Government extends martial law in Aceh, despite objections

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Teuku Agam Muzakir, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Lhokseumawe

Even as the toll of casualties and victims continue to rise daily, the government has decided to extend the martial law in war-torn Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam for another six months, saying it needs more time to crush the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono made the announcement on Thursday, emerging from a Cabinet meeting presided over by President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

The decision came two weeks before the end of the first six- month period on Nov. 19, amid strong objections from human rights activists. The government made the call, as GAM remained a force to be reckoned with in the province, but also for security reasons ahead of the 2004 general elections.

The Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police have deployed around 40,000 troops to crush the separatist group, which is said to have around 5,000 members.

Government sources claim that some 2,600 GAM members have been killed, captured or injured since May.

Susilo said the operation would be evaluated monthly and noted that the extension could be "extended further or shortened".

The military operation in Aceh started on May 19 following the collapse of a five-month truce with GAM brokered by the Henry Dunant Centre.

The Aceh Referendum Information Center (SIRA) said in a statement that the extension would only deepen the wounds of the Acehnese.

"The increasing number of civilian casualties will only create more hatred among the Acehnese against the government," SIRA said in a statement signed by chairman Hamzah.

The martial law extension is also opposed by donor countries, which consider that the ongoing military operation has already cost too many civilian lives.

The European Union, Japan and the United States -- countries that have initiated a post-war construction fund for Aceh -- underlined in a statement that the extension should be carried out with "the minimum possible impact to the well-being of the people".

"We also hope that human suffering is minimized and that the transparency of the situation in Aceh is improved.

"We continue to call for access to Aceh by international agencies and relevant (non-governmental organizations) operating for humanitarian purposes," said the statement, according to AFP.

The government has denied all access to humanitarian organizations to the province, saying that these groups may be GAM supporters.

On Monday, the government promised to provide more access to both local and international humanitarian organizations.

Susilo also promised to allow the Election Supervisory Board (Panwaslu) and other independent monitoring agencies to enter the province during the 2004 elections, set to commence in April.

"We welcome them ... to ensure that the coming election will run democratically and smoothly," he said.

The government also decided at Thursday's Cabinet meeting to launch an economic improvement operation in Aceh, with a Rp 1.3 trillion (US$153 million) budget for the first six months. The government's so-called "integrated operation" includes the military operation as well as humanitarian assistance programs and the restoration of local administrations.

To minimize negative excesses of the operation, Jakarta will establish a monitoring team in the province, Susilo said.

"The team will supervise the usage of funds during the (integrated) operation, while the economic improvement programs will be elaborated upon by the coordinating minister of the economy," he said.

Much of the budget for the first six months of the military operation has not been accounted for.

The government said on Thursday it would grant amnesty through the House of Representatives for GAM members who surrendered voluntarily.

Meanwhile, in Lhokseumawe, the TNI discovered that GAM had attempted to recruit two high school students as informants.

"The two students refused to join the rebels and reported the incident to their principals," military operation spokesman Lt. Col. Ahmad Yani Basuki said.

The two students, Mustaqim and Mudawali, said GAM members had threatened them.

Yani said the military had so far questioned seven high school students who had been threatened by GAM to be their informants.

Two separatists were killed on Thursday in North Aceh following a gunfight between government forces and GAM, Antara reported.