Donors push for peace in Aceh

Donors push for peace in Aceh

Nani Farida and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post,
Banda Aceh/Jakarta

International donors made a last ditch effort on Friday to
salvage a peace deal signed by the government and the Free Aceh
Movement (GAM) in December 2002 as the deadline for the rebels to
disarm and accept the special autonomy status draws nearer.

Expressing concern over the breakdown of the peace process,
Japan, the European Union (EU) and the United States issued a
joint statement, urging both sides to "put above other interests
the clear wish of the Acehnese people to live in peace and
security".

"We strongly urge GAM, without further delay, to declare its
unconditional support for a peaceful solution. We strongly hope
that the Indonesian government can pursue peaceful alternatives
to launching a combined operation in Aceh," the statement said.

Japan, the U.S. and the EU are cochairs of last year's Tokyo
meeting organized to mobilize funds to finance post-war
reconstruction in the province.

The peace agreement crumbled in Aceh after the government
pulled out of a long-awaited Joint Council meeting designed to
resolve violations to the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement
(COHA).

Donor countries reiterated their support for Indonesia's
territorial integrity, but urged both parties to return to the
negotiating table immediately.

While donor countries demanded a peaceful settlement to the
Aceh issue, the government and GAM rebels continued preparations
for a possible military showdown in the country's westernmost
province.

The government has demanded that GAM accept the special
autonomy arrangement for Aceh and lay down their weapons before
May 12 or face a military offensive.

Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto
replaced Aceh Military Commander Maj. Gen. Djali Yusuf, an
Acehnese, with his chief of staff, Brig. Gen. Endang Suwarya, on
Friday.

"We need to ensure the continuation of the operation and Djali
is nearing his retirement age," Endriartono said after a Cabinet
meeting in Jakarta.

A reliable source told The Jakarta Post Friday that Djali was
considered "too weak" to face GAM and TNI needed a commander who
could act sternly during the planned operations and lead more
than 30,000 troops in the province.

Meanwhile, in Banda Aceh, police arrested four members of the
Joint Security Committee (JSC) from the GAM side as they were
preparing to leave Banda Aceh for Jakarta on Friday evening.
Police said they were arrested because they were trying to leave
the province without securing permission from the head of the
JSC, Maj. Gen. Thanungsak Tuvinan.

The four were Sofyan Ibraham Tiba, GAM senior JSC envoy, Amri
Abdul Wahab, Teungku Kamaruzzaman and Amni Achmad Marzuki.

JSC is the monitoring team set up under COHA. It consists of
representatives from the Indonesian government, peace broker
Henry Dunant Centre (HDC) and GAM.

Meanwhile, GAM issued on Friday a general alert calling for
its guerrilla fighters to return to defense positions and
consolidate ranks at their bases.

In a statement signed by GAM military spokesman Teungku Sofyan
Dawood, the separatist movement warned the Acehnese of entering a
second colonial war against the Indonesian government.

GAM also "ordered" the public to stop their activities on May
12, including the operation of vital oil and gas projects in Aceh
to ensure the safety of civilians there.

The movement has told the projects to empty tanks filled with
fuel and dangerous chemicals within 24 hours after the government
declares the start of the military operation.

"We urge all concerned parties to adhere to these instructions
and guidelines. Failing to respect them means ignoring their own
safety, and if anything undesirable happens to them, they will
have only themselves to blame," Dawood said.

The government guaranteed that all projects would continue to
operate should a military offensive begin. "We have plenty of
troops, and these vital projects will operate as usual,"
Endriartono said.

Apart from the preparations made by both sides, an unofficial
war has broken out in the province as sporadic gunfight continued
unabated, claiming dozens of lives over the past week.

Fearing for their lives, more than 6,000 refugees are
sheltering at a mosque and an elementary school in Bireuen, said
Junaidi Abu Bakar, a refugee coordinator.

Hundreds of refugees have also fled their homes in Central
Aceh.

The central government has allocated some Rp 400 billion for
Acehnese refugees and will send a team on Saturday to assist the
local administration in dealing with the refugees.