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.