Radzie, Banda Aceh – As many as 62 Free Aceh Movement (GAM) members detained in a number of correctional institutions in Sumatra have yet to be granted amnesty by the Indonesian government. As a result they are still incarcerated in jail. The tragedy is that several of them have fallen ill.

On Monday March 14, dozens of former GAM combatants from Pidie, Bireuen, East Aceh and North Aceh Utara, asked that the Aceh Transitional Command (KPA) endeavor to seek the release of the GAM members still in jail. They also conveyed this demand to the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) represented by Juha Christensen.

Rusli A Gani, the head of the KPA in Peureulak, East Aceh, said that there are presently hundreds of former GAM members still being detained on subversion charges that have yet to be released. Most are incarcerated at the Tanjung Gusta prison in Medan. "In this jail there are two former GAM [members] who were jailed on charges of subversion, [who] are sick and not receiving attention", said Gani.

The former GAM combatant told reporters that Christensen has said that the AMM will follow up the report. Christensen admitted that the AMM has been a little slow in dealing with the cases of GAM members who have yet to be granted amnesty. He asked the former combatants to list the names and places of their detention and give the data to the AMM. "The AMM will check and investigate the data", Christensen told them.

GAM spokesperson Bakhtiar Abdullah meanwhile, said that there are still around 62 GAM members who are still incarcerated in jail. Some time ago GAM had reported there were 116 prisoners that had yet to be granted amnesty. "At that time, we tried to trace them case by case, and it this is still in process", Abdullah told journalists at the KPA offices in Banda Aceh on Tuesday March 14.

He said that during a Commission on Security Arrangement (COSA) meeting on March 12, all of the parties (AMM, Indonesia and GAM) agreed that 13 of prisoners would be granted amnesty shortly. "But what about the mechanisms, and when they will be released is still unknown. This is still in at the consideration stage according to Indonesian law", said Abdullah.

Abdullah said that they would continue to work for the release of the GAM members however it needed time and a process."We are still concerned about the former GAM [members] that are still in jail. We have not forgotten them and are now trying to get them released", promised Abdullah who resided in Sweden for 25 years. [dzie]

[Translated by James Balowski.]