Quick settlement in Aceh foreseen<\/p>\n
SABANG, Aceh (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid, on his first
\nvisit since to Aceh since being elected in October, boasted he
\nforesaw a quick end to strife in the province, but failed to
\npropose any solutions.<\/p>\n
On a two-hour visit to Sabang on Weh island, located just off
\nthe northern tip of Sumatra, Abdurrahman claimed on Tuesday that
\nthe suffering in Aceh \"will in not too long a time belong to the
\npast\".<\/p>\n
\"I can now see a process to end the continuing conflicts,
\nalthough in most parts of Aceh there are still armed conflicts,\"
\nhe said, without elaborating whatsoever on the process he was
\nreferring to.<\/p>\n
Aceh has been an Achilles heel for Abdurrahman since he first
\ntook office over three months ago.<\/p>\n
Growing demands for an independence referendum have spilt over
\ninto all-out conflict between security forces and rebels from the
\nFree Aceh Movement (GAM).<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman has rejected the idea of independence and promised
\ngreater autonomy. The situation has been aggravated further as
\naccusations continue to rise over past human rights abuses by the
\nmilitary in the province.<\/p>\n
It is only now that Abdurrahman has visited the province, and
\neven on this visit he leapfrogged mainland Aceh where much of the
\nprotest and violence has occurred.<\/p>\n
Tuesday's event at the Sabang naval base, attended by about
\n100 invitees, was bereft of any dialog as Abdurrahman preached on
\nthe need for peace, but didn't offer any clear plan to end
\nhostilities.<\/p>\n
The invitees were said to represent community and religious
\nleaders from the Aceh community.<\/p>\n
Initially, much had been expected from the new president's
\nvisit to Aceh.<\/p>\n
Many legislators and observers in past months have been
\nexasperated by the fact that Abdurrahman has taken extensive
\nvisits overseas, but neglected setting foot in one of Indonesia's
\nmost troubled areas.<\/p>\n
As Abdurrahman's Hercules C-130 airplane left Sabang in the
\nevening it was clear there were no breakthroughs; the trip had
\nmerely served its purpose of inaugurating the restoration of
\nSabang as a free port zone.<\/p>\n
\"The restoration of Sabang's status as a free port is an
\nimportant turning point in Aceh's history,\" Abdurrahman said in a
\nceremony where Indonesian Military (TNI) and Police guarding the
\nevent outnumbered guests almost four-to-one.<\/p>\n
Former president Soeharto revoked the free port status in
\n1984, following his decision to establish Batam island as a
\nbonded zone area.<\/p>\n
At the ceremony, Abdurrahman also attended a traditional peace
\ngathering between officers from the Police Mobile Brigade unit
\n(Brimob) and students grouped in the Taliban who were involved in
\na fracas in December.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman also expressed his appreciation for the food aid
\nSaudi Arabia's King Fahd had sent to Aceh. He said Kuwait and
\nBrunei would also send humanitarian aid to Aceh soon.<\/p>\n
Speaking on rights violations, Abdurrahman underlined that the
\npublic should separate between abuse committed by individuals
\nfrom the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the institution itself.<\/p>\n
\"As I have said before we should not punish the institution,
\nbut punish the individual,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He added that guilt should be determined by a court of law and
\nit was improper for those under suspicion to seek defense from
\nthe TNI as an institution.<\/p>\n
Marines<\/p>\n
Those present at Tuesday's presidential ceremony on Weh
\nisland, where there have been almost no reports of clashes,
\nseemed oblivious to the continuing violence on mainland Aceh,
\nwhich the night before claimed the lives of six marines.<\/p>\n
Police said they were killed while praying when rebels
\nattacked a small mosque in Ujoeng Blang village, Kuala Raja, in
\nBireun regency on Monday night.<\/p>\n
\"Four other Marines survived the ambush with gunshot wounds.
\nRebels threw grenades and sprayed bullets at the mosque compound
\nat around 7 p.m. on Monday,\" Sayed said.<\/p>\n
Sayed also claimed that in Aceh Singkil a total of 310 people
\nclaiming to be GAM members turned themselves in.<\/p>\n
\"The first group of 145 voluntary surrendered on Sunday, while
\nthe rest came on Monday,\" Sayed said, adding that no guns were
\nseized from the group.<\/p>\n
GAM spokesman Tengku Maad Muda, however, denied these men had
\nbeen trained by the rebel group.<\/p>\n
\"They're just locals told to surrender. This is all
\nengineered. It's ridiculous,\" Maad said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
In a related development, about 100 students staged a protest
\nat the Simpang Lima traffic circle in Banda Aceh on Tuesday
\nafternoon. They demanded all warring sides declare a ceasefire.<\/p>\n
\"We want Gus Dur to hear us ... Why is he in Sabang, not
\nhere?\" a protester shouted.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a dialog planned for Tuesday in Langsa, East Aceh,
\njointly organized by the Indonesian Prosperous Labor
\nOrganization, the Aceh Legal Aid Foundation and the Care Forum
\nfor East Acehnese Youths (Forpatt) was suddenly canceled earlier
\non Monday.<\/p>\n
Sources said there was a lack of response from community
\nleaders, who questioned the organizers' ability to mediate the
\ntalks. (prb\/50\/edt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/quick-settlement-in-aceh-foreseen-1447893297",
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