INDONESIA: Jakarta demonstrates for Aceh

Eighty supporters of Solidarity for the Acehnese Peoples Movement, mostly non-Acehnese, held a protest in Jalan Thamrin, a central Jakarta thoroughfare, on August 7.

The demonstration, which included supporters from the People's Democratic Party, the Indonesian National Front for Workers' Struggles and the National Students League for Democracy later traveled in convoy to the presidential palace where they continued the protest.

The organising group, SEGERA, was coordinating its protest with actions by at least 22 student and other organisations in Aceh who were commemorating the third anniversary of the "withdrawal" of the Military Operations Region three years ago.

A representative of the Acehnese Peoples Democratic Resistance Front also spoke at the demonstration.

Both in Jakarta and Aceh, the protests were demanding the withdrawal of Presidential Instruction No 4, 2001 which established a new security operation in Aceh and has legitimised a relaunching of military operations.

More than 1000 Acehnese have been killed in military operations during 2001.

From GLW issue 460