Exiled Aceh leader calls Indonesian rule absurd<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Exiled Aceh rebel leader Hasan Tiro has
\ndismissed the government's new autonomy legislation as irrelevant
\nand called Indonesian rule in the troubled province \"absurd\".<\/p>\n
In a rare interview with the Hong Kong-based Far Eastern
\nEconomic Review from his exile base in Sweden, Hasan said
\nIndonesia had no right to govern Aceh, a province which has seen
\nwidespread resistance movement for the past two decades.<\/p>\n
The exclusive interview will appear in the Review in its July
\n29 issue, to be published on Thursday, July 22.<\/p>\n
In the interview, the uncompromising Hasan, who declared Aceh
\nan independent state in 1976 but fled to Sweden three years
\nlater, calls Indonesia another name for the Dutch East Indies
\nwith new rulers, Javanese instead of Dutch.<\/p>\n
He was referring to the former Dutch colony, which in 1945
\ndeclared its independence with a new name -- the Republic of
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
Hasan, who calls himself the president of the free Aceh state,
\nputs the overall strength of Free Aceh Movement (GAM) forces
\noperating in Indonesia's westernmost province at about 5,000.
\nSecurity authorities have accused GAM of a wave of murders,
\nambushes and arson attacks.<\/p>\n
The Aceh rebel figurehead also expressed his distrust in the
\nnext government, perhaps one led by opposition leader Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri, whose Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
\nPerjuangan) won the most votes in the June 7 elections.<\/p>\n
\"They are all the same. Uneducated fools,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Separatist rebel actions have been on the rise since the
\nIndonesian Military lifted its decade-long period of military
\noperations, in which hundreds of human rights violations were
\nreported. Both President B.J. Habibie and Indonesian Military
\n(TNI) chief Gen. Wiranto have apologized to the Acehnese for the
\ngovernment's past mistakes.<\/p>\n
The government has also introduced bills which allow greater
\nautonomy to the provinces and which enable them to obtain greater
\nshares of regional revenues, which in the past were controlled by
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
Two battalions of riot troops, mostly comprising police, were
\nsent to Aceh in early May to restore order, following an incident
\nin which 41 civilians were shot dead.<\/p>\n
The Review obtained the interview with Hasan amid mounting
\nconcern that Aceh may be posing a serious challenge to the
\ncountry's unity. The weekly reports TNI concerns that outside
\nsupport made Aceh's rebels much more dangerous than the ragtag,
\npoorly armed independence fighters of East Timor and Irian Jaya.<\/p>\n
In one of the worst incidents so far, the Aceh separatist
\nrebels shot dead five soldiers and wounded 20 others in a dawn
\nambush on Monday.<\/p>\n
As violence continues, more than 70,000 people have taken
\nrefuge across the province.<\/p>\n
Hasan has declined an invitation to a meeting in Bangkok on
\nJuly 24 and July 25, which is aimed at paving the way for a
\npeaceful settlement of the Aceh conflict. Acehnese figure
\nHasballah M. Saad told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday GAM
\npresident Hasan would be represented by other GAM leaders.<\/p>\n
Aceh Governor Syamsuddin Mahmud is also unable to attend the
\nforum, but has appointed four delegates to attend the event.<\/p>\n
Speakers at the forum will include Benedict Anderson, a
\npolitical expert from Cornell University, NGO activists Elizabeth
\nWong of Singapore, Indonesian human rights activist Carmel
\nBudiardjo and Sydney Jones of Human Rights Watch in Malaysia.<\/p>\n
Hasballah said he would not attend the meeting because its
\nschedule coincided with a leadership meeting to be held by the
\nNational Mandate Party (PAN), in which he holds the deputy
\nsecretary post.<\/p>\n
Aceh Police chief Col. Bahrumsyah had earlier said he would
\ntry to invite Tiro for talks.<\/p>\n
\"We want to know whether it is true that he wants to set up an
\nindependent Aceh through this way? If needed, we will invite him
\nto deliberate on this,\" Bahrumsyah told Kompas.<\/p>\n
In Lhokseumawe, 600 marines have arrived in the North Aceh
\nmain town to back up the existing riot troops sent to the
\nprovince two months ago.<\/p>\n
The marine soldiers, who embarked from Surabaya on July 13,
\ngathered at Lilawangsa Military Headquarters pending a placement.
\nThe military command oversees North Aceh, East Aceh, Central
\nAceh, Southeast Aceh and Pidie, regencies which are prone to
\nattacks from separatist rebel groups.<\/p>\n
Antara reported that 300 marines would be posted in North
\nAceh, and 150 in Pidie and East Aceh each.<\/p>\n
TNI chief of General Affairs Lt. Gen. Sugiono has said the
\nreinforcements would focus their duties on safeguarding Aceh's
\ncoastal area, which he believed to be a route used for weapon
\nsmuggling.<\/p>\n
Sugiono was responding to reports of rampant weapon smuggling.
\nHe confirmed the reports, saying security authorities had found
\nillegal weapons.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, a group of women
\nactivists rallied at the local military command to protest recent
\nharassment and abuses committed by security troops against
\nAcehnese women. They demanded the military be withdrawn from
\nAceh.<\/p>\n
Using batons and rattan sticks, scores of military and police
\ntroops forcefully dispersed the demonstration. The group were
\npushed back to a soccer field, located in front of the military
\nheadquarters.<\/p>\n
Police insisted that the forceful removal of the group
\nactivists was legal, because the women did not give prior
\nnotification to the police as required by law. (49\/rms\/amd)<\/p>",
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