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.