National

Amnesty Only For GAM Members Involved in Coup Plans
Wednesday, 24 August, 2005 | 21:35 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Hamid Awaluddin, chairman of the peace negotiations team between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), has said that amnesty is only to be given to GAM members involved in coup plans.

According to Awaluddin, the number of GAM members who will be granted amnesty totals 1,424.

These GAM members are now under detention in three regions: on Java (463 people), in Aceh (958 people) and in Bengkulu (3 people).

“Amnesty will only be given to GAM members involved in coup plans,” stated Awaluddin, who is also Minister of Law and Human Rights, while presenting details of the planned amnesty to House of Representatives (DPR) Commission III on law and human rights on Wednesday (24/08).

Regarding the peace negotiations with GAM, Awaluddin said that these measures had to be taken to end a 30-year conflict.

During the conflict in Aceh, more than 15,000 people were killed.

Awaluddin said,” This means that every day two people were killed in Aceh.”

Those killed included not only armed members of GAM, the Indonesian Military and the National Police but also civilians. (Yophiandi-Tempo News Room)