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Amnesty for MIT members needs legal process: Army
Indonesian Army chief of staff Gen. Mulyono has said the government may grant amnesty to East Indonesia Mujahiddin (MIT) members who are still at large. However, they should still need to face the legal process for committing attacks against security personnel, he said.
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Surrender – This picture shows Salman, aka Opik (left), on duty guarding East Indonesia Mujahiddin (MIT) leader Santoso, aka Abu Wardah (right), in a forest in Poso, Central Sulawesi. Salman reportedly surrendered to Operation Tinombala on Sunday afternoon. (Courtesy of the Operation Tinombala Task Force/-)
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ndonesian Army chief of staff Gen. Mulyono has said the government may grant amnesty to East Indonesia Mujahiddin (MIT) members who are still at large. However, they should still need to face the legal process for committing attacks against security personnel, he said.
"Whether or not the government will grant them amnesty, it will depend on the legal process the government should conduct on their violations, no matter what," Mulyono said on Wednesday.
The government’s plan to grant amnesty to the 16 militants if they agree to surrender to security officials is considered a soft approach. It is hoped this approach might persuade the terrorists to end their guerrilla warfare in Poso, Central Sulawesi.
(Read also : Operation Tinombala should continue: Army chief)
Shortly after the death of MIT leader Santoso, aka Abu Wardah, in the middle of July, Luhut Pandjaitan, then the coordinating political, legal and security affairs, said giving amnesty to Santoso's militants was a better way to prevent them from committing more attacks against security personnel in the future.
The National Intelligence Agency (BIN) has reportedly supported the government’s plan to provide amnesty for Santoso's followers, saying that providing amnesty was better than continuing with Operation Tinombala, which was too costly and led to fatalities. (ebf)
