Susilo in Aceh amid suspicion of govt plan

Nani Farida and Fabiola Desi Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh/Jakarta

Seeking support for the government's decision on Aceh, Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is on a low-key trip to the strife-torn province.

Upon his arrival in Lhokseumawe, Susilo, without any accompanying local or foreign journalists, flew in a military helicopter to Takengon, Central Aceh.

From the small town, located in a mountainous resort in the central part of the province, Susilo was scheduled to move to Kutacane in Southeast Aceh and Meulaboh in West Aceh.

His visit to Aceh came less than a month after he last visited the restive territory from July 9 through July 13, in which he apparently got what he did not want: rejection from local Acehnese of the government's plan to impose a state of emergency.

This time, Susilo will visit three regencies, namely Central, Southeast and West Aceh, which sent delegates to meet Susilo in late July in Jakarta.

The delegates from these regencies have proposed to Susilo the establishment of a new province comprising three regencies separate from Aceh's restive regions such as Aceh Besar, Aceh Pidie and East Aceh.

Aceh Governor Abdullah Puteh told The Jakarta Post in Banda Aceh on Monday that Susilo's main mission was to seek input from the people before the government made a decision on August 19, 2002, on what action would be taken to solve the prolonged conflict.

"He (Susilo) is here to seek input from the people on what actions will be taken to settle the Aceh problem," he said.

He explained that Susilo saw it important to visit the three regencies because during his last visit, he visited only the province's northern and eastern parts.

In his last visit in July, Susilo faced opposition from various quarters in Aceh to the government's plan to impose martial law or a civil emergency to solve the mounting conflict.

The provincial administration, legislative council, religious leaders and non-governmental organizations asked the government to revive the stalled talks with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

They contended that if the government pursued its military approach against GAM, it would be the people who would suffer most.

Opposition to the government's civil emergency plan also grew louder from civil society groups in other parts of the country.

Pressure, however, not only came from domestic organizations but also international groups.

U.S. State Secretary Colin Powell who visited Jakarta two weeks ago urged the government to hold dialogs with the Acehnese people and GAM to solve the conflict peacefully.

The Henry Dunant Centre, which brokered the peace talks between the government and GAM, sent retired U.S. general Anthony Zinni earlier this month to Banda Aceh and Jakarta to help revive the stalled talks.

Because of such wide-spread opposition, the government delayed its decision for Aceh from early this month until next Monday.

Nevertheless, Susilo's unannounced trip to Aceh revives suspicions that the government will take harsh measures against Aceh.

Is Susilo seeking support for the government's plan already in his pocket? "You'd better ask the minister," Puteh told The Jakarta Post.

Some quarters have speculated that the government might have prepared a tough policy for Aceh, judging from President Megawati Soekarnoputri's speech before the People's Consultative Assembly stating that the government would never tolerate separatism.

Megawati's uncompromising stance is supported by Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen. Endriartono Sutarto.

He asserted on Monday that military personnel deployed in Aceh were not assigned there to hold talks with GAM but to wage war against its fighters.

"A soldier's main task is to fight but this does not mean that the military does not support the government in holding talks with GAM," Endriartono said after attending the celebration of the National Technology Day at the State Palace.

The celebration was presided over by President Megawati Soekarnoputri in the presence of Vice President Hamzah Haz.

Endriartono said the TNI would support the government if the latter decided to revive talks with GAM. "But, there must be a deadline" for the talks to produce results.