Troubles in Aceh, Irian 'not due to separatism'

JAKARTA (JP): Former governors of Aceh and Irian Jaya said yesterday that discriminatory development policies and economic injustices, rather than separatism, were the cause of many social, political and security problems in the two hotspot regions.

"As far as I know, certain policies and injustices, not separatism, were behind all antigovernment movements," said former Aceh governor Ibrahim Hasan in a discussion on Irian Jaya, Aceh and East Timor -- provinces that have been military operation areas for significant periods in the country's history.

Former Irian Jaya governor Barnabas Suebu said Irianese had suffered from massive exploitation of the land's rich natural resources by non-Irianese interests. He pointed out that employment was mostly given to non-Irianese in big projects such as the Freeport mining company or hotels and tourist resorts.

The government justified a heavy military presence in Aceh and Irian Jaya in the past, citing separatist movements that have tried to break away and establish independent states.

Ibrahim, who actually urged the Armed Forces to send extra troops to Aceh in 1989 when he was governor to crush separatist rebellions, and Barnabas said people in the two provinces had always wanted to remain a part of Indonesia.

"We need to take another look at the past and learn the truth behind (some rebellions) and why they happened," said Ibrahim, who was Aceh governor between 1986 and 1993.

He cited two well-known armed rebellions in Aceh, the DI/TII campaigning for an Islamic state under Daud Beureuh in the 1950s and the Free Aceh Movement proclaimed by Hasan Tiro in 1976. Both movements were created not over ideological differences with the government, but because of injustices from its officials, he said.

Aceh, the country's westernmost province, became the subject of a media blitz after a series of atrocities by the Armed Forces were revealed recently. The military has since lifted the province's status as a military operation area.

Irian Jaya, too, has had its share of human rights abuses. Unlike East Timor, which has caught international attention, reports of abuses in the two provinces only came to the surface following the downfall of former president Soeharto in May.

Barnabas, who served as Irian Jaya governor from 1988 to 1993, said the Irianese had realized how rich their province was in natural resources, but that they had decided to share the wealth with their Indonesian brethren.

"However, there should be some ethics maintained in this sharing of natural assets," he said, citing how he strongly protested to Soeharto in 1990 when massive starvation hit Irian Jaya and the big companies operating there did not help.

Separately in Semarang, Central Java, Minister of Justice Muladi said the government would consider providing compensation and moral support to the families and relatives of those who had been victims of the military operation in Aceh. (emf/har)