Dossier on SIRA chief handed over to the court in Medan

BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): The dossier on the detained chief of the Aceh Referendum Information Center (SIRA), Muhammad Nazar, has been handed over to the court in Medan to be processed for trial, an official said on Monday.

"The dossier was received on Friday," an official at the court was quoted by Antara as saying.

The date of Nazar's trial, however, has not been set.

In Banda Aceh, the chief of the local court, Farida Hanoum, stated on Monday that Nazar's trial was moved to Medan based on a decree from the Ministry of Justice.

"The decree clearly states that the trial be moved to Medan due to a lack of judges and because of the unstable security (in Aceh)," she said.

Nazar, along with several other activists, have renounced the decision to hold the trial in Medan.

"I want to be tried here," Nazar said.

Nazar has been detained since Nov. 20 for organizing a mass congress to demand a referendum in Aceh.

He is being charged under articles 154 and 155 of the Criminal Code for harboring hostile intentions/treason against the state, which carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.

Separately, Irham Buana Nasution, a lawyer at the Medan-based Legal Aid Foundation, stated his readiness to defend Nazar.

"If the trial is moved here (to Medan) we will prepare his defense with 20 other lawyers," Irham said.

Meanwhile, violence continued to shake Aceh on Monday. The body of Marzuki, 45, was found in Lamreng, Darul Imarah district, Aceh Besar regency. The victim's throat had been slit

In Pidie regency, an alleged member of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), identified as Tengku Nasrul, died in a gunfight with security officers who were on patrol on Sunday morning in Beriweueh village, Meurudu district, Pidie Police spokesman Comr. Restu M. Budianto said.

"Nasrul had planted a bomb on the road to intercept the patrolling officers. The bomb went off and a gunfight between the rebel and the officers was unavoidable.

"He died on the scene while a police officer was injured," Restu said.

Shortly after the fray at least 11 houses burned down when a fire broke out in a nearby village.

In a separate development, 584 personnel from the police's Mobile Brigade left Aceh on Monday aboard the KRI Teluk Parigi battleship. They departed from Malahayati Port in Krueng Raya, Banda Aceh, the spokesman for the police's Operation Cinta Meunasah, Sr. Comr. Kusbini Imbar, said.

"The troops have served their tour of about 10 months in Pidie, Aceh Besar and West Aceh, respectively. They will be returned to their bases in Java, Sumatra and Jakarta," Kusbini said. (51/edt)