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)