President approves redeployment of troops to Aceh

A'an Suryana and Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

Ignoring mounting criticism, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has approved a plan for the Indonesian Military to deploy troops to help speed up post-tsunami recovery programs in Aceh.

However the President stressed that the redeployment must involve less than 1,000 soldiers in order to maintain the trust between the government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

"There is a need to mobilize the Army's engineering units to Aceh because they can help in the post-tsunami recovery here. But their number should make sense. It could be one to one-and-half battalions, or, less than 1,000 personnel," he said after a closed-door meeting with GAM leaders and ulema in Banda Aceh on Tuesday.

"The mobilization of troops should not disturb the ongoing peace process in Aceh, nor destroy the trust-building process between the government and GAM after the Helsinki peace deal," Susilo added.

He was responding to earlier reports that the Indonesian Military (TNI) was preparing 15 battalions of the Army's engineering and combat troops to build houses and public facilities in isolated areas across Aceh.

TNI chief Gen. Endriartono Soetarto had earlier said he was asked by Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, who heads the Aceh-Nias Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency (BRR), to arrange the involvement of soldiers to help speed up the reconstruction work, particularly in remote areas that could not be penetrated by civilian contractors.

Endriartono responded positively to the request and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Djoko Santoso said that he was ready to send 15 battalions, or some 15,000 troops.

The plan, however, has drawn strong reactions, with many saying the planned mobilization could shatter the peace agreement.

GAM spokesman Bakhtiar Abdullah was among those who expressed concern, saying the military redeployment would disturb the ongoing peace process in Aceh.

He instead suggested that the government offer the reconstruction job to civilian contractors.

"Actually, the President did not offer the reconstruction and rehabilitation jobs to former guerrillas. But, of course, we have several options to help the BRR. One option is clear, that the government can ask civilian contractors to carry out the Aceh recovery programs. Another option is that the government can ask local people to do the job in order to reduce the rising number of Acehnese jobless survivors,

"We have already completed the decommissioning process. Now, how about the TNI and the police? They haven't finished the process. So, why did the government come up with the idea to deploy troops again to Aceh?" Bakhtiar said.