Protesters slam moves for Aceh, Papua

Protesters slam moves for Aceh, Papua

Tiarma Siboro and Teuku Agam Muzakkir, The Jakarta Post,
Jakarta/Lhokseumawe

Hundreds of protesters from the country's two troubled provinces
took to the streets on Saturday to demand for an end to martial
law in Aceh and attempts to partition Papua.

Under the watchful eyes of hundreds of police and intelligence
officers, the protesters marched from the Hotel Indonesia traffic
circle to the United Nations representative office on Jl. M.H.
Thamrin in Central Jakarta, where they voiced their demands for
referendums in Aceh and Papua.

Two secessionist movements, the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and
the Free Papua Movement (OPM), have been fighting for the
independence of their respective provinces since the 1970s. Over
10,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since then.

The protesters, most of them were attired in colorful
traditional garb, also expressed their opposition to the holding
of the 2004 general election in Aceh, arguing that it would be
far from democratic if Jakarta failed to lift martial law, which
was imposed on May 19, 2003.

They also carried banners with slogans such as "Stop the
military operation", "Return to dialog with international
mediators", "More civilians than rebels have been killed", and
"Stop the partition of Papua province."

"What we need is a self-determination referendum instead of
general elections. With violence and abuses taking place every
day, we, the civilian victims, demand that the administration of
Megawati (Soekarnoputri) and Hamzah Has lift martial law in
Aceh," shouted M. Nazir from the Poor People's Democratic
Struggle (PDRM) organization.

"Look at this building ... this is a place where the people,
claim to be pro-peace, but they have turned a deaf ear to our
demands," said Nazir, pointing his finger at the United Nations
building.

From the UN building the protesters moved on the Office of the
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs, where
they made a brief stop before heading toward the presidential
palace.

"We, the Papuan people, came today to show our solidarity with
our brothers and sisters in Aceh. We came here because we know
how it feels to face military brutality.

"Megawati and Hamzah Haz must listen to our voice because they
have failed to stop violence in Papua and Aceh," Hans Gebze, a
Papuan activist, said.

Indonesia is facing a sporadic, low-level armed separatist
movement in Papua. The government decision to divide the province
into three has drawn a strong rejection from most Papuans, who
believe that the move is part of the government's divide and rule
strategy.

The government decided to extend martial law in Aceh for
another six months on Thursday, admitting that GAM rebels
remained strong despite almost six months of virtual military
rule.

The military claims it has killed at least 1,000 suspected GAM
rebels since May, while 47 soldiers and 16 policemen have died in
the operation.

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) said last
week that the so-called integrated operation in Aceh had killed
319 civilians and injured 117 others. It also said that 108
civilians were had gone missing.

Meanwhile, Aceh military spokesman Lt. Col. A. Yani Basuki
claimed on Saturday that GAM rebels had kidnapped the head of
Lhok Sialang village in South Aceh.