The Jakarta Post
Thursday, May 6, 2004

Tiarma Siboro and Nani Farida, Jakarta/Banda Aceh

The Indonesian Military (TNI) acknowledged on Wednesday that troops in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam were guilty of hundreds of violations, including rape and selling ammunition to rebels in the province.

TNI chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said 511 violations had been recorded since a military operation was launched in Aceh in mid-May 2003.

"When we launched the campaign, critics were already saying the operation was going to be a dirty war. I do not hesitate to admit them (violations)," Endriartono said at a press conference on Wednesday.

The conference was called to brief the press on the ongoing military campaign in Aceh, launched after Jakarta declared war against the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) last May.

"We have brought 429 violations involving soldiers to the military court, while 82 others are being processed," Endriartono said.

He also said that 57 soldiers had been sentenced to up to three years in prison, while three others had been discharged from the military.

Endriartono's admission comes just days after the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) submitted a report on alleged gross human rights violations committed by both the TNI and GAM since May 19, when President Megawati Soekarnoputri declared a state of emergency in Aceh, where rebels have been fighting for independence since 1976.

Endriartono said some 2,000 suspected GAM members had been killed since May 19, another 2,100 arrested, 1,270 others had surrendered and 1,045 weapons of various types had been seized from rebels.

Early in the operation, the military estimated the number of GAM rebels at 5,251 -- about 100 fewer than the number said to have been killed, captured or surrendered -- equipped with about 2,000 weapons.

Endriartono also said that 130 soldiers had been killed and 289 wounded since the offensive began. The operation has so far cost the state Rp 1.9 trillion (US$220 million).

The general said he did not object to plans by Komnas HAM to launch a thorough investigation into alleged rights abuses in Aceh since 2003.

"We welcome Komnas HAM to investigate rights abuses allegedly committed by my troops while carrying out their duties (in Aceh), but the investigation should not have a political motive. It should also record violations committed by rebels," he said.

Komnas HAM has divided the alleged abuses into five categories -- the displacement of persons, arbitrary arrests, forced disappearances, rape and extrajudicial killings.

In Banda Aceh, the Aceh martial law administration said on Wednesday that 139 members of the armed forces -- 133 from the Army, three from the Navy and three from the Air Force -- had been found guilty of violations since the military operation began.

"Their violations varied from disciplinary offenses, rape, the unauthorized firing of weapons, theft and bribery to selling ammunition to GAM rebels," Aceh martial law administration spokesman Col. Ditya Soedarsono said.

He said some soldiers had sold ammunition for Rp 35,000 per bullet.

Ditya also said 43 soldiers had deserted their units "but none of them had joined the rebels".

Endriartono also welcomed reported plans by GAM to release hostages, saying the military would guarantee the safety of those involved in the release of the captives.

GAM said on Tuesday it would free a television cameraman who has been held for almost a year and 100 other "prisoners" next week.