Release of hostages

Release of hostages

The separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) released 22 hostages on Saturday and four more hostages on Sunday, including private Indonesian television station, RCTI cameramen Fery Santoro.

The hostage taking became a dramatic and tragic story, after one of the hostages held by the rebels, RCTI reporter Sory Ersa Siregar, was slain in a clash between Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel and rebels in East Aceh on Dec. 29 last year.

We appreciate the efforts made by the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and a GAM lawyer in mediating the release of the civilians.

We also express our gratitude to the GAM for understanding that civilians should not be involved in any armed conflict.

The release of the hostages should make the TNI and GAM aware of the wrongdoings they have committed in the conflict. The two groups have killed so many people from the time of the New Order administration until the current reform government.

It is high time for us to rebuild Aceh and save its people from further destruction. Oil-rich Aceh should experience development, not deterioration, for the sake of its people. -- Media Indonesia, Jakarta