Rally backs extension of martial law in Aceh
Rally backs extension of martial law in Aceh
Teuku Agam Muzakir, The Jakarta Post, Lhokseumawe,
Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam
Around 2,000 people here staged a rally on Thursday, demanding
that martial law, which was strongly opposed by a number of human
rights groups, be further extended in May.
Earlier last week, separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM)
spokesman Sofyan Dawood accused the Indonesian Military (TNI) of
mobilizing people to support a possible extension of martial law,
imposed on Aceh on May 19, 2003.
Last November, the military operation aimed at crushing GAM
members was extended for six months to May 19 this year.
Thursday's rally at the local legislative council involved
residents from Sawang subdistrict, North Aceh regency.
Apart from the extension of martial law, the protesters also
urged the Aceh administration to pay special attention to
development in Sawang.
Baharuddin Abubakar, a local community figure, said martial
law should be extended for another six months as it had improved
the economy for local people.
"(The situation for) cacao and areca nut farmers and others in
Sawang has been improving and this has been indicated by their
willingness to work their plantations," he said.
Before Aceh was placed under martial law, the farmers fled
their villages to neighboring North Sumatra province, Baharuddin
said.
"They could not afford to pay 'taxes' collected by GAM
members, while the price of areca nuts was only around Rp 1,000
per kilogram at the time," he added.
He said outsiders were afraid to visit Sawang, formerly a GAM
stronghold in North Aceh, before the military carried out raids
against separatist rebels.
Sawang subdistrict head Abdul Barry, a major assigned to his
current post by the martial law administration last year, said
the security situation had been improving there.
However, he admitted, his administration needed to do more
work on development in the subdistrict, where a number of
villages, including Paya Reubek and Gunci, did not yet have an
electricity supply.
During the rally, the protesters held posters and banners in
support of the military operation in Aceh, and carried
traditional instruments like rapai (drums).
The participants repeatedly struck the rapai, grabbing the
attention of passersby and motorists outside the North Aceh
legislative council building.
President Megawati Soekarnoputri's government has considered
imposing a state of civil emergency in Aceh to replace martial
law, following mounting protest from human rights groups, but the
military appears to wish to maintain the current status in the
war-torn province.