Aceh quiet on day of government deadline<\/p>\n
Nani Farida and Zakki Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Bowing to instructions from the separatist Free Aceh Movement
\n(GAM), most Acehnese went on strike a day before the government
\nwas expected to announce its intention to launch a military
\noperation in Aceh.<\/p>\n
Amri Abdul Wahad, field commander of the Free Aceh Movement's
\nmilitary wing, was reportedly abducted, and GAM negotiator Sofyan
\nIbrahim Tiba claimed the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) was
\nbehind the abduction.<\/p>\n
A blackout at midnight in Banda Aceh, the provincial capital,
\ncaused anxiety among the populace, but thousands of soldiers were
\npositioned at strategic locations to ward off trouble.<\/p>\n
Many stores were closed and public transportation did not
\noperate on Monday morning, while armed soldiers patrolled the
\ncapital.<\/p>\n
Schools were told to close. A student of SMU 1 high school
\nsaid that the principal instructed students to go home at about
\n10 a.m.<\/p>\n
Endang, a high school student in Banda Aceh, said she had
\nheard about the instruction to strike.<\/p>\n
\"I don't know who disseminate the instruction. What I do know
\nis that all students are required to go on strike,\" she told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
GAM leaders called for a mass strike on May 12, the deadline
\nfor the separatists to accept special autonomy and disarm if they
\nwant to avoid conflict with military troops. GAM has rejected the
\nultimatum.<\/p>\n
In a bid to restore normality, the Aceh provincial
\nadministration provided several state-owned DAMRI buses to
\ntransport people. The buses were driven by fully armed soldiers.<\/p>\n
Only a few passengers used the buses.<\/p>\n
The situation appeared normal for a while when several public
\ntransportation vehicles, known as labi-labi, operated in the
\ncity.<\/p>\n
Reliable sources told the Post that soldiers checked 8,000
\nAcehnese taking refuge in a school and mosque compound in Bireuen
\non Monday afternoon, while more and more soldiers were deployed
\nat certain places in the regency.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, 400 students of student executive bodies (BEM) from
\nall universities in Aceh staged a rally rejecting a military
\noperation in the province.<\/p>\n
Under tight police guard, the students staged a long march in
\nheavy rain and displayed banners reading \"Military Operation the
\nWorst Solution for Aceh\", \"Save Aceh Now\", \"Aceh Needs Peace\" and
\n\"RI and GAM Must Call a Cease-Fire\".<\/p>\n
\"We demand both the Republic of Indonesia government and GAM
\ncommit to the peace accord,\" said the rally coordinator, Nasir,
\nreferring to the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement signed by
\nboth parties in Geneva on Dec. 9, which aimed at ending conflict
\nin the resource-rich province.<\/p>\n
He said too many military operations had been staged in the
\nprovince and that the government's plan to launch another
\noperation in the province was \"ridiculous\".<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/aceh-quiet-on-day-of-government-deadline-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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