Gus Dur urges Acehnese to settle their differences
Gus Dur urges Acehnese to settle their differences
GARUT, West Java (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid called on
the Acehnese on Friday to sort out their divergent views on the
referendum before approaching the central government.
"The people of Aceh must settle their differences first before
consulting the central government," Abdurrahman said after
attending Friday prayers here.
Abdurrahman, popularly known as Gus Dur, has been supportive
of calls for a referendum in Aceh. However it remains unclear
whether Gus Dur's proposal for the referendum would be for
independence or greater autonomy within Indonesia.
"It will be difficult for us to help (the Acehnese) if they
themselves do not know exactly what they want," Abdurrahman said.
Abdurrahman's statement came as activists, students, ulemas
and legislators in Aceh continued to demand a referendum with an
option for independence.
In Jakarta, Minister of Human Rights Affairs Hasballah M. Saad
said residents in Aceh were seeking a referendum in order to gain
independence and not autonomy within Indonesia.
"There is enormous hope in Aceh that an option for
independence should be included within a referendum offer," said
Hasballah, who is a native Acehnese.
Hasballah visited Aceh last week to gather information and
input, and to determine which Acehnese figures the President
should meet with to discuss the future of the province.
He said he planned to make another visit to Aceh in the near
future "to gather more information and to meet some more people".
Meanwhile in Banda Aceh, head of the Aceh Coalition for Human
Rights Abdul Rahman Yacob alleged on Friday that six university
students were abducted by the military while setting up an aid
post for refugees in the Bakongan district in South Aceh.
Local military commander Lt. Col. Sunarko however denied the
allegations.
Thousands of nonindigenous Acehnese who settled in the
province have fled Aceh by air, sea and land amid fears of
violence ahead of the anniversary of the separatist Free Aceh
Movement (GAM) on Dec. 4.
Aceh has been wracked for several months by renewed violence
between soldiers, civilians and separatist rebels.
The discontent has led to rising calls for a referendum on
independence. One million people held a massive rally in the
Acehnese capital of Banda Aceh last week to press for a ballot on
self-determination.
The military has been accused of serious human rights abuses
during a decade of antirebel operations which were only lifted
last year.
Analysts have said that unresolved rights abuses in Aceh
triggered the separatist sentiment in the province. (50/byg)