Families of those killed in Aceh may get compensation

Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

The Deputy Governor of Aceh proposed on Tuesday paying Rp 50 million (US$5,300) compensation to the families of those murdered in the conflict-ravaged province.

Azwar Abubakar said Rp 500,000 would be paid per month over a period of 100 months to the families. At least 4,375 people had been killed as of Sept. 2002.

"We will seek approval from the provincial legislative council," Azwar said.

He said the proposal was conceived during a seminar on the development of a new Aceh last December, and after obtaining input from religious leaders.

According to community and religious leaders in Aceh, compensation is required to assist reconciliation and a peaceful solution to the Aceh conflict.

Azwar said all violence and fatalities in Aceh during the past years could not be blamed solely on the warring secessionist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the Indonesian Military (TNI).

Some of the murders were ordinary crimes committed by individuals, he said.

"Those who commit murder must receive the death sentence if the relatives of the victims do not forgive them," he said.

One problem facing the legal system is that in some cases there is insufficient evidence to charge the suspects. If the victims' families insist on bringing the case to court, there are fears that suspects would be freed due to weak cases filed by the prosecution, he said.

"The safest method to eliminate revenge is by asking for state help."

Prompted by this conclusion, the Aceh provincial administration proposed granting compensation to the families of murder victims, he said. The agreement to grant the compensation would be enacted in a decree to ensure accountability in disbursement to the victims' families.

The Aceh provincial administration has already allocated Rp 11 billion from its regional budget for the compensation.

The administration has called on regents and mayors to identify the casualties.

Records show that leading up to Sept. 2002, the number of casualties reported from the regions had reached 4,375 people. Due to limited finances, the families of only 3,400 victims had received Rp 3 million in compensation.

Azwar said the money would be transferred to bank accounts.

He added there was another list of casualties presented by non-governmental organizations, whose reports claimed the number of casualties during and after the implementation of the military operation status had reached 8,894. The number of missing people is put at 2,147.

"We will assess the accuracy of this report and we urge regents and mayors to verify it."

The huge number of casualties reported by the non-governmental organizations has forced the provincial administration in Aceh to extend the allocation to Rp 20 billion for compensation to the victims' families.