TNI to end security approach in Aceh: Widodo
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Adm. Widodo A.S. said the military would no longer resort to its repressive security approach in handling tensions in restive Aceh.
He added that President Abdurrahman Wahid had ordered all combat troops, including those from the Army's Special Force (Kopassus) and Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad), to be withdrawn from the province.
Widodo admitted that the security approach, which allowed TNI to take repressive measures in handling antigovernment movements, had proven ineffective.
"Frankly speaking, the security approach is not the proper way to settle the Aceh problem," Widodo said before attending a plenary Cabinet meeting at the Bina Graha presidential office on Wednesday.
However Widodo, the first non-Army officer to be appointed Indonesian Military Commander, would not say what type of doctrine would be used saying only that a "non-military" approach would be the most suitable.
Aceh has been restless for several years, but calls for a referendum have grown louder with the increased level of political freedom sweeping the country.
Reports of atrocities and killings, allegedly committed by the military, also surfaced at an alarming rate.
President Abdurrahman, after his election, took on the issue of Aceh as his personal task to resolve.
Abdurrahman recently ordered an investigation into military officials who were allegedly involved in human rights violations and mass killings in the province in the past.
Critical
Separately, State Minister of Human Rights Affairs Hasballah M. Saad warned of the critical condition in the province, saying immediate action must be taken to calm the angered Acehnese people.
Hasballah cautioned that there was no time to dally with establishing special courts and prosecutors to handle such human rights violations in Aceh as a majority of Acehnese had already taken to the streets to demand a referendum.
"The Acehnese do not want pledges, they want concrete actions," he said after a coordinative ministerial meeting on political affairs and security.
He cited tension in numerous towns in the province during the past fortnight as a consequence of people's minimal patience.
"Not only students and separatist activists but also farmers, civil servants and widows have joined in the proreferendum demonstrations which have frequently turned violent," he said.
Asked about the military presence in the province, Hasballah said soldiers originally deployed to crush the Free Aceh Movement had abused their power and instead oppressed the people.
"It's true that the military's original mission was to restore order and security, but then most of them took actions beyond their mission and employed a repressive approach to oppress the people," he said.
Hasballah, who was born and bred in Pidie, stressed that the main problem in Aceh was social injustice.
He said the military's big mistake in the past was being overly repressive, including against demonstrations demanding a fair allocation of yields from natural resources and an acknowledgment of their distinct culture.
"That is why we appeal to the government to deploy a multidimensional approach in pursuing a comprehensive solution to the Aceh issue," he said. (rms/prb)