GAM to defy ban and celebrate `independence day' on Dec. 4
GAM to defy ban and celebrate `independence day' on Dec. 4
The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh/Jayapura/Jakarta
Despite a government ban and military posturing, the Free Aceh
Movement (GAM) intends to go ahead with its plan to celebrate the
26th anniversary of their proclamation of Acehnese independence
on Dec. 4.
"If the military resorts to repressive action to stop the
commemoration, it means they have no commitment to creating peace
because (to us) Dec. 4 is our independence day, not a day for
waging war," GAM spokesman Sofyan Dawood told The Jakarta Post on
Thursday via a satellite telephone link.
President Megawati Soekarnoputri warned separatist movements
both in Aceh and Papua on Wednesday against holding ceremonies
and raising their flags to commemorate their 'independence days'.
Dawood further said that GAM was planning to hold independence
celebrations in 18 districts. Acehnese people were asked to stay
at home from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. to prevent them from being
harassed by security personnel.
Meanwhile, Iskandar Muda Military Commander Maj. Gen. Djali
Yusuf said that he would deploy helicopters to monitor the
situation in the province on Dec. 4 and called on locals not to
heed the rebels' call.
A military official, who requested anonymity, told the Post
that the military would no longer tolerate what he described as
GAM political maneuvers to avoid signing the peace accord in
Geneva on Dec. 9.
"Dec. 9 is the deadline for GAM to sign the accord. We will
adopt a repressive approach to quell the separatist movement if
the deadline is not met," the source said.
Separately, the police in Papua warned against any celebration
of Papuan independence in the province on Dec. 1.
"No celebrations of the independence day or flag-hoisting
ceremonies will be allowed. If any groups in society want to
remember Theys, they may visit his grave. But there will be no
flag-hoisting ceremonies," Papua Police deputy chief Brig. Gen.
Raziman Tarigan asserted here on Thursday.
He said the police would arrest anyone who ignored the ban.
The police in Manokwari detained at least 13 Papuans for
raising the Morning Star flag in the grounds of an elementary
school in the town on Wednesday.
The secretary-general of the proindependence Papuan Presidium
Council (PDP), Thaha Al Hamid, said the PDP would hold a flag-
hoisting ceremony at Theys' residence in Sentani, near Jayapura,
to commemorate the 41st anniversary of Papuan independence, which
was proclaimed before Jakarta annexed the country's eastern-most
province.
The people in the two resource-rich provinces have taken up
arms to fight for independence in response to the government's
failure to promote justice and to investigate past and present
human rights abuses.