Security forces to guard state facilities in troubled Aceh

Security forces to guard state facilities in troubled Aceh

BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): In anticipation of fresh bomb attacks,
the police here have plans to deploy security personnel to
protect government buildings, an officer said on Tuesday.

Aceh Police chief Brig. Gen. Chaerul R. Rasyid said the
security forces would help the local government resume public
services, which have been crippled by the prolonged violence.

"Once government activities return to normal, we will withdraw
the personnel," Chaerul told Antara.

He said the decision was taken following a spate of attacks,
using homemade bombs and grenades, by separatist rebels on
government facilities over the past two years.

The Aceh Human Rights Forum has revealed that since the start
of the extended Humanitarian Pause on Sept. 3 alone, the attacks
have destroyed at least 14 government buildings.

The latest armed attack took place on Tuesday as some 20
alleged separatist rebels raided and stole 16,000 packages of
explosives from a warehouse belonging to oil and gas company
Exxon Mobil in Mamplam village, Tanah Luas district, North Aceh
Police chief Supt. Abadan Bangko said.

Separately, the Indonesian representative on the Banda Aceh-
based Joint Committee for Security Modalities, which monitors the
implementation of the Humanitarian Pause, Sr. Supt. Ridwan Karim,
denied allegations that Jakarta had launched military operations
to restore order in the troubled province.

"The Indonesian government has never conducted any military
operation in Aceh. The operation now underway is a routine one
and is being undertaken by the police to create a conducive
atmosphere in the province," Ridwan told state television channel
TVRI on Tuesday.

He added that the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels had accepted
the police's responsibility of upholding the law.

"The police only carry out routine operations, which, unlike
what some people may perceive, are different from military ones,"
Ridwan said.

When asked about the involvement of soldiers in such
operations, Ridwan said that that was not against the law.

Separately, the GAM representative on the Joint Committee,
Sofyan Ibrahim Tiba, described the police routine operations as
"military operations conducted by the police", as they always
entailed abductions and arson attacks on residents' houses.

He said such operations violated the pause, which was
originally aimed at finding a solution to the Aceh problem and
creating peace and security so as to allow humanitarian aid to
reach the people who needed it.

Sofyan added that the humanitarian pause agreed on by GAM and
the Indonesian government set certain preconditions, including
the termination of military operations and the removal of
roadblocks from several major highways, but that these had never
been fulfilled.

The Commission on Missing Persons and Victims of Violence
(Kontras) also criticized the government for maintaining
repressive measures during the Humanitarian Pause.

Speaking at a media briefing in Jakarta on Monday, Kontras
chairman Munarman said the government had failed to make further
efforts to solve the problems in Aceh, including the holding of
negotiations for a cease-fire.

He said that a recent investigation conducted by Kontras in
the province showed that during the first month of the second
phase of the pause, 109 people, mostly civilians, had been
killed.

The rights body suggested that an independent third party be
involved in supervising the implementation of the Humanitarian
Pause, apart from the government and GAM. (50/lup/bby)