Gus Dur cancels Aceh visit

JAKARTA (JP): Security concerns have forced President Abdurrahman Wahid to cancel a trip to the restive province of Aceh next week.

Though presidential aides cited technical reasons, palace sources and the President himself acknowledged earlier security concerns torpedoed the planned trip.

Abdurrahman was originally scheduled to make a one-day visit to the West Aceh town of Meulaboh on March 27.

Speaking to journalists at Merdeka Palace on Friday afternoon, presidential spokesman Adhie Massardi said "the cancellation is due to technical problems, because the visit is too close to the date the President is scheduled to reply to the House of Representatives".

Abdurrahman is due to present a reply to the House's memorandum of censure on March 28.

Adhie said the President would likely schedule a visit to Aceh in mid-April, upon his return from a trip to Australia and New Zealand.

Palace sources said earlier in the week that the military objected to Abdurrahman's visit to the volatile province because of security concerns.

Presidential aides had said the go-ahead for the Aceh visit depended on an assessment of the situation by Aceh Governor Abdullah Puteh.

Earlier on Friday, Abdurrahman admitted he had been advised against making the trip to Aceh by security officials.

Speaking after Friday prayers, Abdurrahman also claimed that negotiations would remain the focus of the government's policy in Aceh, despite the plan to launch new military operations in the territory.

"The government has decided that the only solution is peaceful dialog, and this decision has received the support of many countries, including from (U.S.) Secretary of State Colin Powell during his talks with foreign minister Alwi Shihab several days ago," the President said.

Separately, Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said security operations were part of the government's policy to restore security in the province.

Speaking to journalists after meeting with Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Friday, Susilo described the planned military operations as a "security operation, not a limited military operation".

Minister of Home Affairs and Regional Autonomy Soerjadi Sudirdja, Minister of Defense Mahfud MD, National Police chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro, Indonesian Military Commander Adm. Widodo A.S. and all military chiefs of staff also attended the meeting.

"The reason all of the military's top brass attended the meeting was to make sure all security actions and law enforcement and public order operations are conducted in accordance with government policy," Susilo said.

Bimantoro later said police were "open to talks" with members of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

"If they want to talk, let's talk. But if all they care about is attacking us, then they need to be stamped out," Bimantoro said.

He identified the police officers who died in Thursday's mortar attack in North Aceh as Second Brig. Ardian and Second Brig. Aifandi of Section C of the Aceh Mobile Brigade.

Deaths

In Aceh, at least eight people died in separate incidents on Thursday to Friday.

Two police Mobile Brigade officers, Brig. Arifandi and Brig. Ardian Fahrevi, were killed by a booby trap in Ujung Fatiha village, Kuala Meulaboh district, West Aceh, late on Thursday. A third officer, Brig. Hamdani, was injured.

There was a gunfight in Blang Sapek village in West Aceh on Thursday when GAM rebels ambushed a joint Army-police patrol.

When contacted by The Jakarta Post by phone in Banda Aceh, the deputy spokesman of the Cinta Meunasah II Operation, Comr. Sudarsono, said five alleged rebels were killed in the battle.

The joint patrol was launched in response to the ambush of a police patrol in the area on Thursday and the torching of a military post in Peulekung, also in West Aceh, on Wednesday.

In West Aceh, a gunfight occurred in Bukit Desa Kuala Unga village in Jaya district after rebels ambushed police and Army personnel at about 10:30 a.m. on Thursday.

An alleged rebel, Hanafiah bin Usman, was killed in the exchange of fire and another alleged rebel, Fajir bin Ibnu Hajar, was shot in the leg, Sudarsono said.

"Fajir, however, escaped as he was being taken to West Aceh Police Headquarters when rebels ambushed the convoy at a curve in the road at Mentara village in Jaya district at about 8:15 p.m.," he said.(edt/ylt/dja/byg)