RELATIVES of victims of the 2002 Bali bombings yesterday said they were “deeply alarmed and distressed” Indonesia had cut the sentences of 12 people jailed over the attacks.

Abu Bakar Bashir, the alleged spiritual head of an al-Qaida-linked terror group, will not have his prison sentence reduced to mark the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, the Indonesian government said today.

Hundreds of Acehnese rebels will be released from prison today to mark Indonesia’s independence day, officials said, including some who had the chance to escape during the December 26 tsunami, but instead turned themselves in.

THE Indonesian government and Aceh rebels yesterday signed a peace treaty to end nearly 30 years of fighting that has seen 15,000 people killed, but rebel leaders voiced concern about troops remaining in the province.

The Indonesian government said today it would start withdrawing troops from Aceh in September as part of an agreement with rebels to end three decades of fighting that has killed 15,000 people.