Human rights groups urge an end to Aceh violence

Human rights groups urge an end to Aceh violence

BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): Representatives of 15 international
non-government organizations concluded their two-day meeting here
on Sunday putting more pressure on the Indonesian government to
soon end the violence in the restive province.

Held at Syah Kuala State University, the meeting was organized
by the Support Committee for Human Rights in Aceh (SCHRA) and
focused on the actions needed to help the victims of violence,
particularly women, children and refugees, who have been living
in poor conditions.

The event's coordinator, Radhi Darmansyah, said among the
participants were the Washington-based Non-Violence
International, the New York-based International Commission of
Jurists, the U.S. Committee for Refugees (USCR), Forum Asia,
Thailand's Thamasat University, the Japanese rights group NINDJA,
the Solidarity Forum for Peace in East Timor (Solidamor) and the
International Forum for Aceh (IFA).

He said the session also sought efforts to promote human
rights advocacy to "peacefully campaign in the international
community for human rights in Aceh".

"The campaign is expected to place international pressure on
Indonesia to cope with the Aceh problem", Radhi told Antara.

The meeting follows an international conference held in
Bangkok in July in which representatives of 21 international
human rights groups agreed to set up the SCHRA.

President Abdurrahman Wahid disclosed on Saturday that he
would go to Aceh this month to attend a ceremony to settle the
dispute between police and a group of proindepedence students,
the Taleban.

"I will attend the pasejuk, ceremony sometime this month," the
President said while addressing a gathering of the Maluku
community in Jakarta.

Abdurrahman said his decision was made after meeting with
several Aceh leaders on Saturday, although he did not elaborate
further.

It is not clear whether the President means to attend a
dialogue between the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the
government in Langsa, East Aceh, on Jan. 25.

Violence continued on Sunday as separatist rebels and a group
of military officers were involved in an exchange fire in Pidie
district, killing at least 12 military soldiers, Reuters
reported.

No immediate casualties were reported as parties involved in
the fray gave different versions of the incident.

GAM's Ismail Syahputra claimed the military tried to raid the
camp of GAM's commander Tengku Abdullah Syafi'ie in Pidie, and
that 20 military officers were killed. Witnesses put the death
toll at 12 while the military denied fatalities on its side.

Earlier on Saturday, in North Aceh, an Army soldier identified
as Pvt. Suardiman was killed when an armed group threw a grenade
at a security post of PT Kertas Kraft Aceh in Jamuan village of
Nisam district, North Aceh military chief Lt. Col. Suyatno said.

Four more bodies were found on Saturday in Peuribu village in
West Aceh, in the Idi river in East Aceh and in Muara Dua village
in North Aceh, near the PT Arun gas plantation. (50/edt/prb)