Wiranto in media hot seat over Aceh
Wiranto in media hot seat over Aceh
JAKARTA (JP): At the opening of a seminar on state defense on
Tuesday, Minister of Defense and Security/Indonesian Military
Commander Gen. Wiranto faced a barrage of questions from the
media on the current military policy and the incidents in Aceh.
Question: What is the relevance of the seminar on state defense?
Answer: The people, the one important component in the
integrated state defense system, have become a serious problem
since they are now attacking one another. The people have become
a part of the problem, not part of the solution.
According to the 1945 Constitution and the 1982 Law on Defense
and Security, the Military and National Police, the people and
natural resources should constitute an integrated state defense
system.
The fact that part of the people are launching a rebellion and
want a separation from the Indonesian state is a form of betrayal
to the integrated system.
That is why many figures from the military, the academia and
others of the intellectual circle are attending the seminar. They
are expected to come up with necessary approaches and a way out
to improve public awareness in state defense.
Q: What is the government doing to improve awareness in state
defense among people in troubled regions in Aceh, Ambon and
Batam, Riau?
A: This seminar is expected to make recommendations to answer
that question.
Q: Is the Free Aceh separatist group a threat to state defense?
A: You can answer that yourselves. There is a group of people in
the province who are raising armed resistance against the
legitimate government.
What would we attack one another for? We should be united in
facing the threats coming from outside.
Q: What is your comment on accusations that the military should
be held responsible for the July 23 bloodshed in Beutong Ateuh,
West Aceh?
A: Who accused the military?
Q: The Acehnese...
A: Which of them? According to me, the incident was a betrayal
of a system, namely the national state defense system, causing a
trade of accusations and blame. Under such a situation, we will
not be able to solve the problem.
The incident occurred when security personnel launched a raid
in the form of a military operation. Armed contact occurred
between security personnel with gunmen, claiming lives.
There was no mass killing or atrocity in the incident.
It is not fair if it is said that the military launched a
massacre. I want fair exposure from the media. The media should
report the reality.
I have repeatedly said that security personnel from the
National Police which were deployed to the province were trained
in accordance with standards to prevent them from committing an
erroneous procedure in the operation. If security personnel made
errors in the operation, they could be tried in a (military)
tribunal. It is not fair to conclude that the operation was
completely wrong.
We should trust the independent team (newly appointed by the
president) to investigate the incident.
Q: Do you mean that Tengku Bantaqiyah (alleged separate leader in
Beutong Ateuh) and his men were armed?
A: I will invite you for a field tour of the incident. (The
military has said it found several weapons on the site as
evidence of armed resistance). (rms)