Police free 133 suspected Aceh separatists

Police free 133 suspected Aceh separatists

By Budiman Moerdijat

BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): Police in North Aceh released 133
alleged members of a separatist movement in Aceh on Wednesday,
just one day before a fact-finding team dispatched by the
National Commission on Human Rights was due to arrive to
investigate recent unrest there.

Lilawangsa military commander Col. Johnny Wahab told The
Jakarta Post from the North Aceh capital of Lhokseumawe on
Wednesday that those released were among 137 people arrested by
the military during Sunday's raids on alleged separatist targets
in Lhokseumawe, 250 kilometers east of here.

"We released these people because they did not commit any
serious offenses... Their mistakes can be forgiven and
tolerated," Johnny said. The other four detainees are being held
for further questioning.

Johnny said the 133 did not play a major role in unrest on
Sunday, during which several residents were killed in an
operation the military now say was led by the local police.

"These people were released by the police... not us, because
the Wibawa Operation was under police control," Johnny said.

Johnny reiterated that the operation was under the command of
the North Aceh Police precinct chief, Lt. Col. Iskandar Hasan.

Yakob Hamzah of the Iskandar Muda Legal Aid Institute told the
Post from Lhokseumawe on Wednesday that 166 out of 170 people
detained by the authorities had been released.

Earlier reports said that the military detained 158 alleged
followers of Ahmad Kandang, a leader of the outlawed Free Aceh
separatist movement, during the raids on the villages of Meusanah
Blang Kandang, Simpang Kramat and Pusong on Sunday.

A spokesman for the Bukit Barisan Military Command, Lt. Col.
Nurdin Sulistyo, said on Tuesday that a further 12 people had
been arrested on Monday.

"One hundred and thirty seven is the number which was reported
by my subordinates... that number is on my desk... but I will
check further to make sure that it is accurate," Johnny said.

Johnny also said that the situation in Lhokseumawe had
returned to normal on Wednesday.

Yakob shared Johnny's opinion, saying that the situation was
"stable" and that a number of shops had reopened for business.
However, Antara reported that hundreds of civil servants were
forced to stay at home because their offices had been damaged or
burned during the trouble. Some did not know when they would be
able to return to work because of the severity of the damage
inflicted to their places of work.

Yakob said the raids on separatist targets in Lhokseumawe had
claimed the lives of at least 17 people, including one woman. A
further 32 were injured.

"The injured people are still being treated at the Lhokseumawe
General Hospital. Ten of them will require surgery," Yakob said.

The raids were prompted by the killing of seven off-duty
soldiers and the kidnapping of two marines in separate incidents
last week. The military has so far recovered the bodies of six of
the soldiers.

The military has accused the Free Aceh Movement of being
behind the attacks and Armed Forces (ABRI) Commander Gen. Wiranto
has asked the rights commission to investigate the matter.

A fact-finding team led by noted lawyer Albert Hasibuan
arrived here earlier on Wednesday and was due to meet with
military leaders, local officials, ulemas and non-governmental
organizations.

"The latest incidents in Pusong and Kandang were not isolated
cases. They were closely related to unresolved cases of past
human rights violations in the province," Albert said after
meeting local officials at the Governor's office.

The team failed to meet Governor Syamsuddin Mahmud, who was in
Jakarta to meet President B.J. Habibie on Friday. The team plans
to hold meetings with Col. Johnny Wahab, the detainees and non-
governmental organizations in Lhokseumawe on Thursday.