TNI has contingency plan for Aceh

JAKARTA: National Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said on Tuesday that TNI had a contingency plan, should Indonesia withdraw from the peace deal it signed with Aceh rebels, whom he charged with continuously violating the truce.

"If GAM (Free Aceh Movement) continues to violate the truce and the violation reaches an intolerable level, TNI will propose that the government withdraw from the peace agreement," he told legislators at a hearing.

Indonesia and the rebel group signed a landmark peace deal in December last year after more than two decades of war in the resource-rich province.

The violence has declined in the two months since, but sporadic killings continued on both sides.

Endriartono heaped the blame on GAM for failing to honor the cease-fire agreement. He added that TNI had intensified sea and land patrols to prevent GAM from taking advantage of the truce agreement by consolidating its forces.

His statement comes as both sides are preparing for the second stage of the peace deal. In this stage, GAM must store its weapons at designated warehouses, while TNI must switch from its current offensive stance into a defensive force. -- JP