Govt starts prosecuting alleged GAM members

Govt starts prosecuting alleged GAM members

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

As part of the government's campaign to end separatism in
Aceh, the state has begun prosecuting 18 alleged members of the
Free Aceh Movement (GAM) for treason and terrorism.

All of the suspects were arrested after the government
launched a military operation in Aceh on May 16.

Those arrested include five GAM negotiators from the collapsed
peace talks with the government. They were identified as Teuku
Kamaruzzaman, Sofyan Ibrahim Tiba, Muhammad Usman Lampoh Awe,
Nashiruddin bin Ahmad and Amni bin Marzuki.

Attorney General M.A. Rachman confirmed that the five GAM
negotiators were among the 18 suspects whose dossiers were
currently being processed by his office.

The five GAM negotiators will be charged with treason and
terrorism under the new antiterrorism law, because their
subordinates were allegedly involved in several bombings. If
convicted they could face the death penalty.

Those suspects not believed to be core members of the
separatist group will be charged with treason under the Criminal
Code.

Rachman said his office had sent additional prosecutors to
Aceh to expedite the proceedings, and would soon send in more
prosecutors as needed.

"We can always deploy prosecutors from other areas, including
from Jakarta," he told reporters after briefing hundreds of
prosecutors from across the country at his office on Tuesday.

Also attending the briefing were Coordinating Minister for
Security and Political Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, National
Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar and Minister of Home Affairs Hari
Sabarno.

Rachman said his office had assigned more than 50 prosecutors
to Aceh. Fifteen of the prosecutors will come North Sumatra and
the other 35 will come from other neighboring provinces, as well
as from the Attorney General's Office in Jakarta.

The Aceh Prosecutor's Office, as with other government
institutions in Aceh, has been unable to work normally because of
the deteriorating security situation in the province since the
collapse of the peace agreement.

Among the 14 district courts in the province, only three of
them are hearing cases. However, only the Banda Aceh District
Court currently has the ability to hear cases involving suspected
GAM members because the other two courts have a shortage of
judges.

The situation is similar in the province's prosecutor's
offices.

The prosecution of the alleged GAM members is aimed at
maintaining law enforcement in Aceh, which is part of the
government's integrated operation in the province.

The integrated operation covers law enforcement, humanitarian
programs, the restoration of local administrations and the
military operation.

In Banda Aceh, the Aceh Police Headquarters has named another
43 people as suspected GAM members and will soon submit dossiers
on them to the provincial prosecutor's office.

"We will submit their cases to the prosecutor's office in the
near future," Aceh Police chief Insp. Gen. Bachrumsyah Kasman
said.

He also said the police had released seven of the 12
university students arrested several days ago for their alleged
ties to GAM.

"We are still questioning the rest," the officer said.