supt. T.
Ashikin told reporters.

He added that the police will bring legal proceedings against
the three GAM members, despite the movement's threat to attack
the Aceh Besar Police Precinct if the police fail to comply with
the movement's demand within three days.

"They (the movement) can continue with their plan, but one
thing for sure, we will never release the three before the case
has been processed in accordance with the law," Ashikin was
quoted by Antara as saying.

The three, members of the movement in the Blang Bintang area
of Krueng Raya district, were identified as Bustami, a resident
of Bakdilip village in Montasik district; Abdul Samad HS, a
resident of Piyeng village in Montasik district and Ridwan
Mahmud, a resident of Rapana village in Mutiara district, Pidie
regency.

The police confiscated an FN pistol with five live bullets and
GAM documents, bearing the legend Nangro Aceh Sumatera (Aceh
Sumatera State).

Chief of the Aceh Besar Police Precinct Supt. Sayed Hoesainy
said the three were arrested on Tuesday when three truckloads of
patrolling Mobile Brigade (Brimob) personnel spotted them riding
in a Taft Hi-line van without any registration number.

"The police suspected that the three were riding in a stolen
vehicle and, after checking its ownership documents, then
ascertained that the vehicle's registration number was BL-9-E,
and that the vehicle belonged to the West Aceh Urban Development
Planning Board," Sayed said.

"They changed the registration number to BL-826-AB," he added.

He said that the police then searched the vehicle and found
the incriminating evidence hidden under the front seat.

GAM commander for the Gajah Keng area in Aceh Besar regency,
Tengku Hamzah, confirmed that three of the movement's members
were arrested by the police when traveling along Jl. Radar, some
15 kilometers away from Banda Aceh.

A reporter said local photographers were banned from taking
pictures of their faces and were only allowed to photograph them
from behind.

"They had been treated badly and were beaten by the police
during questioning," he said.

He added the three told the police that on the day of their
arrest, they were about to deliver a letter on GAM personnel
rotation to Montasik district, describing it as routine procedure
among GAM members. (50/lup/sur)