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.