Surrender or face attack, TNI tells GAM
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Army chief Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu told Aceh rebels now under siege at Cot Trieng village in Nisam district, North Aceh, to surrender or to face the full brunt of military attack.
Thousands of military troops have surrounded hundreds of Free Aceh Movement (GAM) fighters at a swampy headquarters in Cot Trieng village, some 35 kilometers southeast of Lhokseumawe, the capital of North Aceh.
"If (they don't surrender), I will send in my troops to finish them off," said Ryamizard after attending the National Heroes Day ceremony at Kalibata Heroes Cemetery on Sunday, quoted Antara.
In Aceh, GAM fighters have said they will not surrender, and instead vowed to continue fighting against advancing government troops.
"We are prepared to fight with TNI, and ask TNI to withdraw all its troops from their positions or suffer a humiliating defeat," said GAM spokesman Tengky Sofyan Dawood, according to Antara. Sofyan Dawood is among the GAM rebels surrounded by TNI at Cot Trieng.
Ryamizard said the rebels have no other option but to surrender. "If they don't surrender, TNI will deal with them firmly," he said.
Command operation spokesman Lt. Col. Firdaus Komarno told reporters in Banda Aceh on Sunday that government troops were holding the GAM headquarters under siege until the rebels surrendered.
"We have appealed, and are still continuing to appeal to GAM fighters in the area to turn and surrender. TNI has not launched an attack on the GAM hideout fearing that stray bullets would harm the civilians they are holding captive," Firdaus said.
Military officers said over 100 civilians are currently being held hostage by the rebels as a human shield, and Firdaus has also said some GAM fighters were taking refuge among local residents.
He denied a suggestion that TNI had already attacked the rebels, but admitted that small skirmishes took place occasionally.
Indonesian military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said over the weekend that TNI would sustain the siege as long as the rebels refused to sign a peace agreement with the government.
"Should they fail to sign the peace agreement by the deadline, we will bombard the rebels' hiding place," Endriartono said.
The government had hoped to sign a peace agreement with GAM before the holy month of Ramadhan started on Nov. 6, but GAM unilaterally delayed the signing until after post-fasting celebrations, or Idul Fitri, which will fall on Dec. 6-7. No clear explanation was forthcoming from GAM on the delay.
GAM instead declared a cease-fire during Ramadhan, but TNI and the government refused to recognize what they deemed a one-sided truce.
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said over the weekend that the people of Aceh wanted the peace agreement signed as soon as possible.
"I can feel the disappointment of the Acehnese people," Susilo said.
Endriartono said earlier that TNI had given in to all the rebels' demands in order to resolve the Aceh question peacefully, but that GAM did not utilize the opportunity.
"Now, we can judge as to whether we can still believe their claim that they are fighting for the Acehnese people," he said.