Government unveils new security plan for Aceh
JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid has eventually given in and issued an official directive to civilian and security officials to restore law and order in the troubled province of Aceh, a minister said on Thursday.
Defense minister Mahfud M.D. said the presidential instruction, which was signed on April 11, encompassed political, economic, social, legal and security measures.
Mahfud was quick to add that, on paper at any rate, there would be no military operations launched in the country's westernmost province, where violence between the security forces and separatist rebels has killed at least 300 people so far this year.
"The presidential instruction mentions no military operation, but the National Police chief has been instructed to cooperate with the military in restoring law and order in Aceh," Mahfud told reporters before a Cabinet meeting.
When asked to elaborate on the concrete measures that would be taken on the ground, Mahfud said, "I will leave these matters to military and police chiefs and I believe they are confidential."
Mahfud dismissed fears that the new security campaign would lead to another series of human rights abuses as happened during a decade of military operations that ended in 1998, saying that the current operation was aimed at "selected targets".
"Intelligence has been able to draw up a list of GAM (Free Aceh Movement) members down to the district level, so I'm sure that there'll be no innocent targets," he said.
Under the nine-page presidential instruction, Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri is given responsibility for "controlling and synchronizing" the multi-faceted operation, which will involve at least 17 cabinet members, including two coordinating ministers, the military and police chiefs, the defense minister, foreign minister, home affairs minister, justice and human rights minister, Attorney General and national intelligence chief.
The Aceh governor and the province's five regents have also been instructed "to reinstate all public services", which so far have been crippled by the ongoing violence.
The President's order to launch a new security campaign in Aceh has come against the backdrop of strong objection from local civic leaders and rights activists.
While expressing concern at the possibility of the new operation fueling antigovernment sentiment, they called on the government to continue peace talks between Jakarta and GAM representatives in Geneva.
Mahfud said later in the day that the government would continue the dialog and underlined that the new security campaign in Aceh would also be combined with "economic development".
The peace talks have produced a number of agreements to reduce violence but on the ground summary killings, skirmishes and ambushes on military and police convoys continue on a daily basis.
The government announced last month that it would launch "limited security operations" against separatist rebels in Aceh after coming to the conclusion that what was happening in the province was "beyond the police's capability" to handle.
The government then changed the name of the planned operation to "law and order restoration operation" following criticism from the Acehnese.
There are some 30,000 police and military personnel in place in the province.
Army generals have been calling repeatedly for an immediate presidential decree authorizing the planned operation.
Sources said that Abdurrahman was actually reluctant to issue such a decree as the move would go against his promise to the Acehnese in December that Jakarta would only apply peaceful means to the Aceh problem.
The presidential instruction was greeted by a protest held by some 600 students in Banda Aceh, capital of Aceh.
Meanwhile Mahfud in Yogyakarta on Friday again insisted that despite Presidential Instruction No. IV/2001 the government would still prioritize dialog and other peaceful ways in resolving the Aceh issue and "the military would only assist the process."
Mahfud noted that if it desired the government already has strong legal grounds to impose a state of military emergency in Aceh. He pointed out that three regencies are left without an administration after officials deserted their offices which was 'occupied' by separatist rebels.
"There are no prosecutors, no judges, and the regents and other local officials have given up their offices. Should the situation be brought to the National Police and Indonesian Military, the response would be militaristic approach. But the President, insists on non-violent measures," he said.
"The Presidential Instruction is clearly not a scorched-earth policy."
Mahfud also said that journalists, non-governmental organizations, including human-rights watch dogs were welcome to monitor the implementation of the Presidential Instruction. (44/byg/prb/edt)