[Kabar-indonesia] Aceh News: Truth & Reconciliation Commission; TNI statement on SIRA; Illegal org

[Joyo at aol.com]

also: Civil activists condemn TNI statement on SIRA; 
and Illegal organisations in Aceh must be disbanded

Activists call for formation of Acehnese truth &
reconciliation commission

Aceh Kita - June 23, 2006
-translation available June 29-

Radzie, Banda Aceh -- Civil activists in Aceh are
urging the Indonesian government to immediately form
an Acehnese Truth and Reconciliation Commission
(KKR) and Human Rights Court in order to resolve
problems that took place in the past. The call was
conveyed by a number of Acehnese activists after
they decided to resign from the Aceh Reintegration
Agency.

According to the former executive director of the
Forum of Acehnese Non-Government Organisations, TAF
Haikal, a future KKR and human rights court would
not involve the disputing parties. "We are proposing
the immediate formation of a committee, within which
the disputing parties are not involved. The
institution would be independent", Haikal said when
speaking with Aceh Kita a short time ago.

Likewise, the executive director of the Coalition of
Human Rights Non-Government Organisations, Faisal
Hadi, said that a KKR and human rights court is
desperately needed in order to resolve problems of
human rights violations that occurred in the past.
According to Hadi, the formation of an Acehnese KKR
has been hindered because the KKR at the national
level has yet to be formed. This is despite the fact
that 40 candidate members for the KKR have already
taken part in a fit and proper test yet not one has
been selected by the president.

"By September 2005, the government should have
already formed the KKR at the national level. But up
until now the president has not selected any of the
40 existing candidates", said Hadi.

The Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding says that a
KKR will be formed in Aceh by the national KKR with
the task of formulating and determining a means of
seeking reconciliation.

According to Hadi, a future KKR in Aceh could take
as example the KKR that was formed by the South
African government in resolving human rights
violations that took place during the Apartheid
period. "Of course the South African model doesn't
have to be applied in its entirety, but what's wrong
with trying it first (trial and error)", he said.
[dzie]

[Translated by James Balowski.]

----------------------------------------

Aceh Kita - June 23, 2006
-translation available June 29-

Civil activists condemn TNI statement on SIRA

Radzie, Banda Aceh -- A statement by Indonesia's
senior representative on the Aceh Monitoring Mission
(AMM), Major General Bambang Darmono, which
categorised the Aceh Referendum Information Center
(SIRA) as an illegal organisation has been condemned
by civil activist groups in Aceh.

Criticisms and protests were expressed by the
Coalition of Aceh Human Rights Non-Government
Organisations, the Traditional Society Communication
Network (JKMA), the Commission for Missing Persons
and Victims of Violence (Kontras), the Alliance of
Student Executive Councils (ABEM), the Acehnese
Civil Society Task Force (ACSTF), the Muhammadiyah
University Student Executive Council (BEM), the Anti
Corruption Movement (Gerak) and SIRA.

According to Taufik Abda from JKMA, the Indonesian
military (TNI) does not have the authority to decide
on the status of or disband civil organisations. A
decision to disband a civil organisation lies
entirely with the civil government, in this case the
ministry of home affairs or the regional government.
Even if SIRA and other civil organisations are
declared illegal, he said, the decision must be made
by the government or the courts based on existing
laws and not by military officers.

"An accusation by a military officer as to whether
an organisation is legal or not, is realm of the
work of the civil authorities, not the military",
said Abda during a press conference at the offices
of the Coalition of Aceh Human Rights Non-Government
Organisations in Banda Aceh on Friday June 23.

According to Abda, the labeling of SIRA as an
illegal organisations, as in the case of fronts that
were created to fight and quash the Free Aceh
Movement (GAM), represents an attempt by the
military to use coercion and terror against civil
activists. Moreover, at this time these activists
are struggling for the ratification of the Draft Law
on Aceh Government (RUU-PA), the contents of which
are in accordance with the Helsinki Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU).

"There are concerns that this intimidation is to
silence friends who are putting pressure on [those
conducting] the deliberations of the RUU-PA", he
said. "The military authorities are also using shock
therapy against civil society [groups] that are
participating in actions launched by SIRA".

The Helsinki MoU says that the government must
disband illegal groups in Aceh. By illegal groups it
is meant the militia who in their activities use
weapons and violence. SIRA meanwhile, has never used
violence or weapons said Abda.

Because of this therefore, Abda deeply regrets the
statements made in the mass media by the commander
of the Iskandar Muda Territorial Military Command
Major General Supiadin AS and Darmono, that SIRA is
an illegal organisation.

"Whey not invite us (civil organisations) to hold an
open dialogue on the matter. Why must [they] spread
terror through the mass media", asked Abda who is
also a SIRA activist. What is most regrettable said
Abda, is that a high-ranking TNI officer made the
statement that SIRA is an illegal organisation.

In relation to holding an open dialogue and debate,
the Coalition of Aceh Human Rights Non-Government
Organisations declared that it is ready to mediate
between civil groups, the government and military,
in order to straighten out the issue.

Speaking in the same vein, Kontras Aceh coordinator
Asiah said that the statements by Supiadin and
Darmono are evidence that the military is
encroaching on civil authority. "If there are
illegal [organisations], why make an example of
SIRA, when we know that their activities are not
disrupting the peace process", said Asiah.

Meanwhile, during a press conference the day before
at a restaurant in Banda Aceh, SIRA stated that they
are not an illegal organisation dispute the
accusations by the TNI. "We have already made it
clear to all parties, including the AMM, that SIRA
is not campaigning for Acehnese independence or to
separate from Indonesia", said SIRA presidium chair
Muhammad Nazar.

According to Nazar, SIRA's activities have never
disrupted political stability, security or the peace
process in Aceh. "We will not disrupt political
stability or security. We support what is being done
by the Indonesian government and GAM", he said.

With regard to the word referendum in the name SIRA,
according to the graduate of the Ar-Raniry State
Institute of Islamic Studies faculty of culture, the
term has quite a broad meaning. Moreover, there is
not one article in the Indonesian constitution that
prohibits a referendum. "For example, we could hold
a referendum to change the Aceh Bill and so forth",
he added. [dzie]

[Translated by James Balowski.]

--------------------------------------

Aceh Kita - June 21, 2006
-translation available June 29-

Illegal organisations in Aceh must be disbanded

Adi W, Banda Aceh -- Indonesia's senior
representative on the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM),
Major General Bambang Darmono, has confirmed that
there are no longer any illegal groups in Aceh. If
there still are, then these groups must be disbanded
immediately.

"Meaning, every organisation must have a permit that
is in accordance with the law", Darmono told
journalists at the offices of the Acehnese governor
on Wednesday June 21.

The disbanding of such groups is in line with
Ministry of Political, Legal and Security Affairs
Decree Number R-13 dated March 18, 2006, which
provides a guarantee that there are no longer any
illegal organisations in Aceh.

Darmono, the former TNI (Indonesian military)
operational commander for Lhokseumawe, said that
based on the decree that came into force on June 15
this year, it is not just illegal organisations in
Aceh that will be disbanded, but throughout
Indonesia, because many social organisations are
still illegal in nature.

Darmono explained that the decree represents a
verification and affirmation to address the doubts
of those who say there are still many illegal groups
post the conflict in Aceh. Moreover, the Memorandum
of Understanding that was signed in Helsinki on
August 15 last year requires that the Indonesian
government disband all illegal organisations that
exist in Aceh.

The illegal organisations meant by this said
Darmono, are those that do not have a proper permit.
He gave as an example the Aceh Referendum
Information Center (SIRA). "As far as I know at the
moment, SIRA does not exist any more, it stopped
[functioning] after it was reprimanded by the AMM",
he said.

SIRA spokesperson Dawam Gayo has refuted Darmono's
statement. According to Gayo, SIRA is not an illegal
organisation as claimed by the Indonesian
government, because it was established legally at
the Serantau Aceh Student and Youth Congress.

"Moreover, the congress was opened by Aceh governor
Syamsuddin Mahmud and the deputy speaker of the Aceh
DPRD [Regional House of Representatives] from the
ABRI [armed forces] Fraction, Colonel Yasril
Hedradjat. Since its formation, SIRA has also been
active in struggling for the creation of peace in
Aceh, because SIRA does not wish violence against
Aceh", said Gayo in a press release sent to Aceh
Kita. "With regard to the name SIRA, there is also
no need for concern although it contains the word
referendum", he said.

It is not just SIRA that is being called on to
disband, but all fronts formed to quash the Free
Aceh Movement (GAM). Darmono said meanwhile, that
the Defenders of the Fatherland (Peta) is not an
organisation but only a group formed to counter
those who carried out resistance during the period
of conflict.

Peta is an organisation that was created post the
conflict and is an umbrella organisation for various
resistance fronts against GAM. A number of fronts
were formed during the period that the Indonesian
government declared a state of martial law and
civilian emergency (May 19, 2003-April 2005) in
Aceh. These include the Front for the Struggle
Against GAM (FPSG), People's Fortress Against GAM
Separatists (Berantas), Red White United People's
Resistance (PPRMP) and a number of other groups.

There is no definitive data however on the number of
illegal organisations in Aceh. Darmono noted that
illegal organisations that are still active would be
sanctioned. "If [they are] still operating, then
there will be legal sanctions. And that is a matter
for security forces", he said.

Darmono also explained that the disbanding of these
illegal organisations has no relationship with the
dispute within the Aceh Reintegration Agency (BRA).
GAM recently resigned from the BRA because there
were members of Peta in the organisation led by the
rector of the Ar-Raniry State Institute of Islamic
Studies, Professor Yusni Sabi. In addition to GAM,
non-government organisations have also withdrawn
three of their personnel from the BRA. [dzie]

[Translated by James Balowski.]

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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