Ex-Aceh chief named Army deputy chief

Ex-Aceh chief named Army deputy chief

JAKARTA: Former Aceh military commander Maj. Gen. Endang
Suwarya, who led an operation against separatist rebels, was
officially installed as the new Army deputy chief on Monday.

After the inauguration ceremony at Army Headquarters in
Jakarta, Endang expressed hope the government would determine the
status of the tsunami-ravaged Aceh by considering all sectors,
including security, to enable reconstruction work to continue in
the province.

The government is expected to review the two-year-old
emergency status in Aceh on May 19.

Endang was appointed head of the Iskandar Muda Military
Command overseeing Aceh days before president Megawati
Soekarnoputri imposed martial law in the province in May 2003.

He then led a military offensive to crush the separatist Free
Aceh Movement (GAM). The military says at least 3,000 guerrillas
were killed or arrested during the offensive.

Human rights activists claim that during the operation under
Endang's command about 663 Acehnese civilians were killed.

They urged Endang's successor, Maj. Gen. Syafiuddin Yusuf, who
previously headed the Udayana Military Command overseeing West
and East Nusa Tenggara and Bali, to use dialog in dealing with
GAM. --JP