Indonesia to send 'special troops' to Aceh

There is fear that the new military operation will result in more human rights abuses and civilian deaths

In this story: Mass exodus Military support RELATED STORIES, SITES

By Yenni Kwok
CNN.com Writer

JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Indonesia's army chief says the military will dispatch "special troops" to Aceh under the government plan to impose a limited military operation in the restive province.

Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said six companies of troops have been trained under the army's Special Force Command (Kopassus) in Batujajar, West Java since February, and they will complete training by the end of March.

"These troops have been trained exclusively on how to conduct anti-guerilla warfare, in an effort to quell the armed troops of the Free Aceh Movement," Sutarto said, as quoted by The Jakarta Post newspaper.

Training includes anti-guerilla warfare, street combat, residential combat, densely-populated combat, ambush strategy and shoot-to-kill techniques.

"I told these soldiers they have to win every battle," Sutarto said. "They, however, must uphold the law in order to avoid human rights abuses."

Human-rights activists and Acehnese, however, expressed fear that the new military operation will result in more abuses and civilian deaths in the province, where hundreds of deaths have occurred since January 1.

George Aditjondro, sociologist at Australia's University of Newcastle, said: "The more Acehnese died as martyrs, the stronger their nationalist sentiment is."

Mass exodus

Two policemen were shot dead in two separate incidents in the provincial capital of Banda Aceh and the Pidie district, police told local media.

Five people were killed on Wednesday in the troubled province, and three bullet-ridden bodies, believed to originate from Aceh, were found in the neighboring North Sumatra province.

Meanwhile, tension is rising in the troubled province. Civilian officials reportedly started to pack up and leave the restive regencies of North Aceh and Pidie for Banda Aceh or Jakarta.

The Jakarta Post reported that about 19,000 villagers from east and west parts of the province have fled their homes this month in fear of escalating conflicts between rebels and security forces.

Some observers have linked the government's recent moves with the decision of ExxonMobil Oil on Friday to suspend gas production in North Aceh because of security concerns.

Indonesian cabinet on Monday declared the Free Aceh Movement as "separatists". A day later, Minister of Defense Mahfud MD announced the government would launch "limited security operations" against separatist rebels in Aceh.

Military support

The moves contrasted with the willingness shown by President Abdurrahman Wahid to negotiate with the Free Aceh Movement.

Last month, the Indonesian government and Aceh rebels agreed to extend the "moratorium on violence", which so far has failed to stop violence in Aceh but at least has provided a faint hope for a peaceful end.

Aditjondro sees the recent government decision as a sign of the beleaguered president making more concessions to the military.

"He hopes for military support," Aditjondro said of Wahid, who is losing political support and plagued with daily protests as well as allegations of financial scandals.

The Free Aceh Movement originated from a small band of Aceh separatists who declared the province's independence in December 1976. Shortly after, they attacked the site of Mobil Oil, as ExxonMobil Oil was then known, in North Aceh.

The movement was quickly crushed, but it revived in 1989. In response, former president Suharto declared Aceh as a Military Operation Zone, which resulted in thousands of deaths and further resentment towards the central government.

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Indonesia Government
Aceh Portal
ExxonMobil
The Jakarta Post

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