Change of status yet to have any real impact on Aceh

Nani Farida, Banda Aceh

Five days after the status of civil emergency was declared in Aceh, residents of the troubled province are yet to see any changes to security arrangements.

Apin, 31, a Banda Aceh resident, said over the weekend that the presence of military personnel was still keenly felt despite the change in status from martial law to a state of civil emergency.

"For me, civil emergency or martial law, it's all the same," he said.

Daspriani, 28, who resides in Keutapang, concurred with Apin.

"The situation in the city is seemingly safe, but I am not aware of the situation in the villages," he said.

The government imposed a state of civil emergency on Aceh on Wednesday after one year of martial law that saw the deployment of over 40,000 troops and 14,000 police personnel to the province, where poorly trained Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels have been fighting for independence since 1976.

The response of the Acehnese to the new status has varied from optimism to disappointment.

Herman, 33, a pedicab driver, said that he was happy with the implementation of a state of civil emergency in Aceh. "It signals that the situation in Aceh is improving and I hope it will always be like that," he said.

However, Hamdani, 34, a Setui Banda Aceh resident, said he was worried that the new status would only weaken the previously "good" situation in Aceh.

"If I could choose, I would prefer martial law as we can see clearly that Indonesian Military (TNI) officers are present in Aceh," he said.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri changed on Tuesday the one- year martial law status in Aceh to a state of civil emergency and named controversial Governor Abdullah Puteh as the administrator.

Under the civil emergency status, the administrator is required to continue the government's integrated operation including security restoration and law enforcement.

The new status will likely last for six months and is renewable or can be terminated before the period ends, provided that there is convincing development in the province.

During the one-year martial law, some 2,000 alleged GAM members were killed, 2,100 arrested, and 1,276 surrendered to the TNI.

TNI spokesman Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said last week that the military was planning a new strategic field operation after the government lifted martial law.

"Based on reports from the military authority in Aceh, the one-year operation has failed to achieve the ultimate target as GAM still exists. Indeed, we have been able to reduce its strength to about 40 percent, but the presence of GAM remains a threat to the Unitary Republic of Indonesia," Sjafrie said.

To quell the rebellion in the province, the New Order regime imposed a military operation between 1989 and 1998, which resulted in the loss of no less than 10,000 lives, mostly civilians.