TNI revising operation in Aceh
Tiarma Siboro Jakarta
The Indonesian Military (TNI) has admitted the one-year military operation in Aceh under martial law failed to live up to earlier expectations.
TNI spokesman Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said the military was planning a new strategic field operation after the government lifted martial law in the war-torn province last week, arguing that the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) still exists.
"Based on reports from the military authority in Aceh, the one-year operation has failed to achieve the ultimate target as GAM still exists. Indeed, we have been able to reduce its strength to about 40 percent, but the presence of GAM remains a threat to the Unitary Republic of Indonesia," Sjafrie told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
He added that the military would also reorganize its Lhokseumawe-based operation command headquarters. Nevertheless, he refused to go into detail, saying that military top brass were still discussing the issue.
TNI, however, would continue a combination of intelligence, territorial and offensive operations.
When President Megawati Soekarnoputri declared martial law in Aceh on May 19 last year, the military estimated the number of GAM members at 5,251 equipped with around 2,000 arms.
As the first six-month phase of martial law expired in November last year, the military suggested the government extend the operation, even though they had previously claimed the rebels would be immediately defeated.
By the end of the second six-month period of martial law, TNI said some 5,370 suspected GAM members had been killed or arrested or surrendered since May last year -- about 100 more than the number it had earlier estimated.
It also said that 1,045 weapons of various types had been seized from rebels during the one-year operation.
According to Sjafrie, the military has to revise its previous intelligence reports because "many of the people who have been arrested or surrendered are GAM sympathizers, and not armed rebels."
"We only realized it after the one-year operation," Sjafrie said.
The military would also promote the spirit of struggle among civilians in Aceh "to eliminate the guerrilla force," he said.
To quell the rebellion in the province, the New Order regime imposed a military operation between 1989 and 1998, which resulted in the loss of no less than 10,000 lives, mostly civilians.
.RM 8.50"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- TNI's earlier latest report number of latest data on prediction of schools and schools and buildings GAM's strength buildings damaged rebuilt ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5,251 2,000 killed 688 schools 282 schools
2,100 arrested 329 buildings 329 buildings
1,276 surrendered 2,000 weapons 1,045 seized ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: TNI