2 MONTHS SOUGHT FOR TROOPS CHARGED IN TORTURE
By Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh, Aceh

October 4, 2003 – (Jakarta Post) A military prosecutor requested that the Banda Aceh martial court on Friday hand down light sentences of between one month and two months in prison to 11 Army soldiers accused of torturing villagers. He also demanded that the court acquit the troops' commander from all charges.

Prosecutor Maj. Mariyanto Banji said the soldiers' commander Chief Sgt. Irwan Priyono was proven not guilty of torturing dozens of civilians in Glumpang Sulu Barat and Glumpang Sulu Timur villages, in North Aceh regency on Aug. 30.

"Priyono has initiated peace talks with the villagers and asked his men to apologize to them (the villagers)," Mariyono told the tribunal.

The prosecutor charged the 11 soldiers under Article 352 of the Criminal Code on minor torture which carries a maximum sentence of three months in jail.

A number of soldiers had previously been court martialled, with three Army officers sentenced last July to between two-and-a-half and three-and-a-half years in jail for raping four women in Alue Lhok village, Paya Bakung, North Aceh in June.

The Aceh police claimed to have arrested four members of Free Aceh Movement (GAM), including a commander and vice commander of the organization's chapter in Singkil.

The four people were captured after the police raided suspected GAM headquarters in Jamur Damar village, Lawe district, which is located some15 kilometers away from Southeast Aceh regency capital of Kuta Cane.

The GAM commander, identified as Samsuar Bako, 20, was allegedly planning the killing of a police mobile brigade officer Brig. Abdullah Panjaitan a couple of months ago, the Aceh Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Sayed Husaeny said on Friday.

Separately, the spokesman for military operations in Aceh, Lt. Col. Ahmad Yani Basuki, said the military had killed eight GAM members, including a commander of Blang Pidie area, identified as Imran, 30, in Meupayong Susoh village, South West Aceh.

In the same area, five civilians, including a housewife, identified as Mariana, 30, and her husband Armya Ali, 40 were reportedly killed.

Witnesses said the couple were shot dead by seven gunmen early in the morning on Thursday.

The motive behind the murder of the couple remains unclear, but police believe it was committed by GAM members.

GAM could not be reached for a response.

Over 300 civilians have been killed since the implementation of martial law on May 19.

Besides continuing the military operation, the government pledged on Thursday to take stern measures against government officials who were found guilty of swindling humanitarian and social rehabilitation funds.
The police announced on Thursday that they had arrested two district chiefs for allegedly tapping state funds allocated for the poor in Pidie regency.

Indrajaya district chief Faisal, 42, was arrested on Sunday while Mereudu district chief Abdul was arrested on Tuesday.

Police seized Rp 4.5 million (US$535) in cash and bank funds of Rp 40 million ($4,762) from Abdul as evidence.

Corruption watchdog, the Solidarity for Anticorruption Society (SAMAK), had earlier reported 392 corruption cases which had not been investigated. The corruption has resulted in tens of billions of rupiah in state losses, SAMAK said.

It said that rampant corruption had ranked Aceh as the most corrupt province in the country.

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