RI troops told to win hearts, minds of Acehnese

RI troops told to win hearts, minds of Acehnese

Lela E. Madjiah, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

The Indonesian Military (TNI) seems to be succeeding in its
efforts to crush the armed separatist movement in Nanggroe Aceh
Darussalam, with reports of an increasing number of armed
separatists being killed and arrested, as well as a rise in the
number of separatists surrendering.

During the first phase of the operation to restore security
and order in the province, from May 2 to Nov. 1, 2001, security
forces killed 417 members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and
arrested another 223. A total of 593 GAM members surrendered
during this period.

Security forces also confiscated 269 rifles, including 125
military-standard rifles, 39,258 rounds of ammunition, 133
homemade bombs, 157 detonators, 213 motorcycles, 37 cars and nine
speedboats from the rebels.

On the TNI's side, the number of troops killed and wounded has
been declining. A total of 34 combat troops were killed and
another 10 were wounded during the first phase of the operation.
The number of troops killed from Nov. 2, 2001, to March 1, 2002,
stood at 20.

Recent statistics show that one-third of villages in Aceh are
still under GAM's influence, and activities have not yet returned
to normal in these villages.

This figure is a reversal of the situation prior to the
issuance of Presidential Instruction No. 4/2001, which approved
the resumption of military operations in the province. Then,
nearly 60 percent of villages were under GAM's influence or
served as GAM operational bases.

Today, GAM's strength is concentrated in six of the province's
11 regencies -- Pidie, North Aceh, Central Aceh, East Aceh, West
Aceh, South Aceh, although most GAM attacks in recent months have
been launched from Pidie, North Aceh, East Aceh and West Aceh.

"In many areas life has returned to normal, albeit slowly and
mostly in the big cities, as more and more people have confidence
in the ability of the security forces to protect them," Aceh
Military Commander Brig. Gen. M. Djali Yusuf told visiting Army
Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Kiki Syahnakri last week.

Kiki was in the province to evaluate troop performance with
the arrival of replacement units to relieve soldiers that had
been deployed in the province since last year.

On the first day of his visit last Wednesday, Kiki bunked down
with troops in Indrapuri in Aceh Besar regency, around 30
kilometers from Banda Aceh. He also met with the local village
head and district chief and a local legislator.

"In the past, they (local residents) did not dare meet with us
for fear of reprisal from GAM. The fact that the district chief
and village head agreed to meet me was proof that the situation
is improving and people feel safe to meet and talk to us,"
Kiki said.

Djali conceded, however, that in rural and remote areas out of
the reach of security forces very little had changed. To reduce
GAM's rural influence, the TNI has changed its strategy, relying
more on its mobile units to patrol areas where troops are not
deployed on a permanent basis. The aim is to restore local
authority and revive the economy.

For TNI, however, its greatest achievement is not the killing
or arrest of GAM members, but convincing separatists to end their
armed rebellion. That was the message Kiki sent to troops during
his visit there.

"The total elimination of GAM members is not the sole aim of
TNI's operations in Aceh. What is more important is for TNI to
encourage GAM members to surrender," Kiki told troops in Banda
Aceh, Lhokseumawe in North Aceh, and East Aceh.

TNI is fully aware that military operations alone will not end
the conflict in Aceh.

"The history of separatist movements in Indonesia has shown
that military operations do not end the conflicts. However,
dialog without military pressure will not work either.

"The government is always open to dialog because GAM members
are Indonesian citizens. They are our brothers. However, if GAM
continues to use force, then there is no alternative but to
respond with force," Kiki said, adding that it is the duty of TNI
to safeguard Indonesia's territorial integrity against
secessionist efforts.

He also reminded troops that the ultimate weapon against
separatist guerrillas was military professionalism.

"Military professionalism is the embodiment of military skills
and military character. The first relates to such skills as
marksmanship, while the second relates to military behavior, how
troops behave in combat and noncombat situations."

He stressed that while military skills were important, the
behavior of troops was even more so.

"In guerrilla warfare, winning the hearts and minds of the
people is key to winning the battle and ultimately the war. It is
therefore important for every soldier to show respect to the
people, to practice the TNI's Seven Ways and Eight Obligations,
in order to secure the support of the people," he said.

The Seven Ways are the soldiers' pledge of allegiance to the
nation and state, their pledge to defend the country and people,
to uphold the truth, justice and discipline, and to obey
commands.

The TNI's Eight Obligations are the soldiers' pledge to
respect and protect the people of the nation, to maintain their
self-esteem and to set a positive example in solving problems.

"Let the Seven Ways and Eight Obligations be your guide and
when people see that TNI troops are good people, then they will
no longer side with GAM. They will have the courage to fight GAM
and defend TNI," Kiki said.