Military operation commander in Aceh will be replaced
ID Nugroho and Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Situbondo/Jakarta
Aceh military operation commander Maj. Gen. Bambang Darmono will be replaced after leading the major offensive against rebels for almost six months.
Army chief of staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu confirmed on Sunday the replacement of Bambang, who will transfer his command to Jakarta Military Command chief of staff Brig. Gen. George Toisutta, a former member of the now defunct Joint Security Committee (JSC) which was overseeing the peace pact along with representatives from the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the peace mediator the Henry Dunant Centre, in Aceh from December 2002 until May 19, 2003 when Jakarta decided to impose martial law and launch and all-out military offensive.
"He (Bambang) is tired after having served in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam for so long," Ryamizard said at the close of a training session by the Army's Raider unit near Surabaya.
Bambang's exit from Aceh followed a major rotation within the Army, which also saw a changing of the guard in four regional military commands (Kodam).
Bambang will move to the Indonesian Military (TNI) Headquarters as an expert staff for people's welfare, the post he held before going to Aceh, TNI spokesman Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said.
The withdrawal of Bambang comes amid the government's announcement that martial law in Aceh would be extended for another six months, claiming it was necessary to ensure safety and enable the people to vote in the April 2004 election.
Some analysts have said that the decision reflected a failure by the TNI to completely rid the province of GAM fighters and sympathizers, who have been struggling for an independent state since 1976.
After deploying 35,000 troops, the government and TNI had apparently expected a quick war against some 5,000 rebel fighters.
The government stated that the martial law administration would have a 4-pronged strategy, comprising a military offensive to neutralize the rebels, a humanitarian mission to deal with the victims related to the war, greater influence by national police forces, particularly in GAM-controlled areas along with the strengthening of the local administrations and the civil service, especially in GAM areas where local civil servants were largely believed to be sympathetic to the rebels or too weak to resist them.
The return of Toistutta, a 1976 graduate of the Military Academy, to Aceh means a reunion with fellow JSC member Brig. Gen. Safzen Nurdin, currently Bambang's deputy.
The JSC was established following the Cessation of Hostility Agreement signed by the Indonesian government and GAM to end decades of conflict in Aceh. But the peace was short-lived.
According to the official military data, over 900 rebels have been killed and 1,800 have been arrested or surrendered since May.
Meanwhile, in the latest battles over the weekend, nine more suspected GAM members were shot dead and six others arrested.
Spokesman for the military operation Lt. Col. Ahmad Yani Basuki said on Sunday that four rebels were killed in separate clashes with TNI troops in North Aceh. He said one of the guerrillas was thought to be a platoon commander for the Ujung Pancu area.
The remaining rebels were shot dead in the regencies of Nagan Raya, Aceh Besar, Bireuen and East Aceh.