Wed, Jan 26, 2005 page9

• One month after tsunami, military aid remains a thorny issue

  Although foreign troops have been accused of spying and are regarded with suspicion by some Muslims, the soldiers provide much-needed humanitarian support

  • DPA
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  One month after the catastrophic Boxing Day tsunami that killed nearly 175,000 people in Indonesia, foreign and national militaries continue to be a major source of relief for many victims in the devastated province of Aceh.

  The strong, public military presence, however, has not come without headaches for Indonesia's leaders.

  "The emergency stage is almost behind us, so militaries will no longer be as effective in contributing," Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Alwi Shihab was quoted as saying by the Jakarta Post on Monday. "Civilians are needed."

  The presence of foreign troops, especially from the US, on Indonesian soil is a thorny issue for some in nationalistic Indonesia, and particularly in Aceh, a devoutly Muslim province.

  Nevertheless, tens of thousands of foreign troops remain in the province, providing critical logistic support for the humanitarian mission. Helicopters operating from five aircraft carriers based off the coast of Sumatra are still heavily relied upon to deliver aid, often to remote areas still unreachable by land routes.

  The country's dilemma was highlighted by last week's testimony of Indonesia's chief of intelligence to officials at a hearing with the House of Representatives' commission for defense and intelligence affairs, attended by Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono and Indonesian Military (TNI) chief General Endriartono Sutarto.

  Syamsir Siregar, the head of the state Intelligence Agency (BIN), singled out the US and Australia in a warning to the state legislature that countries participating in the humanitarian mission might be using the opportunity for spying.

  "Of course, the United States government has its interests and it will use this opportunity to closely monitor the geographic conditions of Aceh and the Strait of Malacca. But we should not be extremely suspicious of their presence [in Aceh]. We need their practical support to handle the catastrophe aftermath," Syamsir Siregar said.

  In addition to the continued overwhelming need for assistance, Indonesian leaders have desperately tried to avoid offending their guests and creating any tension that could bring political fallout.

  What was once called a three-month deadline for foreign troops to leave Aceh was recast by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last week, as he toured the devastated provincial capital of Banda Aceh for the first time, as more of a flexible "timeline" than a deadline.

  Yet despite the need for Indonesia to keep their international friends in the province for a while longer, the behind-the-scenes race to get civilian organizations ready to take over completely from militaries continues.

  "We are opening up isolated areas using land transport, so we don't need any more helicopters," Alwi Shihab said.

  It's not just foreign militaries that are giving some Indonesian leaders a headache.

  The TNI has tens of thousands of troops in Aceh to provide security, aid in the humanitarian mission and keep rebels who have been fighting a three-decade-long insurgency at bay.

  But despite the Indonesian government having declared an informal ceasefire with the rebels, military officials have independently said that they have killed 208 rebels since the tsunami in over 86 armed clashes across the province. They have also accused rebels of stealing humanitarian aid, although no organizations have reported such attacks.

  "GAM has continued to disturb security amid the suffering the Acehnese people have been bearing as a consequence of the Dec. 26 natural disaster," Army Chief of Staff General Ryamizard Ryacudu was quoted as saying by the state-run Antara news agency during a visit to Aceh on Saturday. GAM is the Indonesian abbreviation for the separatist Free Aceh Movement.

  "Thus, the hostilities could not be avoided and we had to kill the rebels," he said, adding that government troops seized a number of rifles after the gunfights.

  Both the government and GAM rebels have indicated a willingness to restart negotiations aimed at ending the conflict, with initial talks scheduled for Finland later this week.

  But analysts say the long-running conflict on the ground could be difficult to quell, and continued tensions between elements of the military and rebels threaten to scuttle any long-term attempts at peace.

  The withdrawal of military equipment and personnel by Singapore over the weekend -- the first military to do so -- and the recent US announcement of plans to scale back its presence in Aceh, suggest that foreign governments may have understood the problem faced by Indonesia's leaders and may not try to overstay their welcome.

  But observers say that getting the military, which has enjoyed immense power and autonomy in Aceh over the years, to pull back may prove the more difficult task, despite the need for them to do so.

  "The role of the TNI has been essential ... but I believe, like in any emergency situation, that it is only normal that operations are gradually handed over to the civilian authority," Joel Boutroue, the UN's humanitarian coordinator in Aceh, told reporters at a press conference.

  "Of course it is up to the government to decide how that process will be made," he said.
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