JP/3/aceh

JP/3/aceh

Police to question Acehnese asylum seekers

Apriadi Gunawan
and Nani Farida
The Jakarta Post
Medan/Banda Aceh

At least 232 Acehnese people seeking political asylum in Malaysia
are likely to face probes into their possible involvement with
the rebel Free Aceh Movement (GAM) on their arrival home in
Indonesia, National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said on
Sunday in Langkat regency, North Sumatra.

"The investigations will be conducted by a special team set up
by the National Police Headquarters," he explained.

Da'i had said earlier on Saturday in Aceh that the asylum
seekers would be individually questioned but denied that the
probe was a "repressive measure." It was aimed at upholding
existing legal procedures, he said, without further elaboration.

However, seeking political asylum is not a crime under
Indonesian law.

The 232 asylum seekers were arrested in Malaysia last Tuesday
as they converged outside the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) building in the capital Kuala Lumpur.

The Malaysian government has decided to deport them back to
Indonesia. However, Da'i was unsure when the asylum seekers would
be repatriated home. He said his office was still communicating
with his Malaysian counterpart.

"We maintain communications with Malaysia because the case is
related to the nation's (Indonesia's) dignity and self-esteem,"
he added.

But Ishak Mohamed, immigration director for Malaysia's
northern Perak state, said investigations had shown that at least
120 of the 232 asylum seekers were not involved with GAM.

"They will be sent back (to Aceh) once all their travel
documents are ready," he was quoted as saying by the official
Bernama news agency.

Ishak said, the 120 asylum seekers had agreed to return home
and their relatives were prepared to pay for their travel.

Col. Ditya Sudarsono, spokesman for the martial law
authorities in the war-torn province of Aceh, questioned the
motives of the asylum seekers. He called their actions a
"strange" move.

"The situation in Aceh is already safe. Why do they need to
seek asylum?" he queried.

All 232 Achenese people are currently being held in the Lakap
detention center in Perak.

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was
quoted by dpa as saying his government would not grant them
political asylum.

Officials from the UNHCR, and rights groups have appealed to
the government to grant the asylum seekers temporary stay, in
order that they can complete an application for refugee status
with the international body.

Abdullah said it was government policy to send back illegal
immigrants, but added that the request from UNHCR would be taken
into consideration.