GAM not terrorist organization: Legislators<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Legislators and human rights activists lashed out at the
\ngovernment for branding the Aceh separatist rebels terrorists,
\nsaying the move would only be used to justify a large-scale
\nmilitary operation in the natural resource-rich province.<\/p>\n
\"The use of the word \"terrorist\" to describe GAM is out of
\nproportion,\" said T. Syaiful Achmad, coordinator of the 12
\nAcehnese legislators, here on Friday. He was referring to the
\nFree Aceh Movement, which has been fighting for an independent
\nstate since mid-1970.<\/p>\n
Fellow legislator Ahmad Farhan Hamid suggested the government
\navoid the use of a \"foreign phrase\" because it could invite
\noutside elements, including the United States and European Union,
\nto meddle in the conflict.<\/p>\n
Rights activist Munir wanted to know if the stigmatization of
\nGAM was aimed at winning U.S. support for the Indonesian Military
\n(TNI).<\/p>\n
\"This label is not going to solve the problems in Aceh, but
\nrather will be used to justify a repressive military operation
\nthere,\" said Munir, who now heads the Impartial organization,
\nwhich has as its aims the study of an equitable transition to
\ndemocracy.<\/p>\n
Munir claimed that the present government had no desire to
\nlearn from the nation's history, especially as regards Aceh.<\/p>\n
Past rulers, from the Dutch colonial government to President
\nSukarno and President Soeharto, had all adopted iron-fisted
\nmilitary approaches to dealing with the Aceh problem, but to no
\navail.<\/p>\n
Over 10,000 people, mostly civilians, have died in the
\nconflict since 1976, including over 500 this year alone.<\/p>\n
Munir said those facts should prompt the current government to
\nevaluate its pro-military policies in Aceh.<\/p>\n
In yet another hint that the government intends to crush GAM
\nmilitarily, Coordinating Minister for Political and Security
\nAffairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday labeled the
\nseparatist group as a terrorist organization.<\/p>\n
Speaking after a Cabinet meeting, the minister revealed he had
\nasked the Aceh Military Command to take all necessary steps to
\ndeal with the terrorism in Aceh.<\/p>\n
Aceh military commander Maj. Gen. Djali Yusuf has estimated
\nthe number of GAM members at about 1,700.<\/p>\n
The Aceh legislators urged the government to clarify Susilo's
\nstatement. They suspected that Jakarta was only following in the
\nfootsteps of certain other countries without having a clear
\nunderstanding of what was at stake.<\/p>\n
The U.S. has branded the Al-Qaeda group in Afghanistan as
\nterrorists, while in the Philippines President Gloria Arroyo has
\ndone the same in respect of the Abu Sayyaf rebel group. Israeli
\nPrime Minister Ariel Sharon has also branded Palestinian fighters
\nterrorists.<\/p>\n
\"GAM is just a group of Acehnese who are struggling for
\nindependence,\" said Syaiful Achmad of the Reform faction.<\/p>\n
He suggested that the government focus on armed civilians and
\nforce them to surrender their weapons.<\/p>\n
Farhan Hamid, who chairs the Reform faction, regretted the
\ngovernment's moves, saying that currently the government and GAM
\nshould be bracing themselves for an all inclusive dialog as a
\nfollow-up to their peace talks in Geneva last May.<\/p>\n
During the talks, the government and GAM agreed that Law No.
\n18\/2001 on Aceh as a special autonomous province could be used as
\na starting point for resolving the Aceh problem.<\/p>\n
The law allows Aceh to partially implement sharia and retain a
\nmuch greater share of its oil and gas revenues.<\/p>\n
But many say that whatever progress was made has been spoiled
\nby military operations in the province.<\/p>\n
According to Farhan, the latest developments only showed the
\npublic that there has been an internal struggle in the Indonesian
\nMilitary (TNI) between the moderates and hard-liners.<\/p>\n
Teuku Muhammad Nurlif of Golkar meanwhile suggested that the
\ngovernment set up a national commission to follow up on the
\nresults of the peace agreement reached in Geneva.<\/p>\n
Munir added that instead of intensifying military operations,
\nthe government should bring human rights violators to trial as
\njustice was all that most Acehnese people were seeking.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/gam-not-terrorist-organization-legislators-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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