Government ignores Acehnese 'referendum calls'

JAKARTA (JP): After relinquishing his post as state minister for human rights, Hasballah M. Saad on Wednesday criticized the government for not taking real steps to resolve the Aceh issue during the extended humanitarian pause there.

Hasballah charged that Jakarta has ignored Acehnese calls for a referendum on the province's independence and failed to follow up on its offer of wide-ranging special autonomy.

"If the government doesn't bring a political deal to the Acehnese people during the cease-fire, then the current humanitarian pause is a waste of time," he told journalists after the official ceremony merging the former state ministry with the ministry of justice here on Wednesday.

"Although the humanitarian pause has succeeded in bringing about a conducive environment for peace talks between the Indonesian government and GAM, no political resolution is emerging," Hasballah remarked.

The three-month accord, which initially came into effect on June 2, was extended last week. The Indonesian government, however, says it is imposing a one-month trial period for the extended accord to see whether separatist rebels adhere to the agreed ground rules.

The government has also demanded that more substantial discussions, within the framework of maintaining Aceh as a part of Indonesia, begin during this extension of the pause.

But the human tragedy in Aceh has continued despite the accord.

On Tuesday, five decaying bodies were found in the Tanah Karo region, some 80 kilometers north of Medan, North Sumatra.

One of the bodies is believed to be the body of Jafar Siddiq Hamzah, chief of the New York-based International Forum for Aceh (IFA) who went missing in early August during a visit to Medan.

Antara reported that forensic experts confirmed on Wednesday that one of the bodies is that of Jafar.

Jafar's siblings, Syafruddin and Suzi Hamzah, had earlier given information on their brother's identifying features, such as a lump on the back of his neck, a surgical scar on his stomach and that two of Jafar's left molars had been extracted.

Many people believe that his disappearance is linked to his activities as a human rights activist.

The Commission on Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) has alleged that Jafar was a victim of what it calls "a professionally executed disappearance which left no clues or eyewitnesses".

Commenting on the continuing terror, Hasballah, a native Acehnese, said the tragedies were proof that the government has been failing to protect its people. (bby)