LAKSAMANA.Net, May 9, 2004 11:58 PM
Review - Regions: Aceh Rebels Surrender
Laksamana.Net - Government forces continued to chip away at the strength of the
separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM), with the surrender of eight members of the
movement during the week, military spokesman Lt. Col. Asep Sapari said Saturday
(8/5/04).
"At least eight rebels in a number of areas in Aceh gave themselves up to military
authorities and promised to be faithful to the unitary state of Indonesia," Asep said.
Four of the eight surrendered in South Aceh district, one in Aceh Besar, and one each
in Bireuen and Aceh Jaya districts.
He noted that the surrender of the rebels was an indication that the security situation
in Aceh was improving.
Two rebels were shot dead and two others arrested during shootouts between
government troops and separatists in different locations on Friday.
Maluku Leaders Meeting Fails
A meeting in Ambon with Christian and Muslim leaders and National Police chief Gen.
Dai Bachtiar ended in failure on Monday (3/5/04) after conflicting parties failed to
reach an agreement to cease the renewed clashes there.
The flashpoint for the latest outbreak came on April 25 when the independence group
FKM-RMS (Maluku Sovereignty Front) celebrated its 54th anniversary by hoisting
banned flags. The ensuing violence left more than 25 dead, 80 wounded and 200
homes burned down.
Monday's meeting became heated after Maluku police and military chiefs prohibited
local Muslim leaders from reading out a statement on their stance over the violence.
The Muslim participants urged police to replace all personnel from Maluku with those
from outside the province in order to stop alleged partiality.
The forum was closed after Bachtiar, noted Muslim preacher Abdullah "Aa Gym"
Gymnastiar and Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) chairman Nathan
Setiabudi spoke, urging participants to settle their differences.
Muslim leader Abdurrachman Nivinubun then insisted on addressing the meeting, and
claimed the latest unrest was "part of a big scenario aimed at destroying Maluku". He
argued that the security forces were powerless in preventing activists from the FKM
from staging the separatist rally on April 25.
Christian youth leader Josias Polnaya regretted that the meeting had failed to bring
about a peaceful solution, as it did not give the chance for participants to air their
views or grievances.
Bachtiar said police would take action "proportionally and professionally" to stop the
sectarian conflict.
On Tuesday (4/5/04) Bachtiar dismissed Maluku Police chief Brig. Gen. Bambang
Sutrisno for failing to prevent the clashes in Ambon.
National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Paiman announced that Brig. Gen.
Adityawarman, who previously was at National Police Headquarters, would replace
Sutrisno.
A hearing of the Police High Council, the highest body in the police force evaluating
the performance of officers, found that Sutrisno had failed to prevent and contain the
conflict, Paiman said.
He said Sutrisno 's dismissal was only the beginning of an investigation into whether
officers had sided either with Muslims or Christians during the renewed violence.
Maluku police confirmed Thursday (6/5/04) that gunmen firing from a speedboat had
shot dead a Christian adult and a baby, and wounded three others in a pre-dawn
attack on Wamkana village, off Buru Island.
Provincial police spokesman Hendro Prasetyo said an 11-month-old baby and a
38-year-old Christian man, who was shot six times in the chest, died in the attack on
Wednesday when eight attackers opened fire from the speedboat, which was passing
between 200 meters and 300 meters offshore.
A non-governmental organization, the Peace Building Institute, claimed Thursday
(6/5/04) that snipers were using Styer SSG-69 rifles, which are widely used by sniper
units of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and National Police sharpshooters.
"The Styer SSG-69, which can hit a target up to one kilometer away with deadly
accuracy, is common in both the military and police," director of the institute, Ichsan
Malik, told The Jakarta Post.
TNI spokesman Maj. Gen. Syafrie Syamsuddin said earlier that the mystery snipers
were using weapons stolen from a police armory during a raid in Ambon in 2000.
The weapons are similar to those used by anti-sniper units formed by the former
Pattimura Military commander, Brig. Gen. Max Tamaela, in 2000.
However, Ichsan claimed the weapons stolen from the armory had a range of up to
200 meters only, while the ones being used by snipers were accurate up to one
kilometer away.
He also pointed out that the snipers were skilled marksmen - the victims were shot in
the forehead, heart or between the eyes.
Police said at least 35 FKM-RMS members, including Oly and Christine Manuputty --
the wife and daughter of exiled pro-independence leader Alex Manuputty -- and Mozes
Tuanakotta, the general secretary of the FKM-RMS, were detained and would face
subversion charges.
Together with eight other suspects, they were all flown to Jakarta Thursday (6/5/04)
for further questioning at National Police Headquarters.
Bachtiar said police had requested the handover of Manuputty by the United States to
enable further questioning of the alleged separatist leader. He said the police were
hunting down other separatist members still at large.
Earlier, Bachtiar said the trials for the charged RMS leaders would be held outside
Maluku to prevent possible violence.
Four Punished Over Makassar Brutality
A police disciplinary committee Thursday (6/5/04) ordered four officers detained for 21
days for their roles in the recent attack on the Indonesian Muslim University (UMI)
campus in Makassar, which left at least 65 students injured.
First Brig. Nur Hasyim, 28, First Brig. Umar Zulkarnaen, 24, Second Brig. Otniel
Saldy Penik, 25, and Second Brig. Rahmat Hidayat, 26 -- were also demoted in rank.
The four are among over 30 police officers who will face the disciplinary committee
over the attack.
Adj. Sr. Comr. Machmud Abduh, the judge at the four-hour hearing, said the four were
found "legally and convincingly" guilty of breaching Government Regulation No. 2/2003
on police discipline.
"They did not obey prevailing rules, failed to act on the basis of official orders from
their superiors, failed to carry out their duties responsibly and violated the oath of the
National Police/Indonesian Military," he said.
The suspects initiated the attack on the UMI, beating dozens of students with "hands,
guns and sticks", Machmud said.
One high-ranking officer and eight other officers will stand trial at the Makassar
District Court over their alleged involvement in the brutality.
The disciplinary committee heard testimony from two witnesses, Second Brig. Dian
Andriawan and Second Brig. Farul Razi, and a sentencing demand by prosecutor Adj.
Sr. Comr. Marten Sorreng.
The four confessed to their roles in the attack during Thursday's hearing and their
lawyer, Adj. Comr. Mastura, told the disciplinary committee that the offenders would
accept the punishment and not file an appeal.
Poso Party Leader Detained
Luky Lasahido, chairman of the Poso, Central Sulawesi, branch of the National
Mandate Party (PAN) was arrested after illegal firearms, bullets and other weapons
were found at his house, Poso's Sintuwu Maroso Operation chief Sr. Comr. Abdi
Dharma said Thursday (6/5/04).
A 600-strong joint police and Military team had searched Lasahido's home for
weapons and found stashes of sulfur, 300 rounds of 5.56 millimeter ammunition made
by national arms producer PT Pindad Indonesia, a bomb chassis and several
homemade firearms.
Lasahido, who was elected as a House of Representatives member for PAN in the
April 5 legislative poll, is being detained at Poso police station.
Dharma said the find was part of a series of intense arms searches in houses around
Poso after a series of renewed attacks last month in the area, blamed on unidentified
gunmen.
During the latest operations, security forces also examined identity cards of local
people to identify illegal residents, Central Sulawesi Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr.
Agus Sugianto said.
In two separate attacks last month in Poso's Pesisir district, a church leader was
shot dead and a women lecturer was seriously wounded.
Meanwhile Rinaldy Damanik, a clergyman jailed three years for possessing illegal
firearms, has reportedly been flown to Jakarta for medical attention.
Damanik, who heads the Christian Church's Crisis Center, left Palu on Tuesday
(4/5/04) after Muslim cleric Idrus Alhabsyi contacted local authorities after visiting the
ailing prisoner.
Earlier, the priest had been barred from receiving medical treatment in Jakarta for his
kidney disease.
Alhabsyi had strongly urged Central Sulawesi Police to arrest Damanik after officers
suspected the Christian leader of carrying arms in the restive Poso regency.
Separatist Rally in Papua
Some 500 Papuans from the Coalition of Civilians for Human Rights protested at the
province's legislative council in Jayapura on Wednesday (5/5/04) to oppose the May
1, 1963 integration of their territory into Indonesia.
The integration violated Papuans' human rights, a spokesman for the group, Markus
Haluk, said during the rally involving religious and community figures.
"For the Indonesian government, May 1, 1963 was a victory as Papua joined the
Unitary State of the Indonesian Republic. But for Papuans, it was a bad day because
a human right abuse took place during the integration," he said.
FBI on Pekanbaru Bombing
The National Police, with the help of the FBI, has determined that the bomb that
demolished Tuesday (4/5/04) two shop houses in the Riau capital of Pekanbaru,
killing two and injuring two others, was not an act of terrorism but an attempt to gain
insurance funds.
Riau Police chief Brig. Gen. Deddy Sutardi Komaruddin told reporters Saturday
(8/5/04) the evidence showed that the owner of the buildings, Along, had arranged the
bomb because he owed Rp350 million to suppliers to his shop.
Along and his brother had given a third man Rp6 million to arrange the bombing, and
the third man had then arranged with Irwanto to set the blast. Irwanto was seriously
injured as he was escaping from the scene.
National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Soenarko Danu Arwanto said Friday (7/5/04)
an FBI forensic expert was helping in the probe, and had visited Pekanbaru. He gave
no more details.
E. Timor Maintains Heat on Wiranto
The US-based Human Rights Watch urged East Timor's parliament Saturday (8/5/04)
to exclude serious human rights crimes from a general amnesty law now under
consideration that proposes to pardon culprits in the country's 1999 bloodbath. The
amnesty is expected to be passed on May 20, marking the second anniversary of
East Timor as nation.
A UN-created Special Panel for Serious Crimes in East Timor, comprised of
international and East Timorese judges, has indicted four Indonesian generals,
including retired General Wiranto who is now a presidential candidate in Indonesia, for
committing "serious crimes" in the 1999 incidents.
"The law could undermine the work of Timorese and international bodies investigating
and prosecuting the grave abuses that took place in East Timor during the country's
1999 referendum on independence from Indonesia," said the human rights advocate
group in a press statement made available in Jakarta.
The indictment has seriously tarnished the presidential candidacy of Wiranto, who
was Defense Minister and Armed Forces commander-in-chief in 1999. "The Timorese
leaders should not pardon crimes in advance of trial and conviction," said. Charmain
Mohamed, East Timor researcher for Human Rights Watch.
"Pardoning serious violators, especially before they've even faced a trial, contradicts
the principle that time served should be proportionate to the gravity of the crime," he
said.
"It is bitterly ironic to mark East Timor's second anniversary of nationhood by
undermining justice for the most serious crimes that accompanied the country's
independence," said Mohamed.
"Reconciliation has a place, but there can't be reconciliation without judicial
accountability for violations of basic international human rights," he added.
UN Team to Assess W. Timor Security
A team of United Nations Security Coordination delegates is to visit West Timor in
East Nusa Tenggara for five days to assess security conditions there, the military
said Wednesday (5/5/04).
The five delegates will recommend whether the UN should revoke the alert status in
West Timor, after the visit scheduled for May 13-17, said Wirasakti Military
commander Col. Moeswarno Moesanip, who oversees security in East Nusa
Tenggara.
The UN Security Council declared the alert status on September 8 2000; two days
after three UN High Commission for Refugees officials were killed by alleged
militiamen in Atambua, Belu.
Nine Jailed over Flores Incident
The Kupang District Court sentenced on Friday nine civilian defendants to a year in
prison each for their involvement in last year's attack on a court building and
prosecutor's office on Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).
The defendants were found guilty beyond all reasonable doubt of violating Article 170
of the Criminal Code over the attack on November 15, 2003 in Larantuka, the capital of
East Flores regency.
The nine defendants were being tried separately before the same court, which was
presided over by Hendri Silaen, accompanied by judges Karlen Prialusi and Bernadeta
Samosir.
Three other civilian suspects are still on trial for their alleged involvement in the same
attack on a courthouse shortly after a judge convicted local Catholic leader, Father
Frans Amanuen, in a defamation case filed by East Flores Regent Felix Fernandes.
All 12 suspects were also accused of setting fire to the Larantuka Prosecutor's Office.
No fatalities were reported in the incident.
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