Truce preliminary condition for Aceh solution<\/p>\n
Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh<\/p>\n
There seems no right policy for Aceh. Whatever policy is
\npursued by the government seems to reach a dead end. The Acehnese
\nsay this failure stems from the fact that policies are introduced
\nwhen violence is continuing unabated.<\/p>\n
The Acehnese elite is apparently pessimistic about the overt
\ncommitment from President Megawati Soekarnoputri to solving
\nAceh's problems through dialogue rather than military operations.<\/p>\n
Ulemas, the most influential group in the province, remain
\nskeptical about the government's current strategy, which has
\ncaused deep confusion among the Acehnese people.<\/p>\n
Imam Syuja, a respected ulema in the provincial capital of
\nBanda Aceh, said he was deeply concerned with the latest
\ndevelopments in the province, which seemed to be making the
\nsituation worse.<\/p>\n
According to him, the nine-month implementation of
\nPresidential Instruction No. 4\/2001, special autonomy and the
\nPresident's recent visit have brought no change to the lives of
\nAcehnese in the province.<\/p>\n
Acehnese had suffered more during the past nine months since
\nthe introduction of additional military forces in the province,
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
A series of bombings had taken place in several areas, many
\ninnocent people, including formal and informal leaders, had been
\nkilled, many others had been abducted, and thousands of houses
\nhad been burned down, he said.<\/p>\n
\"The more soldiers come to Aceh, the more people will suffer.<\/p>\n
\"The deployment of more security personnel to the province has
\nraised fresh fears of new abductions and even killings among the
\npeople.<\/p>\n
\"And most people have been reluctant to leave their houses and
\nto go about their daily activities because arrogant security
\napparatus are found everywhere,\" he remarked.<\/p>\n
Maimul Fidar, coordinator of the Coalition of Non-Governmental
\nOrganizations for Human Rights in Aceh, said he did not object to
\nthe ongoing military operation, but said it must be limited to
\ncertain targets.<\/p>\n
\"The timeframe must be specified, say three months. Then the
\npolice and the military must target only rebels, instead of
\ninnocent people, in the operation,\" he said.<\/p>\n
To him, it was ironic that the soldiers sent to Aceh did not
\ndo their job in protecting local civilians. Instead, they killed
\ncivilians and were reluctant to raid the bases of the separatist
\nFree Aceh Movement (GAM) in remote forest areas.<\/p>\n
Tengku Ma'Amin, another Acehnese ulema in Simpang Mamplam
\nvillage, Aceh Besar, said that whatever the government did in
\nAceh, it should be aimed at winning the hearts of Acehnese
\npeople.<\/p>\n
He said local people had no objections to the deployment of
\nmore soldiers to the province but they should carry out their
\ntasks in accordance with the law and their behavior should not
\ncause hatred among the public.<\/p>\n
\"Both the central government and the local administration
\nshould carry out their main task of serving the people and the
\nmilitary should behave well and provide peace to the people,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
If security forces continued to create terror and fear among
\nthe Acehnese, many more people would join the separatist
\nmovement.<\/p>\n
\"Many people join GAM after receiving inhumane and unfair
\ntreatment from public servants, including the security
\napparatus,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He called on both GAM and government security forces to create
\npeace among the people, and then talk.<\/p>\n
Sudja agreed and called on the military and GAM to lay down
\ntheir arms and sit down at the negotiating table with a third
\nparty mediating to identify fundamental problems in the province
\nand seek a comprehensive solution.<\/p>\n
\"A truce is a must and a preliminary condition for peaceful
\ntalks. The conflicting sides cannot go to the negotiating table
\nunless the violence ceases,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He called on the central government to draw a lesson from the
\nPhilippines' Moro issue in which Indonesia had played an
\nimportant role mediating between the Philippines government and
\nthe Moro separatist movement.<\/p>\n
Tengku Amri bin Abdul Wahab, field commander of GAM's military
\nwing, asserted that GAM was ready to agree to a cease-fire with
\nthe military and to hold talks mediated by a third party.<\/p>\n
\"GAM is committed to making a bilateral agreement on a cease-
\nfire and ready to hold negotiations, regardless of their final
\nsolution,\" he told The Jakarta Post in an interview by cellular
\nphone from his hiding place.<\/p>",
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