Government extends martial law in Aceh, despite objections
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.