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.