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NEWS & LETTERS, MAY 2003
Acheh peace accord in troubleThe peace accord signed last December by the Indonesian government and the Free Acheh Movement (GAM) in Acheh threatened to unravel during March and April. GAM has been fighting for independence for the resource-rich province since 1976; more than 10,000 people have been killed, mostly civilians killed by the Indonesian security forces. Hopes for salvaging the peace agreement rose in mid-April, when the parties agreed to sit down at the negotiating table to discuss alleged violations by both sides. But at the same time, Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri instructed the Indonesian military and national police to prepare for a "security operation" in Acheh should the accord fall apart. Some government leaders are pushing for a campaign to wipe out GAM, clinging to the misapprehension that it consists of only a few thousand guerillas, when in fact most of the population supports GAM and independence. Reports warn that if the civilian movements begin massive public demonstrations again, the army may resort to mass killings. NEW GOVERNMENT VIOLENCE Two Joint Security Committee (JSC) offices outside the capital were attacked in March by mobs attempting to assault the GAM representatives on the JSC, which is charged with monitoring the implementation of the accord. Several JSC members were injured. The attacks were instigated and coordinated by the army, which appears to be forming militia groups just as it did trying to stop East Timor from gaining independence four years ago. According to a report received from SIRA (Information Centre for a Referendum in Aceh), in the wake of a March attack on the JSC office in Takengon, Central Acheh, hundreds of people fled nine nearby villages, mostly elderly people, young people and children. The villagers reported that before the attack militias and soldiers visited their homes, telling them they must take part in the action. Some villagers were reportedly killed and their homes burnt. ACTIVISTS FALSELY TRIED, MURDERED Under the peace accord, both sides agreed to cease all hostilities, and GAM accepted a "special autonomy arrangement" for Acheh as the basis for future negotiations. However, GAM has not stopped advocating independence, and the government appears to be using that as an excuse to scuttle the accord. GAM agreed to lay down its arms in stages, and the government agreed to stop all military operations in Acheh and to reposition its troops to defensive positions, but the accord does not specify the details, and these steps have not been implemented. The government is also cracking down on demonstrations and civil society organizations that seek peace and a referendum on Acheh's status. Muhammad Nazar, chair of the presidium of SIRA, went on trial April 17. The prosecutor alleges Nazar had incited the public at a series of meetings in North Acheh, saying, "We the people must unite in support of GAM," and "When the Joint Security Team comes, you must all yell 'Independence!'" The trial is being held before a single judge, indicating a "fast-track" trial. Other activists have been abducted and murdered. According to the People's Crisis Centre, an Achehnese NGO caring for internally displaced persons and other humanitarian matters, conditions in Acheh resemble the period before the peace accord was signed. --compiled by Anne Jaclard As we go to press, peace talks have collapsed between GAM and the Indonesian government, which is threatening to pull out of the December accord. See the June N&L for developments. |
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