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.