House calls for evaluation of Aceh martial law
House calls for evaluation of Aceh martial law
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The House of Representatives on Monday called for a thorough
evaluation of the implementation of martial law in the restive
province of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam so as to determine the
policies to be implemented in the province in the future.
"Whether we will extend martial law or reduce it to a state of
civil emergency, or lift the state of emergency altogether, will
depend on the evaluation made by the government," House Speaker
Akbar Tandjung said in his speech marking the beginning of the
new legislative session here.
The House call comes just weeks before martial law is due to
expire on Nov. 19. It also comes after widespread allegations of
abuses committed by government troops and separatist Free Aceh
Movement (GAM) rebels.
President Megawati Soekarnoputri signed a decree on May 19
imposing martial law on Aceh for six months, thereby providing
the legal framework needed for the Indonesian Military (TNI) to
embark on an all-out war against GAM.
The rebels have been fighting for independence for the natural
resource-rich province since 1976. Over 10,000 people, mostly
civilians, had been killed since then.
The TNI claims that close to 1,000 GAM rebels have been killed
since the government launched what it calls a "joint operation"
in Aceh on May 19. On top of that, at least 304 civilians and 34
police and military personnel have been killed since May 19.
Some 1,800 alleged separatist rebels have also surrendered or
been captured. Those rebels are now being subjected to legal
proceedings but have been denied access to lawyers.
The decision to declare martial law in Aceh was taken by
Megawati's administration after consulting the House.
Military leaders have called for an extension of the operation
which based on the military's own figures has managed to
incapacitate only one-fourth of the 5,000-strong GAM fighting
force. The TNI has deployed around 35,000 troops to Aceh, and up
to 14,000 police are also stationed in the province.
Akbar said on Monday that the entire nation was hoping for a
peaceful and prosperous Aceh under the banner of the Unitary
Republic of Indonesia.
He claimed that the integrated operation in Aceh -- which
according to the government consists of security restoration, law
enforcement, bureaucratic improvement, and humanitarian
operations -- had brought benefits to the Aceh people.
He added that the government's decision to launch the security
operation in the resource-rich province had been taken to
maintain the nation's unity.
"The separatist movement in Aceh must be defeated or otherwise
it will endanger national unity and bring misery to the Aceh
people," he said.
Separately, martial law administrator Maj. Gen. Endang Suwarya
said he planned to remove convicted Aceh separatist rebels out of
Aceh and North Sumatra.
"We will the convicted GAM members to detention centers
outside Aceh and North Sumatra so that they cannot disseminate
separatism in Aceh," he was quoted by Antara as saying on Monday.
Endang said he would discuss his plan with Coordinating
Minister for Politics and Security Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
He said that convicted GAM members must be moved out of Aceh
and North Sumatra because the two provinces were the areas where
GAM was active.
Apart from that, Endang said that the prisons in Aceh were
unable to accommodate the number of GAM members currently in
detention.
GAM members were being held in the same prisons as common
criminals due to a lack of suitable accommodation.
Meanwhile, the warden of Keudah Prison in Banda Aceh,
Hendarmin B. Cip, said there were far too many prisoners in his
jail.
Despite having a maximum capacity of 156 prisoners, the jail
was now home to 185 prisoners.