Troops told to retaliate against GAM

JAKARTA (JP): Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) chief Lt. Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu told Kostrad troops being deployed in the strife-torn province of Aceh on Thursday, not to hesitate in fighting members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

"I have ordered my soldiers to remain on alert and to crush down any obstacles in their mission. Destroy them, have no mercy," Ryamizard told reporters after attending a ceremony marking the 51st anniversary of the Jakarta Military Command in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

Ryamizard made the comments in response to the death of a Kostrad soldier who was shot by GAM members in a gunfight in Peureulak district, East Aceh regency, on Wednesday.

"Kostrad troops have been deployed to Aceh on a civic mission to assist the Acehnese, who have been experiencing flooding.

"They are there not to get involved in a war, but GAM have attacked them," Ryamizard said, unable to hide his anger.

Ryamizard said there were two battalions of Kostrad troops deployed to Aceh.

The fatality, Chief Sgt. Wiriantoko, and some 90 Army troops were traveling on five trucks on their way to a humanitarian operation in Kabu village, Peureulak district, when they were attacked by armed GAM members. Besides Wiriantoko, a local troop, Pvt. Abdul Muis, was also killed in the attack, while eight others were wounded.

Immediately after the ceremony, the Kostrad chief rushed to the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport to officially receive the body of Wiriantoko.

Separately, Minister of Defense Mahfud MD said on Thursday the government welcomed the short truce agreement between the Indonesian representatives and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), saying that it would create more room for dialog to settle problems in the restive province.

"Basically, we accept the truce, but some points of the negotiation should be revised.

"We really think that this is a good improvement. However, we will not give any formal approval today (Thursday) because we're still waiting for the final draft from Geneva, as the talk has yet to be concluded there," Mahfud said.

He cited the demand by GAM that a general election, to be organized by an independent body, be held in Aceh.

"It should be clear who the independent body is. If it's an international organization, we will not accept it.

"In any case, what kind of general election they are demanding is unclear," Mahfud said.

Similarly, House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung welcomed the one-month truce agreement, saying that it was the best solution for the time being.

"With the one-month truce, we can buy time to once again revisit all the problems we've had during the humanitarian pause, and finally find a solution for the restive province," Akbar told journalists.

He said the House would support the government's moves on Aceh as long as they remained within a framework that included the province as an integrated part of Indonesia.

Former Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono said the truce agreement was a good compromise for the moment, but underlined that this should be accepted by all factions of GAM.

"The main point is to have a formulation that can be accepted by all factions of GAM in an effort to enhance the special regional autonomy being offered in Aceh," Juwono told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Juwono suggested that the government should have a control mechanism in place for security forces so that the truce does not backfire.

"We should control our security forces to ensure that there will not be any troops violating the truce," he said.

Meanwhile in Banda Aceh, some 1,000 security personnel attended the alert-call gathering led by Teuku Umar Military Commander Col. Syarifuddin Tippe on Thursday.

"This gathering is part of the consolidation of security forces here. It's also aimed at preventing possibilities of 'wild troops' running illegal operations beyond our chain of command," officer Syarifuddin told media on the sidelines of the gathering.

A total of 28,000 military and police personnel are stationed in Aceh, the officer said.

"We have no additional troops here and there will only be replacement troops for a routine tour of duty," he said.

Tension, however, continued to grip East Aceh on Thursday following an overnight clash between GAM members and security troops in the Peureulak district, which left two soldiers dead and eight others severely injured.

The gunfight reportedly continued on Thursday in East Aceh, forcing thousands of locals to flee their homes. No immediate casualties were reported, but the eight injured soldiers were flown to Medan, capital of neighboring North Sumatra province, for immediate treatment.

In Aceh Besar, an alleged rebel was shot dead during a sweeping operation conducted by the police on Thursday.

Two unidentified bodies were earlier found in South Aceh on Wednesday, police said.

The deaths bring the toll in Aceh to no less than 47 this year. (02/50/dja/edt)