Naming GAM rebels 'won't endanger them'

Naming GAM rebels 'won't endanger them'

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government insisted on Thursday that the Free Aceh Movement
(GAM) should submit the names of its 3,000 former fighters as
part of their integration process into society after a peace deal
to end 29 years of separatist fighting.

It assured the rebels that the submission of their names would
not harm them in the future, while promising to protect their
security after the reintegration process, as it had for the
people that received amnesty.

"So far none of the amnestied GAM members has faced security
threats even after they were released from jail," said Minister
of Information and Communications Sofyan Djalil, who was one of
government negotiators with the GAM in Helsinki, Finland.

"We have to ensure that GAM submits the list of its former
fighters' names and it will not cause negative impacts on them,"
he told the press after a meeting on political, legal and
security affairs.

Similar assurances were voiced by the Indonesian Military
chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, who attended the same meeting.

"I ask the GAM leadership to learn to trust us. We are not
going to discriminate against former GAM members after being
reintegrated into society. We need the list of their names to
speed up the reintegration process. I promise them security
protection," he said.

Sofyan warned that GAM's failure to name its members would
stall their integration arrangement into society as required by
the peace accord signed on Aug. 15, 2005 in Helsinki.

"As of today, we haven't received the list of some 3,000 GAM
combatants who will undergo the reintegration process. I know
there are some problems with what we call the confidence-building
measures between us and GAM," he added.

The peace pact did not explicitly require GAM to disclose its
members' names, but the government has argued that the move was
important for it to provide them with economic assistance as part
of reintegration package to help them settle back into society
during the post-conflict period.

GAM representative Mohammed Nur Djuli has earlier said his
side had decided not to submit the list of the names to the
government, without giving any specific reason.

However, human rights watchdog Imparsial has said the
disclosure of GAM rebels' names could bear risks of possible
violence against them.

It accused security forces of continuing violence against
former guerrillas and Acehnese civilians despite the Helsinki
truce.

Imparsial also reported that at least 12 civilians were beaten
by soldiers at Mesjid Bandar Baru village in Pidie regency in
August because the victims refused to show respect to them.

Similar cases also took place last month at Lancok and Mayang
villages, also in Pidie, when dozens of local residents were
beaten by soldiers, according to Imparsial.

Security threats were also imminent against former GAM
fighters by alleged militia groups, or unidentified armed groups.

Imparsial said that an amnestied GAM member, Arifin, was shot
dead by an unidentified person in Manggeng village, West Aceh, on
Aug. 21. Local police confirmed that bullets that killed Arifin
were fired from an SS-1 rifle.

The NGO also reported that armed clashes between soldiers and
GAM guerrillas continued despite the demilitarization process in
Aceh.

These cases included a crossfire at Ara Lipeh-Tanjong Mulia
village in Bireuen on Aug. 25, and other armed clashes at Meureu
village in Aceh Besar on Aug. 28 and in Ceupeudak village in
North Aceh on Sept. 10.

The military has repeatedly denied the existence of any
militia groups in Aceh.