Government unveils new security plan for Aceh

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)