JAKARTA, March 17 (Xinhuanet) -- The Indonesian government has moved to restore the rights of and provide compensation for former political prisoners exiled on Buru Island in Maluku between 1969 and 1979, a local newspaper reported Thursday.

    Most of them were accused of having links to the outlawed Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), reported The Jakarta Post.

    Chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights Abdul HakimGaruda Nusantara was quoted as saying that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had agreed that the forcible incarceration of the people had to be settled.

    "This government is willing to settle it. Whether it would be resolved through a presidential decree or other official forms, remains undecided," Abdul Hakim said after a meeting with the president on Wednesday.

    Garuda said the state would restore the former prisoners' civiland legal rights, which had been taken away by special laws targeting PKI members.

    It remains unclear whether the President will officially declare that the state is responsible for rights abuses against the nearly 10,000 political prisoners and ensuing discriminatory treatment against them and their families.

    During the tenure of former President Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie,the House of Representatives passed a law that allowed former political prisoners to vote, but retained the ban on their legislative membership.

    In 2001, then president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid made an official apology for the discrimination against former members of the PKI, its affiliates and their families. He took a further stepby calling for the revocation of a Provisional People's Consultative Assembly decree that bans Marxism/Leninism, a move which eventually failed.

    The Constitutional Court annulled last year the law that bannedformer political prisoners from running as legislative candidates,but the ruling will not be effective until the 2009 polls.

    Abdul Hakim said the rights body suggested that Susilo immediately approve the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (KKR), whose main task would be to settle past human rights abuses committed by state institutions.

    The law, which was passed by the House last year, mandated the establishment of the commission by April at the latest.

    Despite the nearing deadline, the government has not started the selection of members for the 21-strong commission. Enditem