Aceh facing hopeless struggle

Aceh facing hopeless struggle

The Straits Times, Asia News Network, Singapore

The killing of Acehnese rebel commander Tengku Abdullah Syafei
by the Indonesian military on Tuesday has dealt a severe blow to
the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM). According to the rebels,
he was shot dead along with his wife and five guerrillas after
Indonesian troops traced him to his jungle hideout, by using a
microchip that was embedded in an invitation letter for him to
restart the stalled peace talks. If this is true, it shows just
how deadly the bloody conflict in Aceh has become. Tengku
Abdullah is among the latest of some 10,000 casualties, mostly
civilians, who have perished in the resource-rich north Sumatran
province since the separatist war began 25 years ago. His death
will set back, but not end, the rebel movement's cause to break
away from Indonesia. Nor will any government leader in Jakarta,
least of all staunchly nationalistic President Megawati
Soekarnoputri, ever contemplate acceding to the Acehnese demand
for independence.

The GAM guerrillas have come under increasing pressure from
the Indonesian army in recent months, especially after Megawati
gave it a free hand to put down the rebellion. Jakarta's recent
decision to break off peace talks with the rebels and the
impending move to reinstate a provincial military command in Aceh
point to the deteriorating security situation in the province.
The killing of Tengku Abdullah is not going to resolve Aceh's
separatist problem. Instead, it is more likely to worsen the
conflict.

There is no way to end Aceh's separatist war other than by
peaceful means. Violence will not bring either side nearer to its
goal. The Acehnese must come around to accepting that a peaceful
resolution of the conflict is the only way out of the unending
cycle of violence, and that independence for Aceh is not possible
when the world recognizes it as an integral part of Indonesia.
The new laws that grant Aceh special autonomy -- greater self-
rule and more revenues from the central government for the
province's oil and gas reserves -- hold the best promise to end
the conflict. Sadly, even the implementation of Syariah law in
the staunchly Islamic province has not impressed the Acehnese,
whose alienation from the central authorities stems from a deep
sense of injustice inflicted upon them in the past. The Acehnese
have long demanded, to no avail, financial compensation and
judicial redress for the military atrocities against them since
the Soeharto era. This is something any government in Jakarta
must address for it to achieve a lasting settlement with the
Acehnese.

To be sure, the atrocities committed by both the military and
the rebels have made the conflict more intractable. In the
current mood, there is little hope for a resumption of the Geneva
peace talks that were discontinued after numerous ceasefires
broke down in the past two years. This latest setback for the GAM
rebels is going to cause even more resentment among the Acehnese.
Last week, the guerrillas enforced a two-day strike in Aceh to
protest against alleged brutalities by the police and military
troops, and also against Jakarta's plan to revive the provincial
military command. The military authorities responded with a
shoot-on-sight order against trouble-makers. Aceh has become a
hell-hole marked by violent deaths every day, and nothing is
being done to stop the murderous war. Unless the rebels lay down
their arms -- a remote prospect -- and Megawati's government
changes tack to deal with the conflict by political and not
military means, the killings will go on.