[Kabar-indonesia] GAM Rejects Parts of Aceh Law Not Complying with Peace Accord

[JoyoNews at aol.com]

also: Italian aid worker facing drugs charges 
in Indonesia's Aceh province: police

BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific
August 2, 2006
Source: Republika, Jakarta,
in Indonesian 1 Aug 06

Indonesia separatists reject parts of Aceh 
law not complying with peace accord

Text of report by Indonesian newspaper Republika website on 1 August

The following report detailing the Free Aceh Movement's [GAM] views on
the Aceh Governance Law is based on an article in the 1 August 2006
online edition of Republika.

The article reported GAM spokesman Munawarliza Zein as saying that GAM
did not reject the governance law in its entirety, however it did
reject those articles which conflicted with the Helsinki Memorandum of
Understanding. "We have to be realistic and accept that articles which
do not conflict with the MoU will be kept, but we reject and will
revise those articles which do not comply," Zein was quoted as saying.

Zein advised that a five-member team of former GAM officials had
departed for Malaysia to meet with a named Australian national who had
officiated as a GAM adviser at the Helsinki negotiations in 2005. The
team would hold discussions with and seek further advice from the
Australian national on the disputed articles. "The GAM team was forced
to hold the meeting in Malaysia because [named Australian] is
prohibited from entering Indonesia. We wanted the meeting held in
Aceh," he said.

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Italian aid worker facing drugs charges in Indonesia's Aceh province: police

BANDA ACEH, August 2 (AP) - An Italian aid worker in tsunami-ravaged
Aceh province could face 10 years in prison after being arrested with
a small amount of marijuana, police said Wednesday.

The suspect was arrested late last month in Bireuen district and is
being detained in the provincial capital of Banda Aceh, said Aceh drug
squad head Lt. Col. Ali Jauhari.

Jauhari declined to say what aid group the suspect worked for. He
faces a maximum penalty of ten years imprisonment if found guilty,
Jauhari told reporters.

Indonesia often imposes strict sentences on foreigners convicted for
drugs offenses, though long prison terms for possession of small
amounts of marijuana are rare.

Two Australians were sentenced to death in February for trying to
smuggle 8 kilograms (18 pounds) of heroin from Bali island to their
homeland.

Aceh is home to hundreds of foreign nationals helping in the
reconstruction of the province, which was worst hit by the 2004 Asian
tsunami.

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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