All Aceh Congress to be held in April
JAKARTA (JP): An All Aceh Congress will be convened early next April in a bid to select the best representatives for the province in future discussions with the central government.
State Minister of Human Rights Affairs Hasballah M. Saad said on Wednesday that the congress was expected to be attended by the representatives of six key elements of Aceh society, including the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM).
Hasballah, a native Acehnese, said the congress had been preceded by several preparatory meetings, which were attended by students, youths, ulemas, women and other society leaders.
"In my estimation, the congress will be held, at the latest, by the end of March or in April. Although I am not sure whether GAM is ready to attend," Hasballah said before attending a Cabinet meeting at Bina Graha presidential office.
It was President Abdurrahman Wahid himself who asked Acehnese to select their own representatives to negotiate with the government.
The President complained that there were too many people claiming to represent Aceh.
The province has been hit by a wave of violence as separatist rebels have stepped up their campaign for independence.
Hasballah, who just return from an overseas trip which included a stop in Sweden, did not disclose whether he met with the GAM supreme leader Hasan Tiro who resides in Stockholm.
The minister praised efforts by the chairman of the International Forum for Aceh (IFA) M. Jafar Siddiq to facilitate a meeting between the President and Hasan Tiro in the U.S.
However he quickly added that it was not easy to realize such a plan.
"It's not easy. The meeting must fulfill certain conditions, and the conditions must be negotiated first. So it is not a matter of facilitation. But we appreciate the goodwill," said Hasballah.
Casualties
Meanwhile in Banda Aceh, the local chapter of the Legal Aid Foundation said the total number of casualties in the province in February had reached 115.
This excludes at least 18 civilians who are still classified as missing.
The latest account confirms that over 200 people have died since the beginning of the year.
The Foundation's Campaign division chief Ari Maulana told journalists that 103 of the total casualties were civilians.
Ari asserted that the data was gathered from local reports and incidents recorded by the foundation.
"We receive direct reports from the people. And in February we also recorded 36 torture cases, 71 false arrests and 129 cases of arson on housing complexes and business centers," Ari said.
Nothing has changed for the better in Aceh since the New Year as violence continues to intensify, Ari remarked.
Separate data gathered by journalists from local Serambi Indonesia daily, however, indicate that at least 125 people have been killed in February, 31 of whom were identified as rebels, five soldiers and seven policemen.
This death toll includes the 12 bodies located by locals in Kuta Makmur district in North Aceh last week.
The Foundation also issued a statement on Wednesday rejecting the planned joint military and civilian tribunal for alleged human rights violators in Aceh.
"We want a human rights court to settle the matter. Such a joint tribunal will only impose sanctions to the accused officers, but not the higher commanders responsible for the crimes.
"We want a government-sanctioned commission similar to East Timor to probe human rights violations here," Ari said.
A joint tribunal is set to begin here sometime this month to begin trying human rights abuses in the province. (50/edt/prb)