Govt's new plan on Aceh gets mixed responses<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government's plan to take resolute action
\nagainst the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) amid an ongoing negotiation
\nprocess currently under way in restive Aceh, has received a mixed
\nresponse from both legislators and political observers.<\/p>\n
Yasril Ananta Burhanuddin, chairman of the House of
\nRepresentatives' Commission I on defense and foreign policy,
\nexpressed strong support on Monday for the Indonesian Military
\n(TNI)'s campaign against the armed Acehnese rebels in order to
\ncurb their increasingly brutal acts of violence.<\/p>\n
"The government must deal firmly with the armed rebels while
\ncontinuing dialogs with all sectors of the Acehnese people to
\nseek a comprehensive solution to the Aceh issue," Yasril said.<\/p>\n
"GAM's recent brutalities have sparked serious unrest among
\nthe Acehnese people, showed their rejection of the persuasive
\napproach and damaged our image overseas," he added.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
\nSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono said after a visit to Aceh last week
\nthat the government would retaliate harshly against the
\nseparatist movement following the brutality it had exhibited over
\nthe past few weeks.<\/p>\n
Golkar Party House faction secretary Yahya Zaini shared
\nYasril's remarks, saying the tough measures against the
\nseparatist movement were needed to help restore security and
\norder, and to create a feeling of safety among the people.<\/p>\n
"We should first respect the human rights of innocent
\ncivilians and not those of the rebels," he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, J.B. Kristiadi, a political observer of the Centre
\nfor Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), supported the
\nmeasures to be taken by the Indonesian Military (TNI), but was
\nconcerned about the possibility of violence extending within the
\ncivilian population.<\/p>\n
"Over the past few months, around 1,000 people, mostly
\ncivilians, have been killed in Aceh and we do not want more and
\nmore people to be victimized," he said.<\/p>\n
Kristiadi said that the ongoing military operation should be
\npart of a comprehensive approach aimed at solving the Aceh issue.<\/p>\n
"Therefore, the government should fulfill all its promises to
\nAceh, including legal action against those who violated human
\nrights in the province in the past and the implementation of
\nspecial autonomy to improve Acehnese people's social welfare," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
According to him, the troops deployed to Aceh should be
\nprofessional and possess a good understanding of Acehnese culture
\nso that their presence gained the sympathy of Acehnese people.<\/p>\n
Former foreign minister Ali Alatas said he could understand
\nthe government's military operation, but suggested that it should
\ncontinue the dialog with the Acehnese to resolve the separatist
\nmovement problem.<\/p>\n
"What the government has been doing through a series of
\ndialogs, or through comprehensive processes, is a good step. But
\nif it is fruitless or should the rebellion maintain a level of
\nviolence amid the dialog, surely we must suppress them," Ali
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Munir, a human rights activist and coordinator of the
\nCommission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras),
\nexpressed his objection to a military operation, saying that the
\napproach showed that the government did not understand the key
\nproblem in Aceh.<\/p>\n
He said the government should initiate two important steps
\nbefore launching the military operation.<\/p>\n
"First, the Acehnese people should be given wider space to
\nnegotiate their future and, second, the government should respect
\nhuman rights and show its commitment to trying human rights cases
\nfrom the past," he said.<\/p>\n
Permadi, an Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
\nPerjuangan) legislator, called on the government to declare a
\nstate of civilian emergency to stop the killing of innocent
\ncivilians and restore law and order in the province.<\/p>\n
"The tension would have calmed down had the previous
\ngovernment been firm with the separatist movement and declared a
\nstate of civilian emergency at the time," he said.<\/p>\n
Syaiful Achmad, a National Mandate Party (PAN) legislator from
\nBakongan, southwest Aceh, said that he would agree with a
\nmilitary operation to disarm the rebels and force them to
\nnegotiate a peace deal as long as the police also stopped their
\ninhumane treatment of civilians in rural and urban areas.<\/p>\n
"The police's inhumane treatment in Aceh has sowed hatred
\namong the civilians and forced a segment of them to join the
\nseparatist movement," he said.<\/p>\n
In Banda Aceh, Thamren Ananda, secretary of the Democratic
\nStruggle Front for Acehnese People (FPDRA), protested the
\ngovernment's planned military operation, saying it was ignoring
\nAcehnese people's political rights.<\/p>\n
"The military operation is not a solution to the Aceh problem
\nbecause it will certainly bring new suffering to the Acehnese
\npeople," he told The Jakarta Post by telephone.<\/p>\n
Thamren also accused the military and police of being behind
\nthe recent mass killing in Idi Rayeuk, East Aceh, and the arson
\nattacks on at least 50 school buildings, which provoked the
\nmilitary operation. (rms\/tso\/02)<\/p>",
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