Jakarta Post
January 22, 2004

BANDA ACEH (Agencies): The government on Thursday transferred 54 rebel prisoners from Aceh province to penitentiaries in Central Java province.

Wearing blue uniforms and handcuffed to each other, the prisoners were escorted into an air force C-130 Hercules transport that flew them to Semarang, the capital of Central Java province.

The group were the first of 143 prisoners who will serve their sentences in jails across Java.

Military spokesman Col. Ditya Soedarsono said the second batch to consist of 89 prisoners is expected to arrive in Semarang on Friday.

He said that once the rebels arrived in Ahmad Yani airport in Semarang, they will directly handed over to the local justice and human right office.