GAM support base waning: Minister

GAM support base waning: Minister

JAKARTA (JP): Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and
Security Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Thursday that the Free
Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels were becoming increasingly isolated.

According to Yudhoyono, who led a team of Cabinet ministers to
Aceh on Wednesday, the armed separatist movement was continuing
to weaken due to lack of popular support.

"We conclude that GAM's armed activity has declined despite
sporadic attacks and government activity has improved," he told
journalists after attending a national meeting of governors at
the Ministry of Home Affairs here.

Yudhoyono's trip to Aceh was aimed at preparing for the visit
of President Megawati Soekarnoputri early next month in a bid to
show the government's goodwill and sincerity in solving the Aceh
problem.

Yudhoyono claimed that troops had taken control of rebels'
enclaves in North Aceh, East Aceh and Pidie. "Now, many of the
rebels have moved their activity to the central region. This
explains why the latest incidents have occurred in places where
there have never been any attacks before," he said.

Security forces in Aceh were reinforced following the issuance
of Presidential Decree No. 4/2001 issued by then president
Abdurrahman Wahid. The decree outlines comprehensive plans to
restore order in Aceh.

When asked if the government planned another round of talks
with GAM, Yudhoyono replied, "A number of talks have been held
both at home and overseas. I had the impression that GAM hard-
liners want nothing but independence. However, there are also
moderate elements within GAM."

Aceh was generally calm yesterday. A grenade explosion injured
a man at a government-sponsored development expo at Blang Padang
square in Banda Aceh.

Eyewitnesses said the victim was a stand attendant. The
incident happened at about 1 p.m. when only a few people were
present.

On Wednesday, a soldier was injured and another went missing
when a group of GAM rebels ambushed a patrol in Indrapuri, about
25 kilometers east of Banda Aceh.

The incident did not deter townspeople from attending the expo
held as part of the 56th Indonesian Independence Day
celebrations. The revelry was organized after a two-year break
due to security reasons.

Aceh governor Abdullah Puteh, who was in Jakarta to attend the
meeting of governors at the Ministry of Home Affairs, denied
reports that he had requested more troops to combat GAM.

He said the deployment of troops in Aceh was implemented based
on the Presidential Decree, which did not require his
involvement.

He added that the government would prioritize peace talks in
solving the conflict.

Violence escalates

In Jakarta, the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of
Violence (Kontras) demanded that the government revoke
Presidential Decree No. 4/2001 on the grounds that it had only
worsened violence and human rights abuses in Aceh.

Kontras pointed out in a statement that the human right abuses
included killing, denying protection for people caught in armed
conflicts and suppression of freedom of expression.

The Jakarta-based non-governmental organization noted that
between April, when the decree was issued, and the third week of
August, 203 people were murdered, 197 people tortured, 29 had
disappeared and 110 were arbitrarily detained.

It was a sharp rise compared to cases that occurred between
January 2001 and April 2001, in which 100 people were murdered in
16 cases of extra-judicial killings, 65 were tortured, there were
six disappearances and 85 were arbitrarily detained, according to
Kontras.

The NGO asserted that the government viewed the Aceh issue as
a mere security problem and overlooked the underlying problems of
injustice and human rights abuses which have occurred since Aceh
was declared a military operation territory in 1989. Its status
as a military operation territory officially ended in 1998.

"The efforts to end the violence through negotiations have
made little progress because the government maintains the
military operation as its main approach.

"The violence against civilians in Aceh continues because the
political, economic and cultural approaches to the problem have
not worked while the military has exploited the presidential
decree to justify their actions," the statement said.
(tso/pan/50)