Govt gives new mandate to military to crush GAM

Annastashya Emmanuelle and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja The Jakarta Post Jakarta

The government, which has come under strong criticism from human rights activists for reviving the Aceh military command just this week, is now set to give a new mandate to the military to crush the separatist movement in Aceh.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Thursday that President Megawati Soekarnoputri would soon issue a Presidential Instruction maintaining the current security approach against the armed wing of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

"Any separatist movement must be crushed, and we have the international support to maintain our national territorial integrity," Susilo said after a limited cabinet meeting at the State Secretariat on Thursday.

Susilo's announcement came just days after the Indonesian military revived the Iskandar Muda Military Command in Aceh despite strong protest from human rights activists and Acehnese people for fear of more rights abuse in the province.

It also reflects the government's preference to resolve the Aceh question militarily, as opposed to diplomacy, which was pursued by former president Abdurrahman Wahid.

Resolving the Aceh question through military action is expected to worsen human rights abuses in the province, where more than 1,700 people were killed in 2001 and at least 200 people have already died in 2002.

Susilo also expressed the government's reluctance to pursue talks with GAM, saying that the separatist movement remained unclear whether they would accept the autonomy package or not.

"Should the dialog continue to proceed in an uncertain manner, while there isn't a sincere indication from GAM to find a peaceful solution to the Aceh question, the government might later decide to stop the dialog," Susilo said.

The government and GAM met in Geneva, Switzerland last week to find a peaceful and comprehensive solution to the armed struggle in Aceh. No substantial agreement was reached in the two-day meeting.

Susilo said President Megawati would sign a Presidential Instruction early next week that would be effective for six months only. The new ruling replaces the current Presidential Instruction No. 7/2001, which was issued by former president Abdurrahman Wahid in April 2001, and is set to expire on Feb. 11.

The Presidential Instruction No. 7/2001 has, as its focus, the restoration of law and order in Aceh. The instruction provides necessary legal grounds for military personnel to target armed civilians, particularly GAM members and independence fighters.

"The main pillar of the new Presidential Instruction is the Nanggroe Aceh Darusalam Autonomy Law," said Susilo, adding that the government was trying to introduce a comprehensive solution to the Aceh question.

"The comprehensive measures will cover socio-political, legal and economic approaches to the Aceh issue, and will be carried out by the central and provincial governments," he said without elaborating.

According to Susilo, with the implementation of the Autonomy Law, the Aceh governor and his administration would bear the responsibility of taking necessary steps to restore peace and order in the restive province.

"The central government's role is only to provide support, except for functions which were not included in the Autonomy Law, such as foreign relations and defense," he said.

Susilo also dismissed skepticism over the government's policy to adopt a militaristic approach to solve security problems in Aceh, adding that any separatist movement should be crushed.

Editorial -- Page 4