Three GAM fighters killed in shootout with police

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

Violence continues to pose a threat to the five-month-old peace accord in Aceh as a fresh firefight took place in Pidie regency on Thursday, claiming the lives of three alleged Free Aceh Movement (GAM) members.

The clash followed an ambush conducted by six unidentified gunmen on a police patrol at around 3:45 p.m. in the Lheung Sago area of Pidie. Pidie is known as one of GAM's strongholds, where some 2,000 rebels are based according to the defense ministry.

Pidie Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Maryanto defended the shooting dead of the alleged GAM members, saying it was part of law enforcement in the war-torn province.

"We are obliged to hunt down those who illegally carry guns," Maryanto told The Jakarta Post.

The police confiscated an FN pistol, a revolver belonging to the armed group and three motorcycles belonging to the Pidie administration.

The GAM spokesman in Pidie, Teungku Elwe Dea Moertila, confirmed the gunfight, which he said had killed four people, who were identified as Ambiya Abdullah, Taufik, Jufri Usman and Ismail.

"The police were patrolling the GAM area and provoked the gunfight. The incident proves Jakarta's inconsistency in upholding the peace deal as they attacked us, calling us criminals," Elwe said.

It was the second clash in eight days in Pidie, which has been relatively free of violence since the signing of the peace deal between GAM and the Indonesian government on Dec. 9 last year, which was brokered by the Henry Dunant Centre (HDC).

An Indonesian soldier was injured and four stores were burned down in an incident in Pidie on Wednesday of last week.

Another TNI soldier was killed on Wednesday following a firefight with a GAM member in the East Aceh town of Pereulak. GAM official Teungku Isak Daud said on Thursday he had asked Joint Security Committee (JSC) monitors to remove the soldier's body.

The government and GAM have exchanged accusations regarding the increasing violence in the province. The JSC reported that eight clashes had occurred over the past week across Aceh.

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has repeatedly accused GAM of violating the peace agreement by campaigning for independence. He said the government might pull out of the peace deal and resort to military measures again to end the separatist movement.

Jakarta has set a Jan. 1, 2004, deadline for an end to the Aceh problem.

On Thursday, TNI chief Gen. Endriartono Soetarto said that the military was prepared to take whatever measures were necessary to crush the separatist movement in Aceh, including a major military operation.

"The military can no longer sit back. We have tried to finish it through a peaceful approach, but this has proven impossible. That's why we have to find another way to deal with it," Endriartono said.

He said the TNI was just waiting for the government's order.

Susilo said the government might changed its mind regarding the peace deal, depending on a JSC meeting to evaluate the current security situation in the province next week.

On Thursday, HDC representative David Gorman insisted that the peace accord must continue and urged both parties to iron out their differences.

"We will ask both parties to sit and talk about the differences between them," Gorman told a press conference in Banda Aceh, adding that the HDC was waiting for a request from the two sides.

"I'm sure that the people in Aceh do not want to go back to the previous situation. They need peace."

Indonesian representative on the JSC, Brig. Gen. Savzen Noerdien, said there were too many differences between GAM and the government, making it impossible for them to continue the peace process.

"We have been trying for the past four months, but so far it has not worked. There is no understanding between us," Savzen said.

The GAM representative on the JSC, Sofyan Ibrahim Tiba, underlined that his group still insisted on freeing Aceh and the current dialog would lead to that goal.

"We are fighting for our freedom. For 26 years we did it through war and now were doing it through dialog. Should the dialog fail, we will have to find another mechanism," he said.