SIRA chairman demands case against him proceeds

SIRA chairman demands case against him proceeds

BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): Detained chief of Aceh Referendum
Information Center (SIRA) Muhammad Nazar demanded on Friday that
the case against him be brought to court "to reveal the truth
behind all the conflict in Aceh".

Nazar talked to local journalists after a closed-door meeting
with Aceh Governor Abdullah Puteh at the Banda Aceh penitentiary
on Jl. Cut Meutia, about 100 meters away from the Aceh Police
Headquarters on Friday afternoon.

Nazar is currently a detainee of the Banda Aceh prosecutor's
office, pending the trial on his case.

"I do not want my case to be dismissed.

"I want to go on with the trial as I believe my case is
related to the political situation here and that through the
trial I can reveal the truth," he said, while adding that some of
his personnel notes and diary had been taken away by the
authorities during his detention.

Nazar was responding to several calls from activists for his
case to be dropped.

He is being charged under Articles 154 and 155 of the criminal
code for showing hostile intentions/treason against the state and
for expressing hatred against the government, respectively. The
articles carry a maximum sentence of seven years and four and a
half years in jail, respectively.

SIRA is an influential non-governmental organization in Aceh
that has been actively fighting for a referendum in the province.

Governor Puteh only smiled and refused to talk to journalists
after ending his one-hour visit at 2:30 p.m. local time.

Meanwhile, Nazar said that the governor visited him to learn
about his condition and exchange information about the latest
situation in Aceh.

"As SIRA coordinator, I'm also glad to hear that GAM (Free
Aceh Movement) have decided to remain committed to independence
through diplomatic efforts instead of armed struggle," he said.

M. Nazir Djamil, a provincial legislator who also attended the
meeting, said the event was "merely a meeting between the Aceh
governor as the people's leader and the SIRA chairman as a local
figure."

"We hope to maintain peace and togetherness in facing this
difficult period for Aceh," Djamil said.

Violence, however, continued to rock the province.

In the town of Langsa, East Aceh, two policemen were
reportedly injured in an incident on Friday.

Three people, including two soldiers, were killed in Aceh in a
drive-by shooting on Wednesday.

"Two soldiers, identified as Col. Rustam and Col. P. Hutasoit
were shot dead when gunmen opened fire from a passing vehicle in
Juli Kedai Dua, Bireun regency on Wednesday," chief of Infantry
Battalion 113/Jayasakti Lt. Col. Erda Bachtiar said on Thursday.

A resident named Umar Sidi was also killed during the pursuit
of the gunmen.

Not long after the shooting, some 100 houses and shops in the
area were set on fire.

North Aceh police chief Adj. Comr. Wanto Sumardi blamed GAM
rebels for the shooting.

But North Aceh GAM commander, Teungku Darwis Djeunib, denied
his men were to blame.

"All (our) troops have been back at our base since Jan.16. I
think the attack was the result of an internal dispute between
the police and the military," Darwis said. (50/edt)