ACEH/INDONESIA: HUNDREDS OF ACEHNESE PROTEST AGAINST INDONESIA'S WARNING THAT MILITARY ACTION WOULD BE INEVITABLE IF PEACE PACT FALLS APART

Record ID: 647907

  • Title: ACEH/INDONESIA: HUNDREDS OF ACEHNESE PROTEST AGAINST INDONESIA'S WARNING THAT MILITARY ACTION WOULD BE INEVITABLE IF PEACE PACT FALLS APART
  • Date: 15th April 2003
  • Summary: (W4) JAKARTA, INDONESIA (APRIL 17, 2003) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. HUNDREDS OF ACEHNESE MARCHING TO PRESIDENTIAL PALACE 00.06 2. CLOSEUP OF MAN HOLDING BANNER 00.12 3. MORE OF RALLY 00.17 4. PAN FROM SECURITY BEHIND BARBED WIRES TO PROTESTERS 00.26 5. VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS HOLDING BANNERS 00.48 6. MORE OF PROTEST 000.59 7. (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) PROTESTER, MUCHTAR AZIZ, SAYING: "We want peace efforts in Aceh to continue. It's only been four months and the government already expressed their disappointment. We had 20 years of military operations in Aceh and that was enough. We do not need another 20 years. What will become of the Acehnese people?" 01.16 8. SECURITY 01.19 9. MORE OF PROTEST 01.27 (W4) LHOKSEUMAWE, NORTH ACEH (APRIL 16, 2003) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 10. VARIOUS OF NEWLY ARRIVED INDONESIAN TROOPS 01.52 11. VARIOUS OF TROOPS SINGING, CHANTING 02.17 (W4) JAKARTA, INDONESIA (APRIL 15, 2003) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 12. WIDE OF INTERVIEW WITH INDONESIAN DEFENCE MINISTER MATORI ABDUL DJALIL 02.2 13. (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) INDONESIAN DEFENCE MINISTER MATORI ABDUL DJALIL, SAYING: "We always hope that this problem can be dealt with peacefully. We never give up to seek a peaceful way out. A military action, therefore, will only be done out of obligation and when other means fail" 02.5 14. CLOSEUP OF HAND 03.01 15. (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) MATORI, SAYING: "If in this Joint Council meeting, GAM steadfastly stick to fight for independence, we have no option. A military operation, unfortunately, is something we must do" 03.19 (W4) UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, ACEH (APRIL 15, 2003) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 16. VARIOUS OF ARMED FREE ACEH MOVEMENT (GAM) REBELS 03.41 17. (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) SOFYAN DAUD, GAM ARMED-WING SPOKESPERSON, SAYING: "The Indonesian military have been in the offensive by encircling our positions. We ask them to first pull out their men (before we disarm)" 03.57 18. MORE OF GAM REBELS 04.04 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 30th April 2003 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: VARIOUS LOCATIONS, ACEH / JAKARTA, INDONESIA
  • Country: Indonesia
  • Reuters ID: LVA9QC7CRAA9L65P2ATYFJUE68L7
  • Story Text: Hundreds of Acehnese have protested against Indonesia's
    warning that military action would be inevitable if a pact
    aimed at ending decades of conflict in the troubled Indonesian
    province of Aceh province fell apart.



    The protest took place on Thursday (April 17) outside
    the presidential palace amid growing worries about the future
    of peace efforts in Indonesia's restive Aceh province.

    Indonesia has threatened a full-scale military attack on
    the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) following renewed clashes between
    government troops and rebels, and attacks on the facilities of
    peace monitors.

    Both sides signed a peace agreement four months ago and,
    until recent weeks, the deal had dramatically reduced the
    level of violence in Aceh.

    "We want peace efforts in Aceh to continue. It's only been
    four months and the government already expressed their
    disappointment. We had 20 years of military operations in Aceh
    and that was enough. We do not need another 20 years. What
    will become of the Acehnese people?" said protester Muchtar
    Aziz.

    At least 10,000 people have been killed in more than two
    decades of fighting in the province on the northern tip of
    Sumatra island.

    Indonesia has said a military operation in Aceh could be
    inevitable if GAM rebels use an upcoming emergency meeting to
    refuse to meet several conditions, including dropping efforts
    to separate Aceh from Indonesia and laying down their arms.

    "We always hope that this problem can be dealt with
    peacefully. We never give up to seek a peaceful way out. A
    military action, therefore, will only be done out of
    obligation and when other means fail," said Defence Minister
    Matori Abdul Djalil.

    "If in this Joint Council meeting, GAM steadfastly stick
    to fight for independence, we have no option. A military
    operation, unfortunately, is something we must do," Matori
    added.

    Indonesia announced on Thursday an emergency meeting
    between the government and Aceh separatists to sort out
    growing problems in the area could take place on April 25.

    The venue of the meeting, however, was still far from
    settled.

    The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) has agreed to meet but is
    pressing for talks to stay in Geneva, where the two sides
    negotiated for two years before signing a peace pact late last
    year.

    Indonesia had suggested Tokyo to host the emergency
    meeting.

    The issue of autonomy versus independence for Aceh is one
    some analysts say was not addressed properly in the peace
    agreement. This left GAM room for manoeuvre on the issue
    despite foreign support for the view that Aceh is part of
    Indonesia.

    The government and the military have become especially
    incensed at what they say is GAM's campaign to use the peace
    process to drum up support for independence.

    Some analysts, however, have also accused the military of
    trying to sideline the peace monitors and said protests
    against them appeared to have been carried out by
    pro-government people.

    In an agreement brokered by the Geneva-based Henry Dunant
    Centre (HDC) on December 9, GAM promised to store its weapons
    and Indonesia agreed to withdraw troops to defensive
    positions.

    Each party has accused the other of failing to follow
    through on the deal.

    Clashes between the two sides have increased and a series
    of violent rallies forced about 100 peace monitors to pull
    back indefinitely to the provincial capital of Banda Aceh.

    Amid the rhetorical sniping, Indonesia sent 1,000 soldiers
    to Aceh earlier this week, but maintains that they are not
    part of a military build-up.

    Sofyan Daud, GAM's military-wing spokesperson, however,
    claimed that Indonesia has yet to withdraw its troops to
    defensive positions, preventing them from disarming their own
    rebels.

    "The Indonesian military have been in the offensive by
    encircling our positions. We ask them to first pull out their
    men (before we disarm)," Daud said.


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