Pabottingi urges Habibie to fire Wiranto

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Political expert Mochtar Pabottingi holds President B.J. Habibie responsible for the ongoing bloodshed in Aceh, saying the President should exert his authority and dismiss Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Wiranto.

Pabottingi said the deployment of Crack Riot Troops in Aceh amounted to a continuation of the decade-long military operation launched during Soeharto's regime and formally halted last year.

"This is so saddening, adding to the pain of the Acehnese (who suffered) under Soeharto and who now have to suffer under Habibie," Pabottingi said after addressing a seminar held by the Interfaith Dialog Institute here on Saturday.

The latest report of violence was reported Sunday in North Aceh, when a journalist of the Medan Pos daily, Supriadi, was found dead with his throat cut. On Saturday police chief First Lt. M. Diah of the Tanah Luas district in North Aceh was reported missing. The remains of his charred motor cycle was found on Friday.

"With his authority, Habibie could withdraw the crack troops and he could dismiss Wiranto if necessary, but he has not done it. So Habibie is responsible (for the bloodshed)," Pabottingi said.

He said military violence never solved problems, but rather aggravated situations. "Violence only breeds resistance. People can only take so much brutality. If that limit is breached, people will resist."

"Withdraw all troops from Aceh. Let the Acehnese solve their problems by holding a dialog among themselves," he said.

In Jakarta, an Acehnese professor at the state-run Jakarta Teachers Training College, Hasballah M. Saad, said violence in the province would only cause the Acehnese to intensify their resistance, particularly because they believed the government did not care about their suffering.

In a discussion attended by around 100 Acehnese here, Hasballah said the underlying problem in Aceh was not the secessionism waged by the Free Aceh Movement.

Islam

The restiveness in the province is caused by injustice, human rights abuses and other social problems, including the government's disregard of the special characteristics of the Acehnese and its repression of the Islamic movement, he said.

"Most Acehnese are angered over the continued abuses of human rights by the military, the unfair distribution of revenue resulting from the exploitation of Aceh's natural resources and the repression of the Islamic movement," Hasballah said.

A Golkar legislator who hails from Aceh, Muchtar Aziz, said the military had so far launched at least three major operations against separatism in Aceh, sowing hatred among the Acehnese.

"Thousands of Acehnese have been killed in these operations and no investigations have been carried out by the government. The people are not only very disappointed, but are also suffering from a serious trauma," he said.

The two men urged Habibie's administration to hold dialogs with the Acehnese, separatist guerrillas, the military and non- governmental organizations.

All involved parties should seek a comprehensive solution to the problems in Aceh, which are too massive to be dealt with through repression, Hasballah said.

Muslim figure Ahmad Soemargono concurred, speculating the military was actually trying to stop the development of Islam in the predominately Muslim province. He called on the government and the military to recognize the Islamic and cultural identities of the Acehnese.

"Islam in Aceh will never raise extremist groups," he said.

In Bandung on Saturday acting chairman of the Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals Association (ICMI), Achmad Tirtosudiro, said while the settlement should consider the Acehnese' aspirations, "I do not agree if Aceh secedes."

The Acehnese people's demand to apply Islamic laws was an urgent need which should be taken into account, he said.

On Sunday during a visit to Sukabumi, West Java, Minister of Religious Affairs Malik Fadjar stated support of the adoption of Islamic law in Aceh, Antara reported.

"It would not mean a state within a state" but would be within the wider autonomy in line with the new law on regional autonomy, he said. Acehnese have said the special status of their province, unlike the two other such provinces, namely Jakarta and Yogyakarta, has never been put into effect.

Instead violence has continued, and the killings in Aceh over the last three months have prompted international condemnation. The British and United States governments have pressed the Indonesian government to investigate the incidents.

The military has defended its operation to crush the separatist movement in Aceh, and has blamed the recent killings on armed rebels. It has also rejected pressure to withdraw riot troops from Aceh.

In Yogyakarta, 36 students and activists continued on Saturday their hunger strike in protest of military violence in Aceh. Initiated by three activists to protest the police's shoot-on- sight order in Aceh, the group is now camping out on the campus of Gadjah Mada University.

Also on Saturday, Muslim politician Abdurrahman Wahid met with Habibie and revealed his plan to visit Aceh and help broker a peaceful and comprehensive solution to the province's problems.

Abdurrahman, better known as Gus Dur, said he would make the visit shortly after he returns from a two-week trip to the U.S. for medical treatment. He was scheduled to depart on Sunday.

Aceh students protested Abdurrahman during his campaign visit to the province in May, accusing him of belittling their plight and of not understanding the situation in Aceh. (23/rms/swe/43)