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Indonesia Attacks Aceh Rebel Province
Indonesian war planes attacked a rebel base and troops parachuted into restive Aceh province on Monday, as the military launched a major offensive just hours after peace talks broke down and the president imposed martial law. The military said it had moved 15 warships and hundreds of soldiers into the region to ``strike and paralyze'' the Acehnese rebels in what was expected to be Indonesia's biggest military operation since its invasion of East Timor in 1975.Remind me: who are we cheering for here?
Indonesia has warships? ``I have ordered soldiers to hunt for those (rebels) who refuse to surrender ... hunt for them and destroy them to their roots,'' said Indonesian military chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto. There are more than 30,000 government troops in Aceh, up against about 5,000 poorly armed rebels. Until the Indonesian army commits atrocities, which will swell the ranks of the rebels, and the rebels manage to nail some of the army, which will provide weapons. The government estimated that the number of refugees in Aceh will balloon to 100,000 from the current 5,000. ``The government has prepared medical supplies, clothing, sheets, food, rice, 4,000 tents and medicines,'' Social Affairs Minister Bachtiar Chamsyah said. Monday's attack signaled a return to military confrontation following a Dec. 9 peace agreement between the government and the Free Aceh Movement that raised hopes for a breakthrough in one of Asia's longest running separatist conflicts. The accord unraveled in recent months following violence by both sides and mutual recriminations. More than 12,000 people have died in fighting since 1976 in the province, province 1,200 miles northwest of Jakarta, amid accusations of atrocities on both sides. On Monday, a body with gunshot wounds was found near Banda Aceh while in northern Aceh unidentified gunmen shot dead a man riding a motorbike with his wife. The circumstances surrounding both deaths were unclear. Either the army or the rebels did it. Clear enough to me. Earlier Monday, hundreds of troops parachuted into the province in a show of force. Six C-130 Hercules transport aircraft released 458 soldiers over an airstrip close to Banda Aceh. Monday's attack using U.S.-made OV-10 Bronco attack planes was the first time in several years that the military has used air-to-surface missiles in Aceh. It was unclear if there were any casualties in the attack which the military said targeted an alleged weapons cache in the rebel camp. The Tokyo talks over the weekend had been arranged hastily under pressure from international donors alarmed by the prospect of renewed fighting. Even as the two sides talked, thousands of Indonesian troops massed in the province. A statement Monday by the co-chairs of the Tokyo talks — the European Union, Japan, the United States and the World Bank — urged both parties ``to leave the door open to further dialogue'' and said a peaceful solution is still possible, ``even at this late hour.'' The co-chairs ``deeply regret that the government of Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement failed to seize the unique opportunity before them...,'' the statement said. Rebel leader Malik Mahmud said he believed the Indonesian government was ``looking for a way to declare war'' and had no intention of compromising. ``They asked us to Alt-F6 on the keyboard of any good rebel leader. Threatening dire revenge is Alt-F4. Shortly after martial law was declared Monday, armed officers barged into a hotel in Banda Aceh where the five rebel leaders were staying and took them to regional police headquarters, witnesses said. Col. Surya Darma, Aceh's chief police detective, said the five rebels were officially named as suspects Monday in a series of recent bomb attacks in Indonesia. The rebel leaders should have used the Express Check-out option. In downtown Jakarta, meanwhile, about 500 young people held a noisy but peaceful demonstration to protest war in Aceh. Such protests have been rare in the runup to hostilities, however, and opinion polls show most Indonesians supporting any military action that keeps the country together. Oh, it will be costly. Posted by: Steve White 2003-05-19 |
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