BY DEDEK & SALMAN
Banda Aceh, (TAG) – The Aceh police chief Ins. Gen. Iskandar Hasan Tuesday
issued an ultimatum to Acehnese who still keeping firearms and explosives illegally
to immediately surrender to local police forces in the province by February 20.
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| Iskandar Hasan |
“To those who still
keeping and concealing the illegal weapons, ammunition and explosive divices
should hand over to the police in the region by a grace period of Februari 14
to 20,” he said in the ultimatum.
The ultimatum was
declared during thousands joint military and police forces parade at the
provincial police headquaters to secure a long-awaited local polls to choose
governor, four mayors, and 13 districts’ chief scheduled April 9.
“To the (Acehnese) people
who still possessing, keeping or hiding firearms, ammunition and explosive
illegally not surrender by the time limit, it will be used as the evidence of
crime,” Aceh police chief mentioned.
Quoted the Indonesian
emergency law, intimation says that sanction to the suspects could be death
penalty, life imprisonment or 20 years sentence. In the edict that distributed
to journalists, having illegal weapons would result in a form of tortures,
extortion, theft and murder.
Iskandar urged the
Acehnese to provide information secretly if they know anyone still possessing
and concealing the weapon illegally. “If someone knows, please inform us. The
identity of informant will be kept strictly confidential,” he said.
Aceh is an Indonesian province located on the northern tip of Sumatra
island, that experienced 29 years of armed separatist conflict that claimed
more than 25,000 lives – mostly civilians – until a historic peace agreement
was reached in 2005, has scheduled simultaneous elections for a new governor
and 16 local leaders on April 9.
The
Aceh elections had initially been scheduled to take place last November, then
rescheduled twice on December 24 and February 16 but got derailed when Aceh
Party which dominates provincial and some districts legislatures threatened a
boycott in response to a Constitutional Court ruling in December 2010 allowing
independent candidates to run.
The
Aceh Party is a local party founded by former members of now-disbanded Free
Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels. The party registered its candidates to run on the local
elections after Constitutional Court in January ordering the Aceh Election
Independent Commission (KIP) for the second time the reopening of registration
window for candidates who missed out on the previous period.
The up-coming polls has been marred by a spate of
unresolved shootings and fire-bombings that claimed nine civilians since last
December. Analysists and some Indonesian House Representative have warned that
the cases politically motivated and should not be treated as normal crimes.
Aceh police received some
43 weapons, dozens grenades and more than 7,000 ammunitions from residents in the
province last year. All those believed to be weapons of the conflict that still
being kept by the locals. The Aceh police chief Iskandar last month said he
predicted some 800 to 1,000 firearms still being kept illegally in the hands of
Acehnese.[]
Related articles:
Police Chief Calls Acehnese To Surrender Illegal Firearms
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February 14, 2012
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Reviewed by theacehglobe
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February 14, 2012
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