'Military operations have always failed'

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Rights campaigners warned on Tuesday that the government's plan to launch a military operation in Aceh to quell separatism would only incite more hatred of the central government among the Acehnese.

Munir, the founder of the Commission for Missing People and Victims of Violence (Kontras), said that the Acehnese had been enjoying relative peace following the signing of the peace agreement between the government and the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

Therefore, abandoning the peace deal and resorting to military force would only incite anger among the people and they would blame the government for their plight.

"A military operation is not the answer. It will only thwart the development of peace in the province," Munir said.

"We've launched such military operations in the past. What did we gain? A bad image in the international community, financial losses from supporting the operations and unbearable suffering among the Acehnese," he said.

Munir, therefore, called on the government to abandon the military operation plan and return to the peace path by engaging GAM and all Acehnese in the process.

"The government should have started to develop the province to support the truce," he said.

The rights campaigner also criticized the government for involving the military in the decision-making process for Aceh.

"There has been hardly any civilian participation in this issue. There have been foul insinuations that if you don't permit a military operation in Aceh, then you support separatism," Munir added.

Referring to the widespread antiwar protests against the U.S- led attack on Iraq, he slammed Indonesia's civilian leaders as being hypocrites and applying double standards. On the one hand, they loudly opposed the war in Iraq but remained silent over the possibility of a war in Aceh.

Separately, Afridal Darmi, director of the Aceh Legal Aid Institute, also warned the government not to hastily resort to a military operation in the province as it would only victimize Acehnese civilians.

He noted that the peace deal had reduced violence significantly in Aceh and therefore, there was no reason to abandon it.

"Since the truce took effect, there have been only three cases reported to us. Previously, we were getting some 20 cases a month on average," he said, adding that most of the cases involved abductions, illegal detentions, murders and massacres.

Afridal said that most Acehnese, particularly the ordinary people, supported the truce as they had been able to enjoy normal lives since its signing.

"Small-scale vendors could start up businesses, farmers could cultivate their land and the courts have opened up again since the truce took effect," he said.

He also said that the truce had played an important role in reuniting families.

"Many Acehnese men had to leave their families as they had to hide somewhere because they were afraid of being shot or kidnapped by either the military or GAM. Aceh was in a state of war at the time. I can't imagine what will happen if it (a military operation) resumes in Aceh," Afridal said.

Indonesia has signaled its intention of launching a military operation in Aceh as it considers GAM to have been violating the peace deal by campaigning for independence.

Violent actions have been on the rise in the province since the Joint Security Committee (JSC), responsible for monitoring the truce's implementation, withdrew its monitors to the Acehnese capital, Banda Aceh, last week following attacks on its offices and staff.