Military and GAM turns Ersa's death into blaming game

Tiarma Siboro and Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Semarang

Controversy is rife over the death of Sory Ersa Siregar from RCTI television station, with both the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) giving different versions of the circumstances under which the journalist lost his life.

On Thursday, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu agreed to demands from RCTI and various groups for an independent investigation, but warned that the team should have the "goodwill" to provide the public with the truth, instead of "looking for a chance to discredit the TNI".

"Even though Ersa was killed by military bullets, I don't want the public to blame the soldiers who at the time were in a gunfight with the rebels. It is GAM rebels who should be blamed because they used the journalist as a human shield," Ryamizard said after inducting Maj. Gen. Sunarso as Diponegoro military commander in Semarang.

In an official statement on Wednesday, TNI spokesman Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin described the chronology of the Dec. 29 gunfight between government troops and GAM members during which Ersa was killed.

Elaborating slightly on the earlier military version, Sjafrie said the crossfire took place soon after a military patrol received a tip from two villagers, Ali and Saiful, about the presence of the rebels in the remote Alue Matang Arun village, in Simpang Ulin district, East Aceh.

Based on the tip-off, two combat teams -- the Flores and the Dwipangga -- started to sweep the area and detected a group of eight armed rebels in a shelter.

"Realizing that they had been detected, the rebels opened fire on the military patrol. Shortly after the exchange of fire died down, the TNI patrol searched the location and found two bodies, including that of Ersa Siregar."

Sjafrie said the autopsy concluded that Ersa had been killed by two bullets hitting his chest and neck.

"The soldiers also confiscated several rifles, including an AK-56, two AK-47s, an M-16 A1, a double-barrel hunting rifle, a rocket launcher, three rockets, two containers of explosives, 514 CIS bullets, 110 AK bullets, three M-16 A1 magazines and three GAM banners," Sjafrie said.

He added that the patrol teams also found two bags containing 28 bundles of Nanggroe tax receipts, a bundle of GAM documents and three copies of a map of the district.

He also said that several video tapes believed to belong to reporter Ersa and cameraman Fery were found but "the military has kept them as war reparations." RCTI sources say they are still trying to obtain copies of the tapes.

In contrast, Ishak Dawood, the GAM commander overseeing East Aceh who claimed responsibility for the capture of the civilians, said that "there was no crossfire between the government soldiers and GAM fighters".

Ishak said that Ersa, Fery and two GAM members were taking a rest at a shelter in the remote village while other GAM members were elsewhere.

"Ersa and one of my subordinates were preparing meals for lunch, while Fery and another GAM member sat in front of the shelter. It happened so suddenly; Fery heard a gunshot from the back side of the shelter and he heard Ersa's voice, saying: "I'm Ersa from RCTI ... please don't shoot," Ishak said, claiming that the story was based on Fery's account.

"Fery, who did not understand what was going on, was immediately forced by my subordinate to flee. Fery thought that Ersa was alive. He just learned his friend had died when I told him," Ishak told The Jakarta Post by phone.

"Fery is OK now. We really want to release him, along with other hostages, but the Indonesian government continues to reject our conditions," Ishak said, adding that he was willing to deliver the hostages only to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Meanwhile, Fery's wife Mayawati Santoro asked leaders of both the TNI and GAM to release her husband, as well as the two wives of Air Force officers and other civilian hostages, in a peaceful manner.

In a handwritten note addressed to the commanders of both GAM and the TNI, Maya appealed to the warring parties to release her husband and the other hostages, and avoid more victims. "Stop all this fighting," she wrote in the letter made available to the Post, "it will only bring pain and misery to us all."