Aceh military operation

Aceh military operation

What have we achieved from the one-month-old integrated operation in Aceh? Evaluating the operation, Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said last Thursday that as regards the quantitative achievements, the body count and the occupation of (former) strongholds of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) could be used as the indicators of success or failure.

Let's go back to the Vietnam war in 1975 when more than 5 million Vietnamese, many guerrillas, were killed. To distinguish guerrillas from civilians, the U.S. Army established hundreds of strategic hamlets. However, all the killing and strategic hamlets failed dismally.

It is interesting to review the qualitative achievements claimed by Gen. Endriartono, who said that the Acehnese (civilians) now had the courage to resist GAM and help the military by providing information about GAM members' whereabouts.

Now that these qualitative achievements have been gained, why is it necessary to prolong the military operation?

--Koran Tempo, Jakarta