Govt officially declares GAM as separatists

Govt officially declares GAM as separatists

JAKARTA (JP): The government officially declared on Monday the
Free Aceh Movement (GAM) as separatists with a clear aim to
separate Aceh province from the unitary Republic of Indonesia.

The decision was revealed by Cabinet Secretary Marsilam
Simanjuntak after a Cabinet meeting attended by President
Abdurrahman Wahid and Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri
at the Bina Graha presidential office in Central Jakarta.

"The Free Aceh Movement has already reached a level that can
be considered a separatist movement," Marsilam told media, as
quoted by Antara.

In Karawang regency of West Java, Army chief of staff Gen.
Endriartono Sutarto said on Monday that the Indonesian Military
(TNI) would rather conduct a military operation to respond to
separatist activities than allow any regions throughout the
nation to separate from Indonesia.

"If there are only two options -- to conduct a military
operation or to lose the region -- we (the TNI) will firmly
choose the first option," Endriartono said while addressing the
opening of a training camp for members of the Army's Strategic
Reserves Command (Kostrad)'s new intelligence platoons at the
Sangga Buana exercise camp in Karawang.

"We are doing our duty to maintain the nation's unity," he
added.

The four-star general warned the soldiers to be selective in
performing their duties in an emergency area, saying that they
must not kill innocent people.

"You should shoot at your enemies, not the people. Killing
innocent people will only give you a temporary victory, while in
fact you are just creating more enemies for the future," he said.

In Aceh, Cinta Meunasah II spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Harunantyo
said the planned limited military operation could be conducted
based on the escalation of the situation in the area.

"But again, if such an operation is to be conducted, it must
be clear who will conduct the operation, the perimeter of the
operation area, the target of the operation, the kind of
repressive action to be taken and, most importantly, the legal
and political basis of the action," he told The Jakarta Post by
phone from Banda Aceh.

He cited that unusual and uncontrollable incidents often
occurred in Aceh.

"On March 8 alleged rebels stormed the Simpang Ulin Military
Subdistrict and seized 16 of the 30 M-16 rifles at the post
without interference. Hundreds of rounds of bullets were also
kept in the post," he said, adding that it is uncommon for a
subdistrict post to hold such stocks of weaponry.

Provincial police chief Brig. Gen. Chaerul Rasyid said on
Monday that the police are ready to temporarily fill the district
chiefs' administrative positions which are being abandoned
because of security threats.

Reports have stated that in the regencies of East Aceh, North
Aceh and Pidie, about 75 percent of the administrative operations
have not been functioning.

Similar conditions are also found in districts across West
Aceh and South Aceh.

The civil servants and other government officials are
reportedly too scared to undertake their duties due to threats
from the rebels.

Violence, however, continued to rock the province on Monday,
killing at least five people, including a soldier identified as
Corp. Suwardi.

Officer Harunantyo also said that the police had never been
notified of the closure of either ExxonMobil Oil Indonesia or PT
Arun LNG Co's plants.

"Up until today those companies have not given us any
information about the closures. We would appreciate it if they
were straight forward with us about what is going on.

"We do not want to risk anything as rebels may take over the
compound and the already complex situation will become worse," he
said. (edt/02/50)