Critics question why military still in Aceh<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Critics questioned on Friday the government's failure to order
\nthe withdrawal of military troops from Aceh despite lifting the
\nstate of civil emergency, a decision they deemed a compromise.<\/p>\n
Henri Simarmata, a researcher at the Indonesian Legal Aid and
\nHuman Rights Association (PBHI), said the lifting of the
\nemergency status would enable Acehnese to have a normal life
\nafter years of armed conflict.<\/p>\n
But he insisted that lifting the state of emergency should
\nalso entail the police maintaining security and order, not the
\nmilitary.<\/p>\n
\"We consider it an effort by the President to control the
\nmilitary, and we must admit that he's still unable to control the
\nmilitary,\" Henri said, referring to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.<\/p>\n
The military has since 1976 been fighting Free Aceh Movement
\n(GAM) separatist rebels, who have demanded an independence state
\nfor the resource-rich province.<\/p>\n
Currently, there are 39,000 military troops on duty in Aceh.
\nThe figure accounts for over 15 percent of Indonesian Military
\n(TNI) soldiers.<\/p>\n
Henri said returning Aceh to civil order would significantly
\nhelp the reconstruction and rehabilitation process, which
\ninvolves both domestic and foreign groups and multibillion dollar
\nprojects.<\/p>\n
Civil order may also boost the ongoing peace talks in
\nHelsinki, which are aimed at ending the conflict in Aceh
\npermanently.<\/p>\n
\"The settlement of problems in Aceh, including the armed
\nconflict, will be a credit for Susilo in the eyes of
\ninternational community,\" Henri said.<\/p>\n
Susilo's inability to control the TNI has given him no choice
\nbut to extend the military operation to flush out separatist
\nrebels in Aceh, Henri added.<\/p>\n
\"The law enables the deployment of military troops upon the
\nrequest of a civilian administration,\" Henri said.<\/p>\n
He warned, however, the ambiguity would not help reduce human
\nrights violations despite the new status.<\/p>\n
Former legislator Gazhali Abbas Adnan concurred, saying the
\ngovernment should not lift the state of emergency in Aceh without
\nthe establishment of \"a strong and respected civilian
\nadministration\".<\/p>\n
\"What is the point of lifting the emergency in Aceh without
\ngiving full authority to the civilian administration?\" he said.<\/p>\n
A strong and respected civilian administration in Aceh is
\nmandatory to manage both civilians and troops in the province,
\nthe Acehnese man said.<\/p>\n
Separately, a GAM fighter said the guerrillas would obey all
\norders issued by their top political leaders, including to resist
\nthe offensive by the Indonesian Military.<\/p>\n
Teungku Kafrawi, GAM spokesman overseeing Peureulak in East
\nAceh, accused the military of changing its offensive operation to
\nan intelligence operation early this year.<\/p>\n
\"Based on our investigation, Indonesian intelligence officers
\nhave been deployed to some schools here to monitor whether
\nstudents and teachers have been influenced by our movement. They
\nalso tortured several teenagers for alleged espionage
\nactivities,\" Kafrawi told the Post.<\/p>\n
Iskandar Muda Military Commander Maj. Gen. Supiadin A.S. told
\nAntara that the military had been intensifying intelligence
\noperations to support the reconstruction and rehabilitation
\nprocess in Aceh.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/critics-question-why-military-still-in-aceh-1447893297",
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