Aceh lawmakers warn against state of emergency
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Aceh councillors warned the central government on Wednesday against imposing either a civil emergency or martial law in the province, arguing that the move would only worsen the security situation there.
In a meeting with Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, they also urged Jakarta to fulfill its previous promises.
"We warn (the central government) that the imposition of either a civil emergency or martial law will only worsen the situation," councillor Said Muchsin said after a closed-door meeting with Susilo in Banda Aceh on Wednesday, Antara reported.
Susilo arrived in Banda Aceh on Tuesday to evaluate the situation in the troubled province to decide whether to impose either a civil emergency or martial law there.
Such a plan, however, has received strong objections from all quarters in Aceh society, the latest being Aceh lawmakers.
"The imposition of a state of emergency may cause the Free Aceh Movement to go out of control triggering anarchy," Said told Susilo, who was accompanied by Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno, and National Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief A.M. Hendropriyono.
The administration of President Megawati Soekarnoputri is considering imposing a state of emergency in the country's westernmost province as security conditions there have worsened due to increasing armed contacts between government troops and members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).
Seven GAM members, including one female fighter locally known as Inoeng Balee, were killed on Wednesday when the military raided a GAM base in Tepuk Tulu village, Simpang Ulim, North Aceh regency.
At least 10 people, including one baby and a mother, were killed in gunfights between the military and GAM on Sunday and Monday. GAM members killed Lhoksukon military chief Captain Khairul Akpa on June 30.
Acehnese councillors, according to Said, told Susilo that they did not want the central government to impose either a civil emergency or martial law in Aceh to avoid more bloodshed.
"There should be no more bloodshed in Aceh," he said, adding that the government should fulfill its previous promises.
The government promised earlier to bring to justice military personnel responsible for human rights violations when the province was placed under a military operation from 1989 to 1998, but until now the government has yet to make good on its promise.
Susilo maintained however that the government has engaged in dialog efforts but the bloody violence continues unabated.
"Any armed secessionist movement should be put to an end," Susilo was quoted by Antara as saying.
In Jakarta, activist Rosita S. Noer said that security approach would not solve the problem in Aceh as it would only encourage the local people to support GAM.
She emphasized that any separatist movement could only be ended through dialog and law enforcement, not by imposing a state of emergency.
"Dialog has been going on the right track in the past three years but it has to be followed through with law enforcement and the government has to keep its promises for Aceh," Rosita told The Jakarta Post.
Rosita, who once was a member of a fact-finding team for human rights abuses in Aceh, suspected that the large revenue from oil and gas in the province may had been the reason for the plan to impose a state of civil emergency.
"Six trillion rupiah per year is sure a lot of money and may have been a reason to take steps to control such a huge amount of money," she remarked.
Meanwhile, a senior United States official warned on Wednesday that military operations in Aceh province could hinder the resumption of U.S. military aid to Indonesia, cut off three years ago because of human rights abuses in East Timor.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said that opponents of resuming aid would get a push if Indonesia opts for a military solution to the Aceh question.
"They (the opponents) will get the material to show that the Indonesian military does not get it," he was quoted by AP as saying.