Thousands rally for Aceh referendum<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Tens of thousands of people rallied peacefully
\nin Sigli, Aceh, on Thursday demanding a referendum on self-
\ndetermination for the province, a local police chief said.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, President Abdurrahman Wahid told foreign
\njournalists that he would not be rushed into calling for a
\nreferendum in the restive province.<\/p>\n
Lt. Col. Endang E. Bagus, chief of the Pidie regency police,
\nwas quoted by Antara as saying that the protesters paraded around
\nthe town on foot, in trucks and on motorcycles.<\/p>\n
The protest, which began at 8:30 a.m., ended four hours later
\nwithout any major incidents, he said.<\/p>\n
"We are glad that the parade was as peaceful as the organizers
\nhad promised," Endang was quoted as saying.<\/p>\n
Quoting Pidie Military chief Lt. Col. Iskandar Sahil, AFP said
\nthe protesters assembled in three areas -- Glumpang Minyuek,
\nUleeglee and Padang Tiji -- before marching on the town's main
\nthoroughfare, carrying banners and shouting slogans.<\/p>\n
They circled Sigli Grand Mosque, stopping short of entering
\nthe downtown area to prevent traffic congestion, Iskandar said.<\/p>\n
The group proceeded toward Daud Beureuh mosque in Kotamini, 18
\nkilometers east of Sigli, where speakers took turns in rallying
\nthe crowd behind their referendum demands.<\/p>\n
President Abdurrahman, in his first meeting with Jakarta-based
\nforeign journalists, said he did not oppose the call for a
\nreferendum in Aceh.<\/p>\n
"I supported a referendum, of course," he said when a
\njournalist reminded him of a statement he had made during a visit
\nto Banda Aceh before becoming president.<\/p>\n
"If we can do it in East Timor, why can't we do it in Aceh,"
\nhe said, according to an unofficial transcript of the briefing.<\/p>\n
"That is not the question. The question is, if there is a
\nreferendum, then when? We do not like to be rushed into these
\nthings.<\/p>\n
"The question of whether or not there is a referendum should
\nnot be decided by me, but by the people of Aceh themselves. So we
\nhave to develop a way of knowing the feelings of the Acehnese
\npeople."<\/p>\n
The President confirmed he had met with a very senior official
\nfrom the Free Aceh Movement, but would not disclose the contents
\nof the meeting, which aides said took place on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The Sigli proreferendum rally, the largest since Abdurrahman
\nwas elected president on Oct. 21, came two days after police shot
\nand wounded 19 people in the West Acehnese capital of Meulaboh.<\/p>\n
The incident occurred when some 5,000 people tried to force
\nsoldiers at the local military post to lower the Indonesian flag.<\/p>\n
The protesters torched government property, including a
\nprison, forcing authorities to free some 60 inmates.<\/p>\n
Aceh has been racked by clashes between the military and armed
\nseparatist rebels since the 1970s.<\/p>\n
Last week, an independent inquiry blamed the military for the
\ndeaths of 51 unarmed civilians during a raid on a Muslim boarding
\nschool in West Aceh in July. The findings contradicted the
\nmilitary's claim that there was armed resistance during the raid
\non the boarding school, believed to have been used as a rebel
\nbase.<\/p>\n
The new Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Commander Adm. Widodo
\nA.S. made his mark the moment he stepped into Gen. Wiranto's
\nshoes on Wednesday, declaring the end of the "security approach"
\nto the problems in Aceh.<\/p>\n
The gesture meant the withdrawal of all combat troops from the
\nprovince, he told reporters after the hand over ceremony.
\n(byg\/prb)<\/p>",
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