Village heads quit en masse
Bernie K. Moestafa and Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh, Aceh
The war in Aceh is taking its toll on village chiefs with 76 in Bireuen regency resigning on Sunday after complaining about the pressure they had to face in dealing with both the Indonesian Military (TNI) and Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels.
"Keucik (village chiefs) cannot run the administration under such pressure," Rajali, one of the village chiefs from Jeunib, told reporters. "They cannot stand the conflict between TNI and GAM anymore." .
The 76 chiefs come from villages in the Peudada, Jeumpa, Jeunib and Juli subdistricts in Bireun regency, which is known as a stronghold of GAM.
Rajali said that the keucik decided to tender their resignations following a meeting at Blank Sepang village on Sunday.
Indonesia's largest military operation since the 1975 East Timor invasion is in its fourth week in Aceh, where control over the population through the villages has long been a crucial part of the military strategy.
"Much is focused on the keucik," Rajali said.
Last week reports surfaced about 30 village chiefs seeking refuge in the Samalanga area in Bireuen due to fears of GAM retaliation after the TNI indoctrinated them about the Unitary State of Indonesia. In the Bireuen village of Lawang, keucik Hamdani was beaten by soldiers of the 144th Battalion late last month.
The soldiers said that Hamdani failed to cooperate properly when they raided his village in search of GAM members. The incident the subject of a trial with seven soldiers named as suspects, three of whom will hear their verdict on Monday.
According to Rajali, village chiefs need not report their resignation because they have been elected by their respective villages.
Aceh Military Operation spokesman Lt. Col. Achmad Yani Basuki said he had yet to receive the reports over the village chiefs' resignation. But he added that such reports needed to be verified.
"We must see whether the reason for their resignation matches with the situation in the field."
Such mass resignations, he said, could not be taken lightly. The keucik play a pivotal role in supporting the integrated operation in Aceh in particular relating to the empowering of the local administrations, Yani explained.
As part of the operation to restore the administrative function in Aceh, the government plans to replace district chiefs with retired military or police officers. Administrations in many districts have been paralyzed due to the continuing conflict, even before the integrated operation and martial law began on May 19.
Separately, visiting Minister of Social Affairs Bachtiar Chamsyah said the government would focus on development of GAM- free areas, apart from providing humanitarian assistance for displaced people.
"Empowerment of people in safe areas is one of our top priority programs. Only people who live in poor conditions will be prone to GAM's provocation," Bachtiar said.
Areas considered as GAM-free include Aceh Island and Nasi Island in Aceh Besar regency, some four nautical miles north of the Aceh capital of Banda Aceh.
In those safe areas, the government will focus its program on the provision of jobs and capital for residents, Bachtiar said.
Meanwhile, Chief Pvt. Yenformase died and 18 other soldiers were injured after their truck fell off a bridge and into a river in an accident in the Aloe Papen village in North Aceh's Nisam area on Sunday afternoon.
The soldiers were part of a 25-man joint strike force detachment of three battalions. The accident occurred when their truck tried to pass a narrow wooden bridge during a rainstorm.
The TNI has now lost 13 soldiers since martial law was declared. According to military sources, government troops have shot dead 150 separatists, captured 88 others while 95 surrendered, and 50 different types of weapons have been seized.
Spokesman for martial law administration in Aceh Col. Ditya Soedarsono said the military would intensify the search for GAM arsenals, using special detectors.