INDONESIA: THOUSANDS RALLY IN ACEH PROVINCE WHERE MILITARY IS ACCUSED OF USING BRUTAL TACTICS

Record ID: 215508

  • Title: INDONESIA: THOUSANDS RALLY IN ACEH PROVINCE WHERE MILITARY IS ACCUSED OF USING BRUTAL TACTICS
  • Date: 11th November 2000
  • Summary: BANDA ACEH, INDONESIA (NOVEMBER 11, 2000) (REUTERS) 1. SLV DEMONSTRATORS RIDING IN LORRIES TO ATTEND RALLY; DEMONSTRATORS IN LORRIES SHOUTING 'ALLAHU AKBHAR'; PEOPLE WALKING/RIDING IN LORRIES TO ATTEND RALLY; MORE OF PEOPLE WALKING ALONG ROAD TO ATTEND RALLY (8 SHOTS) 0.53 2. SLV RALLY IN PROGRESS 0.58 3. SLV SPEAKER ADDRESSING RALLY; SCU
  • Embargoed: 26th November 2000 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BANDA ACEH, INDONESIA
  • Country: Indonesia
  • Reuters ID: LVA6CXK2R4LC8YH1P3B1SNXYHOD1
  • Story Text: Thousands of people have rallied in Indonesia's
    rebellious province of Aceh where the military is accused of
    returning to its brutal tactics of the past.



    An estimated crowd of up to 10,000 people converged on
    the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in Banda Aceh, some 1,700 km
    (1,060 miles) northwest of Jakarta, to mark last year's huge
    rally to demand a referendum on independence.

    As hundreds of heavily-armed security people stood nearby,
    the protesters shouted "Referendum!" and "Free Aceh!" and
    recited Islamic prayers.

    Many waved the flag, with its Muslim crescent and star, of
    the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

    Witnesses said dozens of vehicles carrying more protesters
    were converging on the capital during the morning.

    At least 14 people have been killed in the run-up to the
    rally and much of the blame has been pinned on the security
    forces which during the 1990s kept the north Sumatran province
    under harsh military rule.

    The rally is being organised by the student-led
    Information Centre on the Aceh Referendum (SIRA), which wants
    the central government to allow a vote on independence.

    Many fear that if the staunchly-Islamic Aceh were to secede
    it could trigger Indonesia's disintegration.

    That prospect terrifies Indonesia's southeast Asian
    neighbours who are well aware that the break-up of the world's
    largest archipelago would be violent and likely to spread.

    President Abdurrahman Wahid, desperate to find a political
    solution to the province's grievances and prevent any split in
    the world's fourth most populous nation, has criticised the
    security forces for their heavy-handed approach.

    On Friday, he blamed renegade soldiers for the latest
    violence in Aceh, whose oil and gas wealth has been mostly
    sapped by Jakarta.

    Near the Italian-designed 19th century mosque in the
    centre of Banda Aceh, heavily of heavily armed troops forces
    guarded the capital's military headquarters.

    At what turned out to be a peaceful rally last year,
    security forces were notable for their absence.

    Last year's rally, which up to 500,000 people attended,
    was the largest pro-independence rally ever in the country.

    This time, hundreds of police were out on the streets but
    did not interfere with the protesters and witnesses said they
    appeared to have abandoned earlier attempts to block roads
    leading into the local capital.

    Government officials and rebel leaders are due to meet in
    Geneva next week to discuss a political solution to Aceh's
    troubles.


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