Aceh quiet on day of government deadline

Nani Farida and Zakki Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh/Jakarta

Bowing to instructions from the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM), most Acehnese went on strike a day before the government was expected to announce its intention to launch a military operation in Aceh.

Amri Abdul Wahad, field commander of the Free Aceh Movement's military wing, was reportedly abducted, and GAM negotiator Sofyan Ibrahim Tiba claimed the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) was behind the abduction.

A blackout at midnight in Banda Aceh, the provincial capital, caused anxiety among the populace, but thousands of soldiers were positioned at strategic locations to ward off trouble.

Many stores were closed and public transportation did not operate on Monday morning, while armed soldiers patrolled the capital.

Schools were told to close. A student of SMU 1 high school said that the principal instructed students to go home at about 10 a.m.

Endang, a high school student in Banda Aceh, said she had heard about the instruction to strike.

"I don't know who disseminate the instruction. What I do know is that all students are required to go on strike," she told The Jakarta Post.

GAM leaders called for a mass strike on May 12, the deadline for the separatists to accept special autonomy and disarm if they want to avoid conflict with military troops. GAM has rejected the ultimatum.

In a bid to restore normality, the Aceh provincial administration provided several state-owned DAMRI buses to transport people. The buses were driven by fully armed soldiers.

Only a few passengers used the buses.

The situation appeared normal for a while when several public transportation vehicles, known as labi-labi, operated in the city.

Reliable sources told the Post that soldiers checked 8,000 Acehnese taking refuge in a school and mosque compound in Bireuen on Monday afternoon, while more and more soldiers were deployed at certain places in the regency.

Meanwhile, 400 students of student executive bodies (BEM) from all universities in Aceh staged a rally rejecting a military operation in the province.

Under tight police guard, the students staged a long march in heavy rain and displayed banners reading "Military Operation the Worst Solution for Aceh", "Save Aceh Now", "Aceh Needs Peace" and "RI and GAM Must Call a Cease-Fire".

"We demand both the Republic of Indonesia government and GAM commit to the peace accord," said the rally coordinator, Nasir, referring to the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement signed by both parties in Geneva on Dec. 9, which aimed at ending conflict in the resource-rich province.

He said too many military operations had been staged in the province and that the government's plan to launch another operation in the province was "ridiculous".