Government blames GAM for violence against JSC<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post,
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
The government has moved to consult the House of Representatives
\n(DPR) to decide on immediate action against the Free Aceh
\nMovement (GAM) separatist group, whom it said had sparked fresh
\nviolence in the province.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for Security and Political Affairs
\nSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono said after a ministerial meeting on Aceh
\nthat GAM's failure to comply with the Cessation of Hostilities
\nAgreement had resulted in the violence.<\/p>\n
Susilo was referring to two recent attacks on offices of the
\nJoint Security Committee (JSC), whose job it is to monitor the
\nimplementation of the truce, which was signed last December.<\/p>\n
\"We have been continuously evaluating the situation in Aceh.
\nIf there is a dramatic development, why should we wait until the
\nend of the demilitarization phase? Our sovereignty is at stake,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Citing intelligence reports, witnesses' accounts and a field
\ninvestigation, he said that the government believed the
\nperpetrators of the recent incident in Takengon were GAM members.<\/p>\n
\"It's interesting to note that the attack was aimed at common
\npeople, instead of the police or military. This has sparked
\nsuspicion that the attack was the work of GAM,\" he said.<\/p>\n
A mob attacked the JSC offices in the Central Aceh town of
\nTakengon on March 3, injuring two monitors from GAM and the
\ngovernment. Another attack took place 10 days later, targeting
\nthe JSC offices in the East Aceh town of Langsa, but no injuries
\nwere reported.<\/p>\n
The Aceh office of the Commission for Missing Persons and
\nVictims of Violence (Kontras) had linked the Takengon attack to
\nthe military.<\/p>\n
JSC was established by Aceh peace broker the Henry Dunant
\nCentre, in a bid to monitor the implementation of the
\ndemilitarization phase, which will take place over five months
\nuntil July 9. The committee incorporates representatives from
\nGAM, the government and international monitors.<\/p>\n
Susilo said that the government move was out of its obligation
\nto maintain the unitary state and it did not mean to violate the
\ntruce.<\/p>\n
However, Susilo said that the government would give GAM a
\nchance to settle the conflict.<\/p>\n
\"It can only happen if all the parties are committed to the
\nspirit of the truce and GAM does not betray it and there are no
\nirregularities by GAM,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Japanese government is set to launch a
\ncommunity-based development program in the established peace
\nzones in Aceh as part of a reconstruction program in the war-torn
\nprovince.<\/p>\n
Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Yutaka Iimura said after
\nmeeting with President Megawati on Monday that the program would
\nbegin as soon as possible. However, he did not specify a date.<\/p>\n
\"The community-based development program will start soon, but
\nwe cannot give a time because we are still waiting for a proposal
\nfrom the NGOs to support the program,\" Yutaka said.<\/p>\n
The development project is part of the post-war reconstruction
\nproject, supported by 23 countries and international donor
\nagencies for Aceh.<\/p>\n
The program, supported by a US$500 million fund from the
\nConsultative Group on Indonesia (CGI), began soon after Jakarta
\nand GAM signed a peace deal in Switzerland on Dec. 9 last year.<\/p>\n
\"I stress that we continue to support the peace process in
\nAceh and the problem should be resolved in the context of the
\nterritorial integrity of the country,\" the ambassador said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/government-blames-gam-for-violence-against-jsc-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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