Indonesian government ministers met yesterday to determine how long to extend military operations against separatist rebels in Aceh, where a six-month offensive has left 1,000 suspected insurgents dead amid restrictions on the media and aid groups.
Jakarta launched an offensive against the rebels and imposed martial law in Aceh in May after it pulled out of a five-month truce that had brought peace to Indonesia's westernmost region.
On Monday, the government said it would extend the operation, but did not say for how long. It claimed the decision was widely supported by Aceh's 4.3 million people and that operations so far had been successful.
Yesterday, ministers met at the state palace in Jakarta to decide on the length of the extension. An announcement was expected later in the day.
Rights activists called on Jakarta to end the operation and return to negotiations.
"The current military operation in Aceh has only exacerbated feelings of distrust by the Acehnese toward the central government in Jakarta and the military," said a statement by 23 local and international rights groups.
"Continued fighting will only result in increased civilian and military casualties, internal displacement, and widespread destruction of livelihoods and property," the statement said.
Previous military incursions into Aceh were marked by atrocities by troops that fueled the rebellion, one of several in Indonesia's outlying provinces that threaten to divide the giant archipelago.
The military claims to have killed almost 1,000 rebels, but admit that key commanders have largely escaped the crackdown.
After a string of media reports of alleged military abuses in Aceh in May, authorities restricted local and foreign reporters from visiting the region. Contact with the rebels has been outlawed, while foreign aid workers have also been banned from the province.
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