Govt gives new mandate to military to crush GAM

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