Election watchdogs to monitor Aceh polls

Election watchdogs to monitor Aceh polls

JAKARTA (JP): Seven domestic poll watchers will monitor the
June 7 general election in troubled Aceh province, an activist
with the local Rectors Forum network said on Thursday.

The forum's secretary, Saiful Mahdi, said the activities of
the poll watchers would be coordinated by a joint forum called
Indonesian Poll Watchers Society (MPPI), Antara reported Friday
from the province's capital of Banda Aceh.

In addition to the seven domestic poll watchers -- the Rectors
Forum, the Independent Elections Monitoring Committee (KIPP), the
Indonesian Forum for Environment (Walhi), the University Network
for Free and Fair Elections (Unfrel), the Putra Dewantara
Foundation, the Aceh NGOs Forum, the Association of Islamic
Students (Badko HMI) -- two U.S.-based international poll
watchers have also stated their interest to monitor polls in
Aceh.

These are Washington-based National Democratic Institute for
International Affairs (NDI) and Atlanta-based Carter Center.

"We don't know where they will station their observers yet,
but we have recommended the institutes to send more than one team
in the hope they can monitor North Aceh and Pidie regencies which
are hotbeds of violence," Saiful said.

Aceh, one of the country's regions rich in natural resources,
has seen dozens killed in separate incidents over past months in
addition to over 1,000 killed during military operations from
1989 to 1998. The violence and injustice has triggered calls to
hold a referendum to enable Acehnese to determine whether they
want to remain part of the republic in place of holding the
elections.

Jakarta has insisted to hold the elections there without
possibilities of delay.

On Thursday, AP reported from Atlanta that a team from the
Carter Center had left for Indonesia.

The institute is chaired by former U.S. President Jimmy
Carter. He and his wife, Rosalynn Carter formed the nonprofit,
nonpartisan center in 1982 to promote peace and combat disease.

Carter is expected to arrive a day or two before the
elections, the news agency said.

Apart from NDI and Carter Center, several other foreign
observers will also monitor the elections, which are hoped to be
the nation's freest and fairest in over four decades.

Also on Thursday, Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs
Alexander Downer announced that Senator Alan Ferguson would lead
a 25-member Australian observer delegation to Indonesia.

"The Australian delegation will work closely with and provide
support and confidence to domestic election observers," Downer
said.

The Australian delegation will be located mainly in eastern
Indonesia in Surabaya and Malang in East Java, Lombok in West
Nusa Tenggara, Kupang in East Nusa Tenggara and Balikpapan in
East Kalimantan.

The foreign observers will be from the European Union, the
United States, Australia, Japan and the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) among other countries.

Those of the international organizations which are sending
their delegations include the Asian Network for Free and Fair
Elections (Anfrel), the National Citizens Movement for Free
Elections (Namfrel) from the Philippines, the Solidarity Center
from the U.S. and the Australia Council for Overseas Aid. (aan)