Drop draconian decree: Acehnese<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Acehnese people's call for the revocation of
\na presidential decree that was used to authorize a military
\noperation in this restive province gets the cold shoulder from
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Adm. Widodo A.S.
\ncategorically rejected here on Tuesday the possibility of
\nrevoking the 2001 Presidential Decree No. 4 issued by former
\npresident Abdurrahman Wahid.<\/p>\n
\"We still need the presidential decree as the legal rationale
\nto deal with the Aceh issue,\" Widodo said.<\/p>\n
The decree, issued in April this year, lays down guidelines
\nfor political, security, economic, social and legal matters in
\nthe province, where the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) has been
\nfighting for an independent state since 1976.<\/p>\n
Jakarta's rejection came only three days after President
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri pledged to seek a peaceful solution to the
\nAceh problem in her visit to the province.<\/p>\n
\"We must share a common perception that we will settle (the
\nAceh problem) without violence,\" she told a gathering of about
\n2,000 people in the grounds of Aceh's Baiturrahman Grand Mosque
\non Saturday.<\/p>\n
Widodo said the TNI never used the decree to legitimize TNI'S
\nrepressive actions.<\/p>\n
\"So far we have implemented it according to procedures,\" he
\nsaid and claimed that the government, under the coordinating
\nminister for political and security affairs, continued to
\nevaluate it.<\/p>\n
About 1,200 people are believed to have been killed in Aceh
\nthis year alone.<\/p>\n
Expressing a similar view, Minister of Defense Matori Abdul
\nJalil also rejected the demand for the revocation of the decree.<\/p>\n
\"The presidential decree will not be revoked but what is clear
\nis that it will be improved,\" Matori was quoted as saying by AFP
\nat Merdeka Palace on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Speaking after talks between Megawati and the head of Japan's
\ndefense agency, Gen. Nakatani, Matori said there would be greater
\nstress on a nonviolent approach in Aceh.<\/p>\n
\"The political and security minister and his staff are
\ncurrently evaluating measures that are needed to improve the
\ndecree,\" said Matori.<\/p>\n
Matori said the government planned to resume peace talks with
\nGAM but only for a settlement which rules out independence -- a
\ngoal which the rebels insist on.<\/p>\n
In a related development, political analysts responded
\ncautiously to the government's green light to permit European
\nUnion observers in Jakarta visit the restive provinces of Aceh
\nand Irian Jaya.<\/p>\n
\"The European countries' desire to help the government solve
\nproblems related to Aceh and Irian Jaya is positive but their
\ninvolvement should be kept outside the political domain,\"
\npolitical researcher Mochtar Pabottingi was quoted as saying by
\nAntara.<\/p>\n
Riza Sihbudi, Mochtar's colleague from the National Institute
\nof Sciences (LIPI), said he was afraid that the East Timor
\nexperience would be repeated in Aceh.<\/p>\n
A EU union official who refused to be named said a team of 14
\nenvoys planned to visit Aceh early next month and Irian Jaya in
\nDecember.<\/p>\n
They also planned to visit East Kalimantan early in November
\nto help the government tackle the illegal logging problem in the
\nprovince.<\/p>\n
The envoys involvement in the mission would be restricted to
\nactivities which would \"guard the integrity of the country,\" he
\ntold The Jakarta Post on Tuesday. (dja\/tso\/hbk)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/drop-draconian-decree-acehnese-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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