Megawati seeks support for Aceh war<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta\/Cirebon<\/p>\n
President Megawati Soekarnoputri called on the people
\nto support her decision to wage war against Free Aceh Movement
\n(GAM) rebels to maintain the country's territorial integrity.<\/p>\n
Megawati said there was no option for her other than to launch
\nmassive military strikes against GAM.<\/p>\n
\"I hope that the decision receives the understanding and
\nsupport from Indonesian people, including those who work under
\nthe name of democracy and human rights,\" Megawati said on
\nTuesday.<\/p>\n
\"It was with a heavy heart that for the sake of national
\nintegrity, human rights and to upheld the law, I had to impose
\nmartial law in Aceh province,\" the President said.<\/p>\n
Megawati was making her overdue comments during the
\ncommemoration of National Awakening day. The decision to launch
\nthe offensive was taken last week as GAM refused to meet
\ngovernment demands to give up its independence fight.<\/p>\n
The government imposed martial law in Aceh following the
\nfailure of last minute talks in Tokyo over the weekend to save
\nthe peace deal signed in Geneva on Dec. 9 last year.<\/p>\n
\"I refused to disregard the founding father's wish just to
\nmeet the demands of a number of separatist members, who were led
\nby foreign nationals,\" she stressed.<\/p>\n
GAM is lead by Hasan Tiro, who has been living in Sweden since
\n1979 and had relinquish his Indonesian nationality.<\/p>\n
Concerns over the military offensive came from various groups,
\nboth from within the country and the international community,
\namid fears it will only bring more suffering to the Acehnese.<\/p>\n
Many questioned the effectiveness of military strikes to end
\nthe conflict, which has plagued the province since 1976 and
\nclaimed more than 10,000 mainly civilian lives.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a number of politicians called on the government to
\nremain open to finding a peaceful solution, but they stopped
\nshort from criticizing the use of military force.<\/p>\n
United Development Party (PPP) chairman Hamzah Haz, who is
\nalso Vice President, said keeping the peace option open in Aceh
\nwould save both energy and funds for the government.<\/p>\n
\"If we could go with peace, we could prevent more casualties
\nin the province and save a lot of funds to support our
\ndevelopment program,\" Hamzah said.<\/p>\n
Former president Abdurrahman Wahid, who began the dialog
\nprocess with GAM in 2000, said the peaceful approach was the best
\napproach.<\/p>\n
\"Should the government be willing to be more patient, there is
\nstill a possibility of continuing with the peace process,\"
\nAbdurrahman said in Cirebon, West Java.<\/p>\n
He said the government should not give up so easily in
\nexploring peace as the Acehnese would only support peaceful
\nsolutions in the province.<\/p>\n
\"But it is up to the government, I do not want to judge them.\"<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/megawati-seeks-support-for-aceh-war-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }