Team says Habibie must give concrete solution on Aceh

Team says Habibie must give concrete solution on Aceh

JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie is expected to provide
clear outcomes for Aceh when he visits the province on March 26,
an advisor said on Friday.

Usman Hasan, chairman of the 12-strong advisory team for Aceh
affairs, said he hoped the President would announce expeditious
measures for the troubled province.

Hasan proposed wide ranging autonomy, restoration of human
rights conditions and rehabilitation and compensation for victims
of the 1989-1998 military operation in the oil-rich province.

"He must bring something during his visit," Usman said, after
meeting Habibie at Merdeka Palace. Also attending were the 11
team members including chairman of the Indonesian Council of
Ulemas Ali Yafie, business tycoon Ibrahim Risyad and former
Jakarta governor Surjadi Soedirja.

Habibie was accompanied by Minister of Defense and
Security/Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto and Minister of Home
Affairs Syarwan Hamid.

The team was set up on March 5 in a bid to accommodate growing
calls for separatism and restlessness in the province.

In the one-day visit, Habibie will say his Friday prayer at
the historic Baiturrahman Mosque with Aceh leaders and locals.

"We suggested the President display the government's
intentions during his first visit to Aceh," said Usman, a former
Golkar executive and ambassador to Mexico.

The team told Habibie Aceh was the country's fourth poorest
province after Irian Jaya, Maluku and East Timor, despite
contributing massive revenue from its abundant oil and gas
resources to the central government.

"The Aceh problem is very complicated, politically and
economically, because 40.3 percent of its villages are
categorized as poorly developed areas," said Usman.

Aceh comprises 10 regencies, two mayoralties, 5,165 villages
and a population of about four million people. According to 1996
statistics, its gross domestic product for 1996 was Rp 3.76
million (US$440), much of it contributed by the oil and gas
sector.

Between 1989 and 1998, military operations to crack down on
alleged separatist movements, claimed at least 1,021 lives, while
864 people are missing and 1,376 women became widows.

Usman said it would be wise if Habibie announced a plan to
provide proper burials to victims of the violence, provide widows
with financial compensation and orphans with scholarships.

The team advised Habibie to clarify Aceh's status as a special
province, an entitlement which allows autonomy in the affairs of
religion, custom and culture and education.

"It is our expectation, but you must check with him", Usman
said, referring to Habibie's readiness to enact changes in the
province.

Usman, a native Acehnese, said demands for independence were
an expression of frustration and anger over central government
negligence, despite the province's extensive financial
contribution from the oil and gas sectors. (prb)