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Aceh: Resources and rebellion
By Amy Chew for CNN
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- As staunch Muslims, the Acehnese at first glance appear unlikely protagonists in Indonesia's struggle to quell separatist movements across its vast archipelago. But under the rebel flag of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), the Acehnese have waged an armed insurgency for independence from the world's most populous Muslim nation since 1976. Resource-rich, the Acehnese are a proud race renowned for resisting outside rule throughout history. When the Dutch tried to take over Aceh in the late 19th century, it faced a bloody 30-year war before gaining control. Yet again the province at the northern tip of the Indonesia's main island, Sumatra, finds itself gearing up for a military confrontation. Aceh has grown restive through the years as it perceives Jakarta as plundering its vast natural resources while giving little in return. The majority in this province of four million people are poor. In an attempt to ease separatist tensions, the government granted Aceh special autonomy, including the implementation of shariah law and greater revenue-sharing of its natural resources in January 2002. Despite giving out huge sums to the province, there has been little or no development, compensation funds never reached the victims of the previous military operation and the people remain poor. "The government kept pumping in money with no proper monitoring or evaluation of how it was spent," Ryaas Rasyid, former minister for regional autonomy, told CNN. And now only eleventh hour talks in Tokyo will determine whether province is at peace or embroiled in a civil war. (Tokyo talks) Malaysian overturesIndonesian security forces are preparing for a massive assault, including sealing off land, sea and air routes to block separatist rebels from fleeing the country. As troops continue to build-up by the thousands, the government sought cooperation from its neighbor, Malaysia, to tighten border security between the two countries to deny Gam an escape route. "Indonesia has sought cooperation from Malaysia on border security, to block Gam. This is an issue which is also of concern to Malaysia," a senior police official told CNN. Indonesia's national police chief Dai Bachtiar held a private meeting with Malaysia's commissioner of police, Norian Mai, for one-and-a half hours in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Malaysia is home to hundreds of thousands of Indonesian migrant workers, which includes Acehnese. Indeed, several top Acehnese rebel leaders have lived in Malaysia at some point or another, hopping between the two countries during government crackdowns. President Megawati Sukarnoputri is due to consult Parliament later on Thursday before issuing a decree authorizing the use of force. The Tokyo meeting between the feuding parties notwithstanding, parliament appears likely to back the military offensive. The move comes following the collapse of a December peace deal brokered by the Geneva-based Henry Dunant Centre (HDC) to end decades of violence which has killed more than 10,000. When the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA) was first signed on December 9, the rebels agreed to lay down arms and accept the government's offer of special autonomy for Aceh. Initially the deal managed to reduce violence in Aceh but the situation deteriorated in recent weeks with gunfights erupting between GAM and security forces. Each has blamed the other. Civilians fleeAnalysts see the government as being pushed by the high death toll of troops and civilians to go to war. The killings also gave the opportunity for the country's once powerful military to stage a comeback through the military operations. "The government has been provoked to act. They have tried very hard for the peace deal but the situation has been getting worse," former minister Ryaas told CNN. "And the military may be exploiting the stupidity of GAM. The killings of troops and the police by GAM has opened the possibility for the military to call for operations," Ryaas added. The threat of war has sent thousands of Acehnese fleeing their homes, seeking shelter in mosques, schools and other public buildings. Civilians fear being caught in the gunfight between the rebels and security forces. They are also terrified of being wrongly accused and arrested for being a GAM member or sympathizer by as had happened in the past. In 1989 -1998, former President Suharto launched a military operations to crush GAM, resulting in gross human rights abuses including torture, rapes and disappearances. Acehnese remain traumatized by the past operation. Ryaas was the architect of the special autonomy for Aceh and admitted that the law has been a failure, citing corruption as a factor. But he added the special autonomy law offered great freedom to Aceh, in particular the implementation of shariah law, as the rest of the country exists as a secular state. "Giving shariah law to Aceh is the maximum tolerance as Indonesia is a secular state. This will not be given to any other province in the country. It was to accommodate the Acehnese culture of having Islamic institution in its law-making process," said Ryaas. As the threat of war looms larger, GAM remains defiant. "We are ready to face the military. We are not afraid. But we hope the government will go back to the negotiating table," Gam spokesman Sofyan Dawood told CNN. In the meantime, the ordinary Acehnese can only wait and prepare for the worse.
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