President talks tough on separatists

President talks tough on separatists

JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid warned here on
Thursday that any attempt to break away from the republic would
be dealt with "accordingly".

"Paying close attention to developments in several regions in
Indonesia, I would like to convey that (people) should not
attempt to proclaim independence from the unitary state of the
Republic of Indonesia as what has been planned in Irian Jaya or
Aceh," Abdurrahman said in a nationally televised address.

"Any attempt toward this direction will be dealt with
accordingly by the state administration," he added.

"Steps will be taken according to the mandate of the People's
Consultative Assembly, the Constitution and the law."

In a separate statement made available to the media by the
presidential secretary's office on Thursday evening, Abdurrahman
also called on people "to remain calm and maintain security and
order and not be provoked by misleading agitation".

The President's statement came on the eve of a planned
unilateral declaration of independence by proindependence
activists in the easternmost province of Irian Jaya.

Earlier in the day, a top security minister said Jakarta would
take stern measures against any unilateral action to declare
independence in the volatile provinces of Aceh and Irian Jaya.

Speaking to reporters after a three-hour Cabinet meeting
presided over by Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri,
Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security Affairs
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the government would be doing its
utmost to prevent any provinces from breaking away from the
republic.

"We will stop any attempts to secede from the Republic of
Indonesia, including those in Aceh and Irian Jaya," Susilo said
at Bina Graha presidential office.

When asked whether military action would be taken in Irian
Jaya, Susilo said "the military will only be there to back up the
local police".

"We hope that there will be no deployment of military force in
those critical regions," Susilo said, adding that solutions to
rising separatist sentiments in Irian Jaya and Aceh would still
be sought through political negotiations.

He said that as of Thursday afternoon, security personnel in
Irian Jaya continued to take steps "to maintain a stable and calm
situation".

"It is true that there has been some tension, but police and
local security personnel will be doing their best to prevent any
conflict from taking place," Susilo said.

Earlier in the day, Minister of Defense Mahfud MD said "strict
measures" would be taken if proindependence supporters in Irian
Jaya insisted on declaring independence on Friday.

He was quick to add, however, that those measures would only
include "normal security steps" and he ruled out the possibility
of deploying military operations in the province.

In a departure from usual practice, no news briefing was given
following the Cabinet meeting on Thursday.

A presidential spokesman, Dharmawan Ronodipuro, told The
Jakarta Post that "the Cabinet did not feel it is necessary to
have a news briefing today".

"We need to remember that a Cabinet meeting does not
necessarily finalize the topic or subject that is being
discussed," Dharmawan said.

Abdurrahman did not attend the entire session on Thursday,
saying that he had not fully recovered from the flu.

"I still have the flu and I have been advised by my doctors to
not stay at this Cabinet meeting for too long, otherwise I will
infect other Cabinet members," he said.

Another presidential spokesman, Wimar Witoelar, said last week
that Abdurrahman had been suffering from influenza since mid-
November.

Separately, the secretary-general of the National Commission
on Human Rights, Asmara Nababan, said the government should not
take any repressive measures against Irianese who want to express
their stance.

"The government doesn't have to point guns at them. Let them
express their stance even though it happens to be different from
the government's. Unless they turn violent, the police should not
curb their actions.

"The government should hold a dialog to resolve the problems
in the region," Asmara told The Jakarta Post by phone on Thursday
evening.

"The government has taken repressive measures against them for
the last 30 years and that has resulted in nothing. Why should we
do the same thing now? Haven't we learned anything?" he said.
(byg/bby)