Military continues siege on GAM headquarters

Military continues siege on GAM headquarters

Ibnu Mat Noor and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post,
Banda Aceh/Jakarta

Over a thousand soldiers surrounded a Free Aceh Movement (GAM)
stronghold in North Aceh for a second consecutive day on
Thursday, as the military urged the rebels to surrender to avoid
a bloody showdown.

Lieutenant Colonel Firdaus Komarno told The Jakarta Post
Thursday that the soldiers were delaying an attack on GAM's Paya
Cot Trieng headquarters, located some 35 kilometers southeast of
Lhokseumawe, East Aceh, to give the rebels ample time to
surrender.

"We are still giving GAM members there the opportunity to
surrender," Firdaus said. He did not say how long the military
would delay an attack on the headquarters.

Meanwhile, in Jakarta, the government reiterated its intention
to continue peace talks with GAM even during the fasting month of
Ramadhan.

Speaking to journalists after meeting with President Megawati
Soekarnoputri on Thursday, Usman Hassan, a member of the Aceh
Forum, said the government had conveyed its hope of continuing
the peace talks through the Henri Dunant Center (HDC), which has
been facilitating the dialog between GAM and the Indonesian
government.

"The President has asked HDC to urge GAM to continue the
dialog immediately during the fasting month," Usman said.

Separately, Coordinating Minister for Political and Security
Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono underlined that the peace talks
with GAM were continuing and could not yet be considered as
failed.

"We are going to continue efforts to sign a peace deal as soon
as possible ... if needed we will reformulate the whole deal to
get a peace deal signed," Susilo said after a Cabinet meeting.

In Aceh, Lt. Col. Komarno said there were about 50 GAM
fighters in the surrounded rebel camp and over 100 civilians
being held as human shields.

Military officers in Banda Aceh suggested that top GAM
commander Muzakkir Manaf and GAM spokesman Sofyan Dawod were
among the rebels in the camp.

Sofyan Dawod confirmed that he was among the dozens of GAM
fighters in the surrounded camp, but denied the presence of
Muzakkir.

He also said that there were about 100 civilians with them who
came to the camp to seek protection from the Indonesian Military
(TNI).

Firdaus said the civilians were being used as human shields by
the rebels, prompting TNI to delay its attack.

He said the government would grant the rebels amnesty if they
surrendered immediately.

On Wednesday, five people including one soldier died in a
gunbattle between GAM fighters and the TNI around the besieged
camp.

According to Firdaus, over 1,000 military personnel are
blocking all roads leading into and out of the camp and
preventing people from entering the area.

A certain Tengku Agam, who claims to be a GAM spokesman in
North Aceh, said on Thursday he spotted helicopters hovering over
the swampy forest area of Paya Cot Trieng distributing flyers
urging the rebels to surrender.

"The flyers are a waste of money; we will not surrender,"
Tengku Agam told the Post. He claimed to have escaped from the
rebel camp on Thursday morning.

According to Tengku Agam, TNI will not dare approach the camp
because of the numerous booby traps the rebels have laid along
the roads in the area.

"What is certain is that two military personnel, including one
middle-ranking officer, were shot dead by friendly fire," Tengku
Agam said.

Firdaus Komarno, however, dismissed these allegations as
groundless.

The siege of GAM's Paya Cot Trieng headquarters came after GAM
leaders in Geneva, Switzerland, unilaterally delayed the signing
of a peace agreement until after the Idul Fitri holiday.

This decision baffled the government, which wanted to sign the
agreement before the fasting month of Ramadhan began on Nov. 6.