Army top brass to hold meeting Aceh

Tiarma Siboro and Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Aceh

Amid the fragile truce in Aceh, 75 senior military officials will gather in the conflict-torn province for a three-day meeting starting on Wednesday.

Presiding over the leadership meeting will be Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu, a military officer known for his zero tolerance of separatist movements.

All 12 regional military commanders will turn up for the meeting, which used to take place in Jakarta.

In his statement, Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Ratyono said the meeting, to be held in the North Aceh capital of Lhokseumawe, would discuss various issues, including "efforts to maintain the unitary and sovereignty of the state".

The move immediately drew a strong response from the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), which called the gathering "a show of force" on the part of the military.

GAM spokesman Tengku Iskandar Al Pasee said on Tuesday that he suspected the meeting would lead the Indonesian Military (TNI) to take a repressive approach to maintain peace and order, which had returned to Aceh since the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement brokered by the Henry Dunant Centre (HDC) in Geneva last December.

Ratyono denied the allegations, saying that the decision to bring the meeting to Aceh was in line with the Army's policy to pay more attention to its troops on state duty there and to provide them with moral support.

He added that the choice of Aceh as the meeting venue was aimed at giving the Military's top commanders an understanding of the current situation in the province, so as to raise their awareness and optimism in dealing with issues there.

"Being a part of Indonesia, Aceh is a choice which is not against any law. It will help us directly monitor the real situation there after the government and GAM agreed to sign the peace deal," Ratyono said in a statement, a copy of which was made available to The Jakarta Post.

TNI began a massive deployment of troops to Aceh in 2001 in line with the issuance of a presidential decree to restore security and peace to the province. There are more than 21,000 reinforcement troops posted in the province to back up the thousands of police officers. The military figure equals that of an entire regional military command.

Under the peace agreement, troops will have to be relocated to defense positions by July 9, while GAM has to lay down its arms.

GAM had been fighting for independence in the oil and gas rich province since 1976. As a result of daily clashes between TNI and GAM, thousands of people, mostly civilians, were killed. More than 1,700 people were reportedly killed last year alone.

International observers assigned by HDC to monitor the implementation of the peace agreement have accused both parties of human rights violations. The deep animosity that exists between the two sides is feared to make it difficult for the peace agreement to last long.

The gathering will also commence against the backdrop of a wave of violence in the Central Aceh town of Takengon, which was regarded as a conflict-free area during the 26 years of fighting.

Four people were killed and 11 cars and buses were set on fire in the Burlintang district of Takengon on March 15 during an attack that was blamed on a militia group allegedly linked to the military.

Early this month a mob ransacked the offices of the Joint Security Committee (JSC) tripartite monitoring team, injuring two monitors. The attack was sparked by allegations that the JSC was unable to halt alleged extortion and violence committed by GAM.

Fresh incidents involving GAM and government security troops also took place separately in the Bireun regency and the Nisam area of North Aceh regency on Tuesday, but no casualties were reported.