Three GAM fighters killed in shootout with police<\/p>\n
Nani Farida and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post,
\nBanda Aceh\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Violence continues to pose a threat to the five-month-old peace
\naccord in Aceh as a fresh firefight took place in Pidie regency
\non Thursday, claiming the lives of three alleged Free Aceh
\nMovement (GAM) members.<\/p>\n
The clash followed an ambush conducted by six unidentified
\ngunmen on a police patrol at around 3:45 p.m. in the Lheung Sago
\narea of Pidie. Pidie is known as one of GAM's strongholds, where
\nsome 2,000 rebels are based according to the defense ministry.<\/p>\n
Pidie Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Maryanto defended the
\nshooting dead of the alleged GAM members, saying it was part of
\nlaw enforcement in the war-torn province.<\/p>\n
\"We are obliged to hunt down those who illegally carry guns,\"
\nMaryanto told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
The police confiscated an FN pistol, a revolver belonging to
\nthe armed group and three motorcycles belonging to the Pidie
\nadministration.<\/p>\n
The GAM spokesman in Pidie, Teungku Elwe Dea Moertila,
\nconfirmed the gunfight, which he said had killed four people, who
\nwere identified as Ambiya Abdullah, Taufik, Jufri Usman and
\nIsmail.<\/p>\n
\"The police were patrolling the GAM area and provoked the
\ngunfight. The incident proves Jakarta's inconsistency in
\nupholding the peace deal as they attacked us, calling us
\ncriminals,\" Elwe said.<\/p>\n
It was the second clash in eight days in Pidie, which has been
\nrelatively free of violence since the signing of the peace deal
\nbetween GAM and the Indonesian government on Dec. 9 last year,
\nwhich was brokered by the Henry Dunant Centre (HDC).<\/p>\n
An Indonesian soldier was injured and four stores were burned
\ndown in an incident in Pidie on Wednesday of last week.<\/p>\n
Another TNI soldier was killed on Wednesday following a
\nfirefight with a GAM member in the East Aceh town of Pereulak.
\nGAM official Teungku Isak Daud said on Thursday he had asked
\nJoint Security Committee (JSC) monitors to remove the soldier's
\nbody.<\/p>\n
The government and GAM have exchanged accusations regarding
\nthe increasing violence in the province. The JSC reported that
\neight clashes had occurred over the past week across Aceh.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
\nSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono has repeatedly accused GAM of violating
\nthe peace agreement by campaigning for independence. He said the
\ngovernment might pull out of the peace deal and resort to
\nmilitary measures again to end the separatist movement.<\/p>\n
Jakarta has set a Jan. 1, 2004, deadline for an end to the
\nAceh problem.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, TNI chief Gen. Endriartono Soetarto said that the
\nmilitary was prepared to take whatever measures were necessary to
\ncrush the separatist movement in Aceh, including a major military
\noperation.<\/p>\n
\"The military can no longer sit back. We have tried to finish
\nit through a peaceful approach, but this has proven impossible.
\nThat's why we have to find another way to deal with it,\"
\nEndriartono said.<\/p>\n
He said the TNI was just waiting for the government's order.<\/p>\n
Susilo said the government might changed its mind regarding
\nthe peace deal, depending on a JSC meeting to evaluate the
\ncurrent security situation in the province next week.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, HDC representative David Gorman insisted that the
\npeace accord must continue and urged both parties to iron out
\ntheir differences.<\/p>\n
\"We will ask both parties to sit and talk about the
\ndifferences between them,\" Gorman told a press conference in
\nBanda Aceh, adding that the HDC was waiting for a request from
\nthe two sides.<\/p>\n
\"I'm sure that the people in Aceh do not want to go back to
\nthe previous situation. They need peace.\"<\/p>\n
Indonesian representative on the JSC, Brig. Gen. Savzen
\nNoerdien, said there were too many differences between GAM and
\nthe government, making it impossible for them to continue the
\npeace process.<\/p>\n
\"We have been trying for the past four months, but so far it
\nhas not worked. There is no understanding between us,\" Savzen
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The GAM representative on the JSC, Sofyan Ibrahim Tiba,
\nunderlined that his group still insisted on freeing Aceh and the
\ncurrent dialog would lead to that goal.<\/p>\n
\"We are fighting for our freedom. For 26 years we did it
\nthrough war and now were doing it through dialog. Should the
\ndialog fail, we will have to find another mechanism,\" he said.<\/p>",
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