Governor to invite GAM chief for dialog

Governor to invite GAM chief for dialog

Ibnu Mat Noor, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

Following the three-day partial strike in restive Aceh, Governor
Abdullah Puteh announced a plan to hold a dialog with the Free
Aceh Movement (GAM) to seek a solution to the prolonged conflict
that has claimed thousands of lives and caused trillions of
rupiah in material losses to the people.

"I will send a letter to GAM Commander Abdullah Syafe'i in the
near future to hold a dialog at the Baiturrahman Mosque in the
city so as to seek a peaceful solution to the conflict," he said
here on Friday.

The governor was responding to the three-day strike called by
GAM in the province and the central government's statement that
it would no longer engage in dialog with the separatist movement.
The government's clear stance was followed by its decision to
revive the Iskandar Muda Military Command, a new move to apply a
repressive rather than a persuasive approach to the conflict.

Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno also asserted recently
that the government would no longer implicitly treat GAM as an
equal. Thus any future dialog would be handled by local
administrations at the provincial or regency levels.

The separatist movement has gained political and material
support from students and Acehnese people whose relatives were
killed during the military operation between 1989 and 1998. So
far, the government has yet to meet the demands of the Acehnese
people to try those military officers whom the people hold
responsible for the mass killings in the past.

More than 6,000 Acehnese people, including rebels, have been
killed during the security operation over the last nine months in
the province.

Puteh said he wanted to engage in a dialog immediately because
the central government had set February 2002 as the deadline for
negotiations after which a repressive approach would be adopted
unless a peaceful solution had been reached.

The government has held dialogs twice with GAM both at home
and overseas and agreed to enter into a truce with the
organization. But the negotiations and the agreement failed to
end the conflict. Instead, the situation has escalated to such an
extent that the government launched a limited security operation
last April.

GAM called on the Acehnese people to observe a general strike
to protest against what it termed militarism in the province. The
call gained a partial response over the last three days. Most
people chose to stay at home for fear of fresh violence and
snipers. Schools closed and most government offices were deserted
as both students and civil servants were left stranded by lack of
public transportation.

Most traders and shop owners were waiting for signs of an
easing of tension before resuming their daily activities.

"We will open our shops on Saturday if the situation is calm
and there are no longer the sound of explosions as were heard
early this morning in the city," said Mrs. Hayaton, the owner of
a basic commodities store in the city.

Separately, speaker of the Aceh provincial legislature Tengku
Muhammad Yus called on GAM not to issue statements, such as the
call for a general strike, that could damage the public interest
in the province.

He said that many local people had felt compelled to comply
with the strike call as they were frightened despite the local
administration's security assurances.