Swedish-based GAM: 'Talk or fight -- not both'<\/p>\n
Aboeprijadi Santoso, Radio Netherlands, Amsterdam<\/p>\n
The death of Acehnese rebel commander Abdullah Syafi'ie has
\nhardened the resolve of the Swedish-based GAM (Free Aceh
\nMovement) to achieve its goal of an Aceh independent of
\nIndonesian rule.<\/p>\n
Talks in Geneva should be postponed or made conditional, one
\nactivist said. \"We need to review the overall situation, but we
\nwill reject the talks if Indonesia continues its military
\nactions,\" said a source close to GAM leader (Wali Neugara, Head
\nof State) Hassan M. di Tiro just after Syafi'ie's death was
\nconfirmed.<\/p>\n
Recently in Rotterdam, he talked at length to Radio
\nNetherlands on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n
A former businessman in Banda Aceh in his early 60s, the aide
\nto Hassan M. di Tiro comes from a Darul Islam (DI) background.<\/p>\n
\"My father fought with (DI's) Daud Beureu'eh,\" he said. The
\naide belongs to a group of first-generation Acehnese, who joined
\nthe rebellion in 1976, and is now a GAM state minister.<\/p>\n
In the interview, he said he was \"not surprised\" by the death
\nof Abullah Syafi'ie, who was killed in a gun battle on Jan. 24<\/p>\n
\"War and martyrdom are part of our tradition -- only last week
\nI talked to him about the military situation,\" he said, \"Although
\nIndonesia sent many soldiers and has intensified its operations,
\nhe remained steadfast in his resistance.<\/p>\n
\"Abdullah was ready to die syahid, or to become a martyr, he
\nsaid. \"Martyrdom is something all Acehnese fighters have realized
\nas a reality ... There will be many more Teungku Abdullahs to
\ncome ... \"<\/p>\n
Teungku Abdullah or Teungku Lah, as Abdullah as he was known,
\nwas GAM's second commander. He joined GAM in 1976, and replaced
\nChik Omar, who himself was killed in 1982.<\/p>\n
\"The loss of Teungku Abdullah will not sway our confidence in
\nthe Acehnese army,\" the GAM state minister said.<\/p>\n
Recently, however, there has been speculations about GAM's
\nmilitary wing, AGAM. The late Syafi'ie had reportedly failed to
\nreign in some AGAM units. Independent observers, meantime, cite
\ninstances of extortion and human rights violations.<\/p>\n
Perhaps tellingly, Abdullah's first interim successor, Muzakir
\nManaf, called for the strengthening of \"our moral and military
\ndiscipline,\" in his first public statement.<\/p>\n
GAM claims some 40,000 soldiers in its ranks, though it may be
\nmuch less. They fall under seven sago, or regional commands,
\ndispersed nationwide.<\/p>\n
A significant impetus came when hundreds of GAM troops --
\nincluding many who trained in Libya -- and other followers
\nreturned to Aceh from Malaysia and Singapore in the time between
\n1997 and 1999.<\/p>\n
Hasan di Tiro's advisor, who keeps close contact with men on
\nthe ground, stressed Abdullah's legacy.<\/p>\n
\"In the last three years, Teungku Abdullah was able to
\norganize Acehnese fighters. Since the fall of Soeharto, we have
\nsucceeded in building a force throughout Aceh.<\/p>\n
\"This is because of new soldiers of good caliber. This
\nenhanced Teungku Abdullah's status from a combat unit leader to
\nthe top-commander -- as a figure of our military wing, he viewed
\nthe struggle in the regions ... so GAM's army has evolved,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
On the possibility of further dialogue with the Indonesian
\ngovernment, he said that if the government wanted talks, \"the
\nsituation on the ground should be productive -- meaning military
\nactions must stop.\"<\/p>\n
The government, he said, \"purposely created this situation.
\nThere is no sincere willingness to talk on their part -- for us,
\nthere is no point in talking if they continue with violence; we
\nwill respond to violence with violence.<\/p>\n
\"You cannot continue to both talk and fight,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The Geneva talks, scheduled to re-open on Feb. 2, are now
\nlikely to be postponed. The negotiations ended in the middle of
\nlast year during talks on democratization and human rights
\nmonitoring as Jakarta announced its April Presidential Order and
\nstarted a special military operation command (Kolakops).<\/p>\n
The days that the Republic of Indonesia and GAM have met as
\nequals of different persuasions -- in early 2000 -- appear to be
\nlong gone.<\/p>\n
What remains is a worsening condition in Aceh -- a greater
\nhope for GAM and a greater risk for Jakarta.<\/p>\n
GAM's slogan \"syahid or win\" is fast becoming a reminder of
\nEast Timorese leader Xanana Gusmao's declaration of \"patria ou
\nmorte\" (fatherland or death) that rallied East Timor following
\nthe 1991 military massacre at the Santa Cruz cemetery in Dili
\nthat ultimately led to independence.<\/p>\n
With impunity for past atrocities likely to continue under a
\nnew military regional command in Aceh, the troubled province may
\nsoon have its own \"Santa Cruz.\"<\/p>",
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