Investigation into massacre at Aceh plantation reopens

Investigation into massacre at Aceh plantation reopens

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A Jakarta-sanctioned commission to investigate human rights
abuses at the Bumi Flora palm oil plantation in Aceh (KPP HAM
Bumi Flora) is scheduled to reopen on Monday with the questioning
of 17 witnesses in the murder of 31 civilians at the plantation
last year.

Jusuf Puteh, coordinator of the East Aceh human rights office,
said on Sunday that members of the commission, appointed by the
National Commission of Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and led by BN
Marbun, were slated to arrive in Langsa district in East Aceh
regency on Monday.

Jusuf Puteh, popularly known as Neksuh, told Antara that his
office had again summoned 17 witnesses, most of whom were spouses
of the victims, and all of them had arrived in Langsa.

Results of the investigation by KPP Ham Bumi Flora will be
submitted to the Attorney General's Office, which could take
further legal action if there is enough evidence in the reports.

The massacre occurred in Idi Rayeuk district, East Aceh, in
August 2001, when 31 workers at the palm oil plantation were shot
to death while waiting for their salaries.

Both the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the separatist Free
Aceh Movement (GAM) denied their involvement in the mass murder.

The Military accused GAM as the responsible party for the
murder.

GAM, on the other hand, said the massacre was a result of
TNI's anger over a GAM raid on a TNI post in the area, and as a
vendetta, the TNI raided the plantation, where they found and
shot dozens of people.

It was reported that seven of the workers managed to escape.

Collecting witnesses has been one of the major problems to
solving human rights abuses in Aceh, as in 2000, the government
claimed it had to discontinue several probes due to a reported
lack of witnesses.

Many suspect that such witnesses "disappeared" because the
perpetrators would like to cover up the many massacre cases in
the restive province.

KPP HAM Bumi Flora started its probe on July 4, and conducted
three days of investigation in Langsa. However, at the time, only
two witnesses showed up for questioning.

Jusuf claimed that all 17 witnesses had expressed their
intention to fulfill the summons for questioning starting on
Monday.

He added that many of the witnesses had requested compensation
from the government to help them financially after the deaths of
their wage-earning husbands.