Postal service halted in war-torn Aceh<\/p>\n
Yuli Trisuwarni and Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Bandung\/Lhokseumawe<\/p>\n
National postal service PT Pos Indonesia indefinitely suspended
\nits operation across Aceh starting Monday due to security
\nconcerns.<\/p>\n
Spokesman of Pos Indonesia Arief Setyanto told reporters
\nemployees had found it difficult to make postal deliveries to the
\nwar-torn province since the government imposed martial law.<\/p>\n
\"As we have learned, the security condition in Aceh is no
\nlonger favorable and most of the land transportation routes we
\nuse have been paralyzed. We cannot conduct our duty as usual
\n(under such conditions),\" Arief said.<\/p>\n
All postal services have been halted, except for ordinary
\nletter deliveries, and the suspension will affect the delivery of
\nparcels and packages, postal money orders and transfers and
\nexpress mail services.<\/p>\n
Arief said parcel deliveries had been stopped due to the high
\nrisk that parcels may go missing or fail to reach recipients.<\/p>\n
He said the postal company was basing its decision on the 1974
\nLausanne Resolution No. C-37 on postal services during war, which
\nrequires postal companies to continue services unless the UN
\nSecurity Council or General Assembly bans postal services to a
\nwar zone.<\/p>\n
It is not known whether either UN body has placed such a ban
\non postal services to Aceh.<\/p>\n
\"We have employees whose safety must be ensured, now that the
\nsituation in Aceh is getting worse and hindering our jobs,\" Arief
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Pos Indonesia will suspend its activities until government
\ntroops thoroughly restore order, before resuming full services.<\/p>\n
Entering the third week of its operation in Aceh, the
\nIndonesian Military (TNI) claimed on Monday to have taken control
\nof more Free Aceh Movement (GAM) separatist strongholds.<\/p>\n
Commander of the military operation in Aceh, Brig. Gen.
\nBambang Darmono, attributed the success in part to the Acehnese
\npeople, whom he said had provided information about the presence
\nof GAM camps.<\/p>\n
\"I can say now that people in Aceh have become more
\ncooperative with us as some of them now have the courage to
\nsupport us by providing information regarding the presence of
\ncamps belonging to GAM rebels.<\/p>\n
\"Some of the rebels have also fled to the forests and started
\neating plants in the forests because people no longer supply them
\nwith food as happened before we launched the operation here,\"
\nBambang said.<\/p>\n
He added that in some places, the military have managed to
\nseparate rebels from civilians, despite the separatists' efforts
\nto blend with local residents and conceal their weapons.<\/p>\n
Since the imposition of martial law on May 19, the government
\nhas deployed over 40,000 military and police personnel in an
\noperation to crush the separatist rebels, who have fought for
\nindependence since 1976. There are an estimated 5,000 guerrilla
\nfighters, with only half of them armed.<\/p>\n
Bambang refused to disclose the GAM strongholds the military
\nhad seized in detail, saying it would jeopardize the interests of
\nmilitary operation. But he said some of the GAM bases were
\nlocated in North Aceh, West Aceh, Central Aceh, Aceh Besar, Aceh
\nTamiang, Seledon and Serui.<\/p>\n
He further said that even though GAM rebels continued their
\nsporadic attacks by setting fire to public transportation
\nvehicles and buildings, the number of attacks was no longer
\nsignificant compared to the first days of the operation.<\/p>\n
As of Monday, the military had sized 38 weapons belonging to
\nthe rebels, including rifles and hand guns.<\/p>",
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