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.