INDONESIA: Aceh solidarity movement begins

Wednesday, May 2, 2001 - 10:00

BY MAX LANE

On April 23 a new organisation was established in Jakarta to campaign in solidarity with the Acehnese people. The organisation, Solidarity Movement for the People of Aceh (SEGERA), was formed in response to the issuance of Presidential Instruction (InPres) No. 4, 2001 by President Abdurrahman Wahid in early April.

InPres No. 4 authorised increased activity by 13 government departments, including the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI), in security matters in Aceh. It instructs the TNI to assist the police in Aceh to restore security and deal with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) guerillas.

The InPres falls short of the kind of declaration of war against the GAM guerillas which the TNI has been clamouring after. The attempt to involve so many other government departments, mainly staffed by Acehnese in Aceh, in these operations is a typical Wahid manoeuvre aimed at restraining the TNI. Like so many of Wahid's manoeuvres, it is also already failing. InPres No. 4 has been used by the military and police in Aceh to escalate military operations. Sweeping operations, killings and clashes with GAM have increased with more loss of life every day.

SEGERA's first action was a protest outside the Presidential Palace in Jakarta. One hundred activists, including about 15 Acehnese, from nine different organisations protested to demand the ending of all military operations in Aceh and the withdrawal of Indonesian military forces. After speeches outside the palace, the protesters marched to the UN offices in Jakarta, where they were received by officials of the United Nations Children's Fund, who stated they could not comment on political issues.

The organisations in SEGERA that participated in the action were the Students Action Forum of the University of Indonesia (FAM UI), the Peoples Democratic Party (PRD), the Peoples Cultural Work Network (JAKER), the National Front For Labour Struggles (FNPBI), the National Peasants Union (STN), the Popular Youth Movement (GPK), the Acehnese Popular Democratic Resistance Front (FPDRA) and Students Solidarity for the People (SMUR).

In addition to denouncing President Wahid for InPres No. 4, SEGERA speakers also attacked the role played by the parliament, which has repeatedly passed laws strengthening the repressive apparatus.

SEGERA has issued a statement demanding that President Wahid cancel all operations under InPres No. 4. It has also demanded that all Indonesian military forces be withdrawn for Aceh and that the Indonesian Armed Forces Territorial Command for Aceh be abolished, right down to village level, and for foreign governments to end all ties with the Indonesian military, whether in the form of joint exercises or provision of war equipment.