House to pass special autonomy law in May

JAKARTA (JP): While indicating that the House of Representatives (DPR) would pass the special autonomy law for Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam in May, a legislator warned on Tuesday that the government should not preempt the House by issuing a government regulation in lieu of a law.

"Although we may exceed the May 1 deadline for the enactment of the law, we will still pass it in May," the chairman of the House special committee on special autonomy for Aceh, Ferry Mursyidan Baldan, said.

The May 1 deadline is stipulated in the People's Consultative Assembly Decree No.4/2000 recommending the implementation of regional autonomy, which was debated during the Assembly's annual session last August.

The same deadline has been set for a law on special autonomy for Irian Jaya.

Ferry said the government should not force the matter by issuing a regulation in lieu of a law just to meet the deadline.

"The government should wait for the bill which is being deliberated. Besides, we don't know what the substance of the planned government regulation will be," he said.

He was commenting on a statement by Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono setting out the government's plan to issue a government regulation on special autonomy for Aceh and Irian Jaya so as to meet the deadline set by the Assembly decree.

Susilo said on Tuesday that the government would submit the draft government regulation to House leaders on Friday.

"The Assembly decree stipulates that the House, in collaboration with the government, has to pass the laws before May 1. But since the House is in recess, we may fail to meet the deadline," he said after a coordinating meeting on political, social and security affairs.

"The government, therefore, proposes to issue a regulation, while the House continues to debate the bill," he added.

On Tuesday, the committee held a hearing with Aceh Governor Abdullah Puteh, who said that the establishment of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam would be one solution to the Aceh problem that was capable of meeting the demands of the Acehnese.

Separately, Indonesian Military (TNI) general affairs chief Lt. Gen. Djamari Chaniago said the TNI may deploy more troops to Aceh depending on security developments in the province.

"If the situation requires the TNI to send more troops there, we will do so," Djamari said.

The TNI has so far deployed eleven companies of troops to Aceh in an effort to suppress the armed insurgency in the province.

Meanwhile, back in Aceh, the violence continued unabated with at least two people being killed on Monday, spokesman for the Police's Cinta Meunasah II Operation Adj. Sr. Comr. Sad Harunantyo told The Jakarta Post from the capital of Aceh, Banda Aceh, on Tuesday.

Separately, the chairman of Aceh's coordinating unit for disaster relief Azwar Abubakar said a total of 5,185 houses had been torched and more than 15,000 people left homeless during the past two years of conflict in Aceh.

According to Azwar, there are about 24,000 refugees generated by the conflict spread across five regencies in Aceh.

Antara also quoted a spokesman for the humanitarian organization Peace Through Dialog, Oemardi, as saying that the Henry Dunant Center (HDC) had pledged US$50,000 to help Acehnese refugees in Idi Rayeuk subdistrict in eastern Aceh.

Oemardi, however, said the NGO could not channel the aid until the warring groups in Aceh give security assurances for the project.

The donation will be used to rehabilitate 213 houses and shops burned down during armed clashes between government troops and GAM rebels, Oemardi said.

Separately, National Police records show that at least 298 people have died in clashes in Aceh over the past month.

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Didi Widayadi said on Tuesday that the victims included civilians, GAM members and TNI and police personnel.

"Of the 298, 33 were from the TNI, 36 were police officers, and the remainder were GAM insurgents and civilians," Didi told reporters.

Those reported missing during the ongoing conflict in Aceh, Didi said, included three TNI soldiers, 10 police officers, and 56 members of GAM and civilians.

"So far during the recent clashes, police have arrested 209 people suspected of being GAM members, and have seized various items of incriminating evidence from them," Didi said. (02/dja/edt/ylt)