Indonesia to soon announce amnesty for Aceh rebels
Indonesia will this week announce an amnesty for some 2,000 detained Aceh rebels as part of a peace pact signed to end 29 years of separatist conflict in the resource-rich province, a report said. Justice and Human Rights Minister Hamid Awaluddin, who also signed the August 15 accord with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in Helsinki, was quoted by the Kompas newspaper as saying the amnesty would be announced on Wednesday. “The number of those to receive an amnesty will be around 2,000 people. Some 500 in Java and some 1,500 in Aceh and Bengkulu (provinces),” he said.Full Story