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.