Military repeating old mistakes in Aceh: Researcher

Military repeating old mistakes in Aceh: Researcher

YOGYAKARTA (JP): A continued military presence in Aceh will
not only fail to end violence and terror, but will even worsen
human rights abuses and prolong people's sufferings there, a
researcher said.

The Director of the Center for Security and Peace Studies
under the Gadjah Mada University (UGM) Samsu Rizal Panggabean
blamed President B.J. Habibie for giving excessive power to the
military in handling Aceh problems without proper control.

"The domination of the military in handling Aceh under
Habibie's administration has made a peaceful solution to Aceh
even further from reality," Panggabean said in discussion on
Aceh, organized by The Jakarta Post and the Indonesian Legal Aid
and Human Rights Association (PBHI).

The scholar said the Indonesian Military (TNI) had failed to
learn from its failure in the 1989-1998 military operations in
Aceh and the deployment of Crack Riot Troops (PPRM). Citing the
experiences of other countries, the scholar said military
repressive practices would only trigger disintegration and
separatist movements.

"Military repression by a country facing a disintegration
threat, will accelerate separatism," Panggabean said.

Lance Castles, also a lecturer at UGM from the Australian
National University, criticized the government for responding to
the demands of Acehnese for justice, autonomy and a fairer
distribution of wealth, with a military approach.

Castles also pointed out it would be difficult to create peace
in Aceh, because both TNI, Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and other
separatist groups had "unrealistic demands" on their rivals.

He said it was not realistic for the separatist movement to
demand for a total military withdrawal from the province and the
trial of all military personnel involved in human rights abuses.

Meanwhile TNI and the government, Castles said, "look down on
the significance and existence of the Aceh separatist movement
and the government feels it is not proper for them to negotiate
(with these groups) for a peaceful settlement to Aceh."

Also on Tuesday, another police member, Sgt. Maj. Tarigan, was
shot and killed in Pidie regency and another, Sgt.Maj. Sartono,
sustained critical shot wounds to his chest and back.

Both were brought to the Sigli hospital in Sigli, the capital
of Pidie. TNI Commander Gen. Wiranto said last week 43 security
personnel members have been killed in Aceh.

Pidie police chief Lt.Col. Endang E. Bagus said the incident
took place at 5:30 p.m. at the police post in Melayu village in
Indrajaya district, some eight kilometers to the west of Sigli.

"They were shot by unknown men on motorcycles and the weapon
used has been identified as an FM-46," he said.

On Sunday an unidentified group burned down five houses in
Tangse, Pidie whose owners were in refugee shelters. According to
Rusli Bukhari, a refugee who only knew of the condition of their
homes on Tuesday, the houses were set ablaze after the doors had
been painted with red crosses by unknown people. The signs are
warnings that the homes will be set on fire.

AFP reported Tuesday that two dead victims were found in the
Bayu subdistrict, Lhokseumawe, late Monday. One had his throat
slit and the other was shot in the back, rights activist and
lawyer M. Yacob Hamzah said.

One of the victims was an imam of the local mosque while the
other was a farmer from Meunasah Blang Kandang village, he said.
(44/23/prb)