Indonesia frees hundreds of Aceh rebel prisoners

JAKARTA,Wednesday (AFP) Indonesia freed hundreds of rebel Acehnese prisoners Wednesday after a general amnesty was granted by the president, meeting a key condition of an historic peace pact, officials said. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono signed a decree late Tuesday granting the amnesty to members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), as required under the August 15 peace accord between the government and separatist guerrillas.

More than 1,400 prisoners were expected to be released throughout the day, part of the deal aiming to end almost three decades of separatist conflict in resource-rich Aceh that has claimed some 15,000 lives.

Dozens of detainees from Bandung jail, all wearing Indonesia's colourful batik shirts and nametags, arrived at Jakarta airport, including four of GAM's most senior members in the country.

The four - Tengku Kamaruzaman, Amni bin Ahmad Marzuki, Nashiruddin bin Ahmad and Muhammad Usman bin Lampo Awe - were among 74 Bandung detainees who were released.

They were arrested for treason in 2003 when they were about to fly to Tokyo to attend an emergency meeting to salvage a peace pact signed in December 2002 that eventually crumbled.

The amnesty, which under the peace deal had to be granted to prisoners by Wednesday at the latest, was granted to all GAM members whether they are detained and serving jail sentences or are currently free.

Members convicted of crimes unrelated to the separatist movement are not eligible.