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)