New Aceh commander vows to bring peace to Acehnese

Along with foreign and local volunteers, the Indonesian Military has been instrumental in rebuilding Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam following the total destruction brought about by the Dec. 26 tsunami. The following is an interview with Maj. Gen. Supiadin A.S., the new military commander in the province, by local journalists including Harry Bhaskara of The Jakarta Post and Australian journalists sponsored by the Asia Pacific Journalism Center. The interview took place last Tuesday in Banda Aceh.

Question: Could you describe the massive rehabilitation work being carried out in Aceh by the military forces?

Answer: The destruction after the tsunami was massive. More than 200,000 people died, including civilians and military members. Heart-wrenching is the loss of firearms and ammunition, buried under the sand. It was clear that emergency work had to be on the top of the priority list. This included saving the lives of the wounded, getting people into refugee camps and recovering bodies. The next step was the construction of refugee shelters, fixing the 235-kilometer-long road from Banda Aceh to Meulaboh and 85 bridges. We accomplished this in 36 days.

You are facing the twin challenge of rehabilitation work and fighting GAM (Free Aceh Movement) rebels. How do you divide your forces between those two tasks?

Almost two-thirds of the forces are fighting GAM, the rest are deployed for post-tsunami rehabilitation work, including securing transportation for the NGOs and UN agencies to operate and manning the security posts. (The military force in Aceh numbers about 30,000 troops -- Editor). If you travel from Banda Aceh to Meulaboh you will know that it is very secure.

Any change in the people's attitude toward the military since the tsunami?

Long before the tsunami, when we imposed a state of civil emergency in Aceh (May 2004 to May 2005 -- Editor), the situation had become very conducive because the people could feel the peaceful atmosphere. It is true, though, that total comfort has yet to materialize. During the military emergency status (May 2003 to May 2004 -- Editor), at the request of the people, most district heads were military officers. All towns at the district level are peaceful as a result. I make an appeal to GAM to trade in their firearms for hoes. We are readying hundreds of hectares of farmland for people to work on and grow coffee and oil palms.

In the wake of the unofficial Helsinki peace talks, do you still need troops in Aceh?

Troops are still needed in Aceh. GAM has a force of about 1,300 to 1,400 people with around 400 weapons. From the end of the state of civil emergency on May 19 to today, a total of 180 people have either died, been detained or surrendered. Most of them surrendered, only 28 people were killed. We gave them a guarantee that they would be treated well, there would be no torture, and we provided them with clothing and food.

Has there been any change in the approach toward GAM so far? No, except that it now appears that the rebels are gathering near the refugee camps. Flash points now occur more often in the vicinity of refugee camps.

What about human rights violations in the conflict?

To win the hearts and minds of the people, one thing is certain: TNI (the Indonesian military) never hurts the feelings of the people. There are no human rights violations by TNI, this I can guarantee. On the contrary, it is GAM that violates human rights. Not a single one of the rebels we have nabbed has been tortured. All of them are in good health. I challenged the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) to make it public if they found any detainee in bad health. For those rebels who died, we washed their bodies, said prayers and gave them a proper burial. But those who were killed by GAM, almost all of them were tortured. Some with their hands tied, cut up with knives and their bodies thrown into the wood.

How do you prevent your troops from violating human rights?

I talked to the Acehnese and gave them assurances that not a single person will be tortured. I asked them to report to me if any one of my troops ever beat them. I have an investigation team that probes every single incident. The team will reconstruct any incident. I do not want to be lied to by my subordinates.

With the implementation of regional autonomy in 2001, have there been any changes in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam?

There have been some changes. The local government is now responsible for the welfare of the people. But with GAM around, the government cannot do much. That is why I looked to the plantations to create job opportunities. In Takengon, Central Aceh, there is a 30,000-hectare coffee plantation. As long as the plantation is productive, I am ready to protect it. There is also an investor with a forestry license. I will give a guarantee to secure whatever project there is as long as it benefits the Acehnese. I would like to see the Acehnese work on their own land and reap the benefits for themselves.