TNI calls on GAM to join forces to help rebuild Aceh
Indonesian Military (TNI) Chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto shared his assessments on Monday with a group of journalists including The Jakarta Post's Riyadi Suparno, about the military's current and future role in the war-torn province of Aceh. This is an excerpt from the conversation:
Question: What is the overall role of the TNI in the humanitarian operation in Aceh right now?
Answer: In an emergency situation like this, we have to be in place and ready to help. But we also need to understand that a system of government must also be running here, and our job is to back up the government so that they can work in mitigating the impacts of the disaster. That's our job.
There have been reports of backlogs in the distribution of aid. What will the TNI do to solve this problem?
That's why I'm here now because there have been a lot of complaints about it. You must understand that before the disaster this airport (Banda Aceh) handled only four to six flights a day. But now, it handles up to 170 flights per day. That's why we are facing a lot of limitations and problems. We are thinking of opening Sabang to ease the traffic in Banda Aceh and Medan airports.
However, Sabang will not be able to handle all aircraft as the length of the airstrip is only 1,800 meters. It can accommodate Hercules and Boeing 737-200 planes.
Some have suggested that this disaster could open a new page in relation to the armed conflict in this province. What do you think?
I have already appealed to GAM (Free Aceh Movement) that now is the best time for us to forget all problems that have happened before. They are also Acehnese. They say that they struggle on behalf of the Acehnese. So, why don't we stop all this conflict now? Why don't they work with us to help the Acehnese?
That's why my first policy following the disaster was to stop offensive military action against them. The military's first task (in this situation) is to help the people in Aceh by conducting a humanitarian operation. I need GAM's full cooperation from to not disrupt our humanitarian operation.
But GAM has not heeded my appeal, like what happened a week ago, when they abducted the head of a medical team and made him a hostage. But after three days, we managed to release him. It's very bad thing, I think, because this medical team was on the way to help the people.
As GAM has not heeded my appeal, I have therefore decided to provide troops to protect all foreigners working here so that they can work here safely.
Do you see any danger that GAM might attack foreigners or foreign troops in Aceh?
It could, especially to attract international intention. That's why you see that a lot of our soldiers are still carrying weapons. That's one way that we provide protection to foreigners here. You know that killing a foreigner here will attract international attention, and they (GAM) need it.
Do you have any indication that GAM might be in preparation to make a specific attack?
It's difficult to answer because GAM is not like a normal organization. They are conducting guerrilla warfare. And especially with the limited equipment that they have, some groups have no contact with other groups. Even if the leader at the highest level has given an order to stop armed activities, some groups on the ground might still try to attack foreigners.
What's the manpower of GAM like now?
Not so strong, I would say. They lost some of their troops in this disaster. Before the disaster, they had less than 3,000 members bearing arms. Now, I guess, there are less than 2,000 members bearing arms - far fewer than the 10,000 before the military emergency status (was declared).
There have been offers from U.S. congressmen to help open up the peace process in Aceh. Do you think that this would be of any benefit?
If they can help us make a peace in Aceh, then I will thank them. But I doubt that because GAM has never said that they want to have a cease fire. They continue to stop convoys carrying humanitarian support.
The involvement of the U.S. military in humanitarian operations in Aceh may open the possibility for restoring military ties between the TNI and the U.S. armed forces. How do you respond to this?
That's political affairs, and therefore beyond my capacity to respond. I don't want to enter into political spheres. Nevertheless, in my view, ties among militaries need to be built. If we have a good relations, we can avoid any possibility of open military conflict.
Some quarters have expressed their concern and even suspicion in relation to the presence of foreign troops in Aceh. What's your comment?
We have to understand that we (the TNI) have limited capacity. Just look at the TNI. We have our own limitations. If I did not ask for military help from various countries, we could not do that much. We only have five Hercules aircraft and seven helicopters. What can we do with these five Hercules and seven helicopters? Not much. That's why we need foreign help so that we can conduct our humanitarian operation speedily.
We have commitment to review their presence here after two weeks. Now, we are evaluating our needs. For example, U.S. are now flying 17 Black Hawks to Aceh, then after our evaluation, say we just need only seven, then we will reduce it. And then, Singapore. Now it is deploying six Chinooks and two Super Pumas, four Hercules. If we consider it can be reduced, then we will reduce it.
How long do you think you will need foreign military assistance for the humanitarian operation in Aceh?
I still don't know really because I need to check with our needs. Currently, there are a lot of remote places that cannot be reached via land roads. Therefore, our priority is to relocate them to refugee centers that can be reached using land transport. If not, we will continue to deploy helicopters to reach them and continue to rely on foreign help, considering our limited capacity.
That's why building these relocation centers that are accessible via land is so very important right now. Before these relocation centers are ready, we will still need helicopters from foreign countries.