Govt orders TNI, police to be ready for Aceh operation

Govt orders TNI, police to be ready for Aceh operation

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Indonesian government officially called on Monday for a joint
council meeting to discuss the implementation of the cessation of
hostilities agreement it signed with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM)
in December 2002, a move that could lead to Jakarta's withdrawal
from the pact.

The decision was taken during a Cabinet meeting presided over
by President Megawati Soekarnoputri, who also ordered the
Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police to prepare for
operations should GAM ignore efforts to salvage the truce.

"We agreed to honor the peace deal and bring the issue of
serious violations to the joint council meeting," Coordinating
Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono said after the Cabinet meeting.

"We will further evaluate the situation after the meeting.
Should it worsen, we may reverse our position. The President has
ordered security troops to be prepared to enforce the country's
territorial integrity."

He added that the TNI chief had presented an operational plan
for possible action in Aceh, which he said would minimize
fatalities among ordinary Acehnese.

The Cabinet meeting followed an attack on a Joint Security
Committee (JSC) office in the East Aceh town of Langsa on Sunday,
the second attack targeting the monitor committee's offices in a
month. Police have questioned 13 people in connection with the
violence.

The government's decision was met with criticism, with
analysts saying the administration intended to pass off the issue
of Aceh to the military.

Rights campaigner Munir said the increasing tension in Aceh,
whether planned by certain groups or not, was likely aimed at
undermining the peace process in order to justify a military
operation in the province.

Rizal Sukma of the Centre for Strategic and International
Studies said the government's decision reflected its double
standards.

"While the government strongly deplores the U.S. military
attack on Iraq for humanitarian reasons, it approves a similar
approach in Aceh," he said.

The Aceh peace pact, signed on Dec. 9, 2002, during talks
brokered by the Henry Dunant Center (HDC), has significantly
curbed the amount of violence in the province. However, over the
past several weeks the security situation has deteriorated.

Munir said that instead of blaming GAM for its failure to
implement a number of crucial points in the peace accord, the
government should explore every avenue to reach the final goal of
the peace agreement, which is special autonomy for Aceh within
the context of the Indonesian nation.

"If GAM is accused of provoking people to demand independence,
why doesn't the government counter with a campaign for special
autonomy?" Munir told The Jakarta Post.

"Of course, the monitoring team should act as a mediator if
there are misinterpretations of the agreement. But we cannot
blame the HDC, because the government is responsible for
explaining its policy and the final goal to the Acehnese."

The peace pact states that a joint council meeting can be
called should the Joint Security Committee fail to address a
dispute between the two parties within 30 days.

If the joint council is unable to resolve the matter, then
either party has the right to unilaterally withdraw from the
peace pact.

Meanwhile, about 1,000 people gathered in front of the JSC
office in Tapaktuan district in South Aceh on Monday, demanding
that the monitoring committee be disbanded for its failure to
address the issue of extortion and intimidation by GAM.