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.