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.