AGAM chief calls for world attention on Aceh
AGAM chief calls for world attention on Aceh
SIGLI, Aceh (JP): Tengku Abdulah Syafi'i, the commander of
Angkatan Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (AGAM), the armed wing of the
separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM), has said all Acehnese
support a separate state and it is therefore not important which
group they join to further the cause.
In an interview with The Jakarta Post on Monday at his hideout
in a forest in Pidie regency, Syafi'i said there was a diverse
range of people involved in self-determination efforts, despite
the reported deployment of 32,000 security personnel so far,
including the 7,000 reinforcement, to hunt down an estimated 200
rebel leaders.
"With the prayers of the people willing to be martyrs and the
whole Acehnese people, they (the security personnel) will become
phang po (local dialect which means 'to flee in confusion')," he
said.
The following is an excerpt of the interview.
Question: Indonesian Military (TNI) Chief General Wiranto has
vowed not to let civilians take up arms in Aceh. What do you
think?
Answer: We do not have anything to do with the colonialists.
Why did they threaten us? It's them who should leave Aceh.
Q: The military has been sending troop reinforcements here.
A: We know there are not only tens of thousands (of personnel),
but the Aceh soil has never been free from the TNI. They want to
slaughter the Acehnese. They said they wanted to eliminate armed
civilians. But in reality many civilians have been massacred, the
last incident being (the July 23 military shooting) in Beutong
Ateuh (where 52 people were killed).
With this glaring evidence (of violence), would the
international world still trust TNI? They are the criminals of
war.
With the prayers of those (willing to be) martyrs and the
whole Acehnese, they will become phang po.
How do we wage our war? That is up to us. What's important is
that TNI must pull out of Aceh. No matter what, the Acehnese want
to be free. Whatever the risks are, we are willing to face them
and we will never retreat.
In our fight, we are not looking for fame. If we die, we
become syahid (martyrs). Remember that!
Syafi'i also described the atrocities allegedly committed by
military personnel not only during the military operations
between 1989 to 1998, but up to the present day. "They rape, they
kill... they plunder the belongings of the Acehnese," he said.
"They have been running from the realities (of the atrocities)
and refused to take responsibility.
"The TNI are like the devils (and yet) we pray that they be
given (divine) guidance."
Wiranto had earlier insisted that only atrocities allegedly
committed by the military after President B.J. Habibie took over
the presidency in May 1998 can be investigated. Habibie, however,
recently issued a decree to establish an independent team on
Aceh. He however, did not specify the period of time to be
investigated.
"Why is the international world still so silent? Do they see
Acehnese as subhuman? Please do not abandon us," Syafi'i said.
Q: What is the relation between AGAM and Tengku Bantaqiah (a
former political prisoner and Muslim cleric shot dead together
with his students in Beutong Ateuh)?
A: We did not have any ties whatsoever. But he was a respected
and influential ulema.
Q: Did he fight for AGAM too?
A: All Acehnese want liberation and it's not necessary that they
be placed in groups (of separatists). All Acehnese have the
obligation to fight for freedom.
We in AGAM wish to convey our deepest condolence over the
passing of an influential Aceh ulema. Especially because dozens
of innocent people were also massacred ... the international
world should not turn a blind eye to this tragedy.
Q: What government measures do you hope for the Aceh question?
A: We do not have any ties whatsoever with war criminals. We just
hope that the international world, especially the Netherlands
which surrendered Aceh (in the past) to the colonial powers of
Indonesia, will solve the situation and be responsible for the
suffering of the Acehnese. (Tarmilin Usman)