Aceh's Puteh promotes peace talk agreement

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Governor Abdullah Puteh held a closed- door meeting with activists of the Aceh Referendum Information Center (SIRA) in Medan, North Sumatra on Thursday to familiarize them with the outcome of the peace talks in Geneva.

SIRA activist Fuady Sony said after the meeting on Thursday that Puteh and his staff organized the meeting to explain the points reached in the agreement made during peace talks between the government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) on May 8 and May 9 in Geneva, Switzerland.

However, Puteh denied that the meeting was organized to promote the Geneva agreement, arguing that the Aceh administration had not received any official notice on it.

"We learned the outcome of the peace talks from the media but we have not received any official notice from the central government," Puteh said.

According to the governor, he and his staff met with Acehnese students affiliated with SIRA in Medan to talk about the government and developments in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD).

"We did not talk with SIRA, but with Acehnese students. We discussed the government and developments in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam," Puteh said.

According to Fuady, SIRA activists told Governor Puteh in the meeting that they rejected the special autonomy deal offered by the central government and demanded a referendum to settle the Aceh conflict once and for all.

The government and GAM negotiators agreed to a cease-fire in the peace talks held on May 8 and May 9 in Geneva to end the decades of bloodshed in the restive province. They also reaffirmed their commitment to adopt the special autonomy arrangement as the basis for future negotiations.

Fuady said SIRA as an institution, which consists of some 120 pro-referendum elements, refused to accept the special autonomy package as it did not represent the people's aspirations.

"The Acehnese want the current conflict to be settled once and for all through a referendum," said Fuady, adding that SIRA would continue fighting for a referendum as demanded by the Acehnese during a meeting held on Sept. 8, 1999.

"The autonomy issue is an old one. Aceh has been declared a special autonomous region, but there's nothing special about that. What is special about Aceh is that it has turned into a killing field," Fuady said.

Hundreds of innocent people have been killed since January as armed encounters between the Indonesian Military (TNI) and GAM fighters have continued unabated.

SIRA urged the government to declare a cease-fire in the troubled province and invite foreign mediators to monitor it.

"I think what is important now is a cease-fire," Fuady said after the meeting.

According to Fuady, it was high time for TNI and GAM to declare a cease-fire as "the Acehnese are tired of the continuing violence and the protracted conflict" in the country's westernmost province.

Puteh also expressed concern over the abduction of nine female Acehnese students by unidentified men recently, saying that the government could not tolerate any violence in the province.

"It is a pity that the students were kidnapped. The students want to study," said Puteh, adding that students should not be exploited in the conflict.

"We appeal to all of those involved to realize that kidnapping is not good for the future of Aceh or the future of the Acehnese," he said.