Jakarta/Brussels, 23 July 2003: The Indonesian government and military are using tactics reminiscent of the Soeharto era in Aceh. The province is now in the third month of a planned six-month military emergency following the breakdown of peace talks between the government and leaders of the separatist movement known by its acronym, GAM.
A briefing paper published today by the International Crisis Group (ICG) Aceh: How Not to Win Hearts and Minds* describes forced participation in mass loyalty oaths, forced displacement of villagers, background checks of civil servants suspected of separatist sympathies and plans to create a new penal colony on an island off Banda Aceh.
ICG’s Indonesia Program Director Sidney Jones said: “Indonesia’s Minister of Security and Political Affairs, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, has said publicly that what the people of Aceh want is respect, justice and prosperity. But the tactics being used on the ground in Aceh are more likely to increase resentment and increase support for GAM. The government appears to have no clear objectives in this war, no criteria for “success” other than control of territory and body counts, and no exit strategy”.
ICG does not contest the seriousness of the security threat posed by GAM. It is a guerrilla group that in addition to routine ambushes of Indonesian military and police has engaged in hostage-taking, arson and extortion. However current methods are not going to help end separatism: they generate more support for it.
In the process of the military emergency, the notion of “special autonomy” for Aceh has been completely undermined. All policy is directed from Jakarta, and the additional revenue that Aceh was supposed to receive under autonomy legislation is being ploughed straight back into military operations.
The chances of any return to negotiations any time soon are now extremely slim. The urgent need in the short term is for a clearly-defined exit strategy for the Indonesian military.
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*Read the Briefing Paper in full on our website: http://www.crisisweb.org/
The International Crisis Group (ICG) is an independent,
non-profit, multinational organisation, with over 90 staff members on five
continents, working through field-based analysis and high-level advocacy to
prevent and resolve deadly conflict.
