Gus Dur cancels Aceh visit

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)