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THE PROVINCE
OF
NANGGROE ACEH DARUSSALAM (NAD)
Challenges
and Opportunities
THE LAND
Aceh
(also known as Acheh, Atjeh or Achin) is one of Indonesia's provinces
that bears the special region status that was formally called The Special
Territory of Aceh, in terms of religion, education and culture. By Law
No. 18 of 2001 on the Special Autonomy for Aceh, the Province is called
Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD). The capital of NAD is Banda Aceh or previously
known as Kutaradja.
The
Province covers an area of 57,365.57 sq. km., including 119 small islands
stretching along its western coast, 35 mountains among others Leuser,
Anu, Abong-abong, Tangga, Ulumasem, and Peut Sagu; 2 lakes: Laut Realoih
and Laut Tawar and 73 rivers among which are the Krueng Aceh, Krueng Tripa,
Krueng Peusangan, Krueng Jamboaye.
Geographically,
NAD located in the western most part of the Republic of Indonesia, between
latitudes 2N-6N, and between longitudes 95E-98E towards the northern tip
of Sumatra Island. The province constitutes 12.26% of area of Sumatra
Island. It is surrounded by Malacca Straits in the north, North Sumatra
Province in the east, Indian Ocean in the south and west. A mountain range
with thick tropical forests runs through the middle of the province.
Flora and Fauna
The
national park of Gunung Leuser is probably the wildest biosphere reserve
in Indonesia, located in Southeast Aceh that can be reached either from
Kutacane or Takengon. The Leuser ecosystem area - approximately 2.5 million
hectares of tropical rain forest, encompassing 890,000 hectares of designated
national park, as well as extensive areas of protection and production
forest at the border of North Sumatra province and Aceh. Vegetation types
include coastal beaches, swamps, and lowland and mountain forest.
The
park also has research facilities for the study of primates, birds, insects,
and other animals. Basic accommodation facilities are available at Ketambe.
The rapid-infested Krueng Alas River inside the park is popular with rafters.
To protect this unique natural heritage, the Indonesian government is
experimenting with a novel mode of conservation management by giving a
conservation concession to a non-profit making, non-governmental organization,
the Leuser International Foundation (LIF). This concession, for thirty
years, gives managerial responsibility to the LIF for all activities within
the Leuser Ecosystem. This is the first time in Indonesia that such management
has been entrusted to a private organization. The Foundation manages the
Leuser Ecosystem on behalf of the government on the basis of a Presidential
Decree (Keppres 33/1998) issued in February 1998.
Typical
fauna of Aceh includes 512 species of mammals, 313 species of birds, 76
reptiles and 18 species of amphibious animals, among others are the rhinoceros,
bear, elephant, orangutan, tiger, gibbon.
PLACES OF INTEREST
Around Banda Aceh
Banda
Aceh is the capital of Aceh and also the main gateway to the province.
The Governor's Residence was built by the Dutch in 1880 on the spot where
the palace of the sultan once stood. This building is known as one of
the historical sites with a unique architecture and completed with traditional
house equipments.
Baiturrahman Grand
Mosque
It
is one of the most outstanding landmarks in the capital city. The old
mosque that stood there before it was burnt down at the beginning of the
Aceh War, was rebuilt in 1875, taking its present shape after a number
of renovations and expansions.
Museum Negeri
It
is another charm of the city. The museum is filled with antiques. Among
the exhibits is a big clock, a gift from the Emperor of China and brought
to Aceh by the famed Admiral Cheng Ho in 1414.
Gunongan and Pinto
Khop
Gunongan
and Pinto Khop which are located a few steps from the Pendopo are also
a charm of the city. Gunongan was erected around the 16th century during
the reign of Sultan Iskandar Muda.
Kerkhop or Churchyard
It
is a much visited site especially by Dutch visitors where the remains
of more than 2,000 Dutch soldiers lie buried.
The Syiah Kuala
Grove
It
is another popular visitors object. Teungku Syiah Kuala was one of Aceh's
great Moslem Ulama's of the past. His grave stands near the mouth of the
Krueng Aceh River about 2 km from the city, visited by local visitors
and from other parts of Indonesia and Malaysia.
Indra Patra Fortress
This
old fort was built during the time of Iskandar Muda. It probably functioned
as a defense against invader's attacks.
Museum Cut Nyak Dien
It
is a historical object. The house is a replica of the heroine Cut Nyak
Dhien, from the Aceh War. The house was burned down by the Dutch but a
replica was built later, after Indonesia's independence. This house in
Lam Pisang is about 6 km from Banda Aceh, and is now a museum.
Beaches
The
most popular beaches are Gapang beach and Iboih beach in Sabang, Kuala
Dou beach is west Aceh. Other most popular and uncrowded beaches in Banda
Aceh are Ujong Batee beach, Lampu'uk beach and Lho'nga beach which are
located 16 km from Banda Aceh. All the beaches have clean water and white
sand. Sunsets are quite impressive at all beaches.
Sea Gardens
Sea
Gardens are located off shore from Banda Aceh at about 45 minutes by speedboat.
Some can be enjoyed around Rubiah island in Sabang and the rest are around
Beras islands, Aceh island and other small islands around them. In these
beautiful places, one can see gigantic clams, angelfish, lionfish, sea
fans and much more.
Around Takengon
and the Lake
Takengon
is the capital of the central area of Aceh, which lies on the west side
of Lake Tawar, 1,120 meters above sea level, with an average temperature
of 200C (680 F). The city is cool enough for a holiday resort. The scenery
is marvelous and the lake can be used for water sports, such as ski. One
can tour around the lake by motorboat or other water transportation. There
are caves around the lake slopes of the mountain and the mountain itself
is suitable for climbing. A number of hotels are being built to encourage
a rapidly increasing tourist industry.
Around Lhokseumawe
and the former Kingdom of Samudra Pasai
Lhokseumawe
is a town located 274 km from Banda Aceh, which is now being developed
as an industrial zone of Aceh. Many gigantic plants are constructed following
the discovery of huge LNG resources in the area. A touristic feature of
the town is the Samudra Pasai, the first great Islamic kingdom of Indonesia.
All that remains of it, however, is a graveyard 18 km east of the town
where one can see the grave of Malikul Saleh, the first ruler of the kingdom,
and the graves of royal family of Samudra Pasai, including that of a queen
named Nahrisyah. The kingdom produced its own gold coins, which still
can be found in the surrounding areas. Other objects for visitors are
Blang Kolam Falls and Ujung Blang beach.
THE PEOPLE
Aceh
is also known as Mecca's front veranda among Indonesians for the reason
that Islam entered the Indonesian archipelago and also Southeast Asia
through Aceh. Equally important, the first Islamic Kingdom in the archipelago
was established in Aceh, namely the Kingdom of Perlak in the year 804.
However, Aceh is not completely exclusive for Moslems as attested by the
existence in the Province, in 2000, of 91 Protestant Churches, 19 Catholic
churches, 5 Buddhist Temples and 4 Hindus Temples.
The
people of Aceh are of varied origin who are a blend of many races, and
many of them could pass for Indians or Arabs. In Lanno, on the west coast,
people tend to look more European (the heritage of Portuguese castaways).
In the interior, the descendants of people from Batak and Nias add another
ethnic twist. Roughly there are about 4 million people who live in Aceh
today. By religion, the population of the Province in 2000 consists of
3,796,027 Muslims, 31,631 Protestants, 5,662 Catholics, 708 Hindus and
9.971 Buddhists.
As
to the language, Acehnese speak Bahasa Indonesia in addition to theirs.
However, there are several dialects spoken in Aceh, namely those of Banda
Aceh, Baruh, Bueng, Daja, Pase, Pidie (Pedir, Timu) and Tunong.
THE ECONOMY
NAD
is bestowed with vast natural potentials scattered over all areas, such
as in mining, fisheries, plantation/estates, agriculture, culture with
high value, magnificent as well as attractive nature objects for tourism.
Indeed, it has ample natural resources that offer potential investment
opportunities for domestic as well as foreign investors such as in the
sectors of agriculture, forestry, mining, industries, property, fisheries,
animal husbandry commodity, and tourism.
Aceh's
economy is mainly agricultural. Nevertheless, the Province has large deposit
of minerals which can be found in 9 regencies in the Province, such as
cooper, gold, iron, sulphur, quartz sand, magnet, marble, coal, limestone,
natural gas, etc. Aceh is also part of the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand
Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) Development Project, which began in 1993. IMT-GT
covers 20.5 million people in an area of 230,000 sq. km., including 2
provinces of the northern island of Indonesia (North Sumatra and Daerah
Istimewa Aceh), 4 north Malaysian States (Kedah, Perlis, Penang and Perak)
and 5 southern border Provinces of Thailand (Songkhla, Yala, Pattani,
Narathiwat and Satun). The goals of IMT-GT are to accelerate economic
growth of the three nations and to develop closer cooperation at the government
level and in the private sectors in the fields of tourism, investment,
and trading.
NAD
is one of the provinces with tremendous potentials that have not been
completely developed. In addition to oil and natural gas, mining industry
in general is still widely open to investors as a great quantity of minerals
and deposits has not been fully utilized. Major industries currently in
operation are PT. Arun LNG, PT. Aceh Asean Fertilizer, PT. Pupuk Iskandar
Muda (Fertilizer), PT. Mobil Oil Indonesia, Pulp and Paper, PT Aromatic,
and Andalas Cement Factory. In agriculture, particularly in plantation
estates, significant achievement has been made. The production of crude
palm oil is over 257,000 tons, while 47,000 hectares of land are reserved
for expansion. Therefore, the opportunities to establish downstream processing
operations are widely opened.
It
is unfortunate, however, that the prolonged conflict in the province inevitably
disturbs economic activities in some areas, and creates disruptions in
its economy. However, the government continues to strengthen measures
to ensure the security and to create a conducive environment for economic
activities in the province.
The Sabang Integrated Economic Zone (IEDZ)
The
Sabang IEDZ (Kawasan Pengembangan Ekonomi Terpadu-KAPET Sabang) is one
of the 15 economic development zones established by the Government of
Indonesia for developing and promoting the potentials of every zone in
the country. The Sabang IEDZ is the only one in the northern part of Indonesia.
It was established by a decree of the President of the Republic of Indonesia,
No. 171, 1998, and officially inaugurated on September 22, 1998.
The Sabang IEDZ is an
agency established by the government to serve the needs of domestic and
foreign investors investing in the zone. The agency will provide a one
roof service to any investor interested in investing in the zone such
as legal and law services and assisting investors in obtaining permits,
recruiting labor/employees, tax services and other services related to
investment in the zone. Beside that Sabang IEDZ will provide tax incentives
for investors such as Value Added Tax and Sales Tax on Luxury Goods will
not imposed, exemption from Income Tax under Article 22 on the import
of capital goods and related equipment, accelerated depreciation and or
amortization in the sector of Income tax and deductible production cost.
Sabang is located in
the Island of Weh, one of the islands that located at the northern tip
of Sumatra Island. The Sabang IEDZ covers an area of 263.75 sq. km. and
includes the Weh, Rubia, Rondo, Selako and Klah islands in the Sabang
Municipality area and the Brueh, Nasi and Teunom islands in the Regency
of Aceh Besar.
THE POLITICAL HISTORY
Chinese chronicles from
as early as the sixth century speak of a kingdom called Po-Li on the northern
tip of what is now Sumatra. Arabic writings and Indian inscriptions from
around the 9th century also mention this area and its obvious importance.
Of all the regions in Indonesia, Aceh, at the northwestern end of Sumatra,
was the first to have contact and be influenced by the outside world.
According to some historians,
Islam first entered the Indonesian archipelago, and possibly all of Southeast
Asia, through Aceh sometime around the year 700. The first Islamic Kingdom
in Aceh was Perlak, established in 804. In 1292, Marco Polo visited Sumatra
and reported that in the northern part of the island there were as many
as six busy trading ports. For many centuries Aceh was a very distinct
and influential political entity. The Sultan of Aceh, along with the Sultan
of Malacca, was a major controller of trade through the straits. In 1511,
the Portuguese seized the important strategic port of Malacca, pushing
many Asian and Arabic traders to call instead on the developing port of
Aceh.
Under
the reign of Sultan Iskandar Muda (1607-36), Aceh was the most powerful
state in the region. At that time, Aceh was dominant in trade and politics.
Since the death of Sultan Iskandar Thani in 1641, the influence of Aceh
had gradually declined. As a result, both the British and Dutch began
vying for domination. Eventually the signing of the London Treaty 1824
saw the Dutch gain control of all British possessions in Sumatra. It was
a long drawn out struggle for the Dutch in attempts to subdue the rebellious
and courageous Acehnese. The Aceh War, which lasted intermittently from
1873 to 1942, was the longest ever fought by the Dutch costing them over
10,000 lives.
It
is important to recall that Aceh was one of the proponents of Indonesia's
independence in 1945 and its contribution is well recognized in the country.
Aceh had a big role in building the country from the beginning. At the
end of Japanese occupation during the Second World War, local resistance
prevented the Dutch from returning. The people of Aceh also gave financial
and material support to the nascent Indonesian Republic in the late 1940s.
When the Government of the Netherlands formally transferred its sovereignty
over the Dutch East Indies, including Aceh, to the Government of Indonesia,
in 1949, the territory became legally a part of Indonesia. On 28 September
1950, Indonesia was accepted as a member of the United Nations and since
then, the international community has recognized the Aceh province as
an integral part of Indonesian territory.
In
1950 the central government curbed the de-facto autonomy that Aceh had
enjoyed within the Republic by merging it with the province of North Sumatra.
This threatened the influence of local elites and the ulema, Aceh's influential
Islamic scholars, who feared that the role of Islam would be undermined.
The result was an armed rebellion that began in 1953. This rebellion was
linked to several other revolts across the country, known collectively
as the Darul Islam (House of Islam) because of their advocacy of a central
role for Islam in the state. The aim of these revolts, like the PRRI and
Permesta rebellions of the same period, was to change the character of
the government in Jakarta, but not to separate from Indonesia. The rebellion
in Aceh only petered out in the early 1960s, after President Soekarno
had returned Aceh's provincial status and its autonomy in religious and
cultural matters. The settlement calmed tensions between Aceh and the
central government for more than a decade.
The notion that Aceh should
secede from Indonesia does not seem to have become widespread until the
late 1970s, after the New Order Government had stripped the content out
of the autonomy promised by President Soekarno. The growth of oil and
gas-based industries along Aceh's northeastern coast also created social
dislocations, fueled by resentment at the way the profits of these industries
were siphoned out of the province by people from Jakarta and foreign business,
with little benefit accruing to the Acehnese.
The
first secessionist uprising began in 1976, under the leadership of Hasan
di Tiro, who founded the Aceh Liberation Movement (GAM). The movement
had little military strength and was quickly contained by the security
forces. Hasan di Tiro fled to Sweden where he lives in exile. The uprising
erupted again in 1989, aided by the return to Aceh of a group of guerrillas,
reportedly more than 250 persons who had been trained abroad. The rebellion
was most intense in the regions along Aceh's northeastern coast, which
are home to many industries of the province and half its population, and
led to guerrilla war which has continued intermittently to this day. The
past central government responded with a repressive approach. From 1989
to 1998, Aceh has been under military operation which was known as Operasi
Jaring Merah or Red Net Operation. The excess of this operation which
manifested in various human rights abuses, created a deep resentment and
distrust of the government which continues to fuel demands for independence,
particularly in the northeastern areas.
The
fall of the New Order Government in May 1998 created an opportunity to
break with the repressive policy that had been adopted a decade earlier.
In August 1998 the government of President B.J. Habibie revoked the status
of Aceh as Military Operations Area. He visited Aceh in 1999 and apologised
for the past abuses and made a number of pledges to the Acehnese. These
promises included legal action against human rights abusers, scholarships
for children orphaned during the conflict and measures to boost the economy,
such as the repair of a defunct railway to neighbouring North Sumatra
and the reopening of the port of Sabang which had been closed a decade
earlier.
The
Habibie government offered more political and economic autonomy to all
of Indonesia's provinces, including Aceh, through Laws No. 22 and 25 of
1999. These laws, which did not take effect until the start of 2001, transferred
extensive governmental powers from the centre to the regions, along with
a share of the net income from natural resources in each region. Moreover,
Aceh has also been granted its own additional law, No. 44 of 1999, which
defined the `special status' of the province as the right to organise
its own religious, cultural and educational affairs within the national
guidelines set by the central government. However, the law was overtaken
by the plans for a much more extensive autonomy law, which is now reflected
in Law No. 18 of 2001 on the Special Autonomy for Aceh.
As
the central government failed to deliver on its promises at the speed
expected by Acehnese amid the euphoria of new political freedom in the
country, GAM re-emerged during this period and spread outwards from the
northeastern coastal areas into the west, the south and the mountainous
centre of the province. The development in East Timor in 1999 inadvertently
encouraged GAM and Acehnese civil activists to widen their demands from
justice to self-determination in Aceh.
IN SEARCH OF A LASTING PEACE IN ACEH
Suffice
to say that problems in the Province are multidimensional, caused, among
others, by economic injustices resulting from the very centralized system,
by violations of human rights perpetrated in the past, and the existence
of an armed separatist movement that has in turn provoked certain aspirations
among a small number of the Acehnese society to secede from the Republic
of Indonesia. The Province of NAD has been an integral part of the territory
of the Republic of Indonesia from its very inception and the Government
is determined to defend Indonesia's territorial integrity.
Nevertheless,
in dealing with the problems in Aceh, the Government of the Republic of
Indonesia strongly believes that a solution could only be found through
dialogue and not through the use of force. In fact, the Government is
mandated by the People's Consultative Assembly, the highest state organ,
to settle the problem of Aceh through dialogue and reconciliation and
to grant Aceh a Special Autonomy.
Indeed,
the government's commitment to dialogue has been clearly demonstrated
since January 2000 when it began engaging in negotiations with the Free
Aceh Movement (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka/GAM) facilitated by the Henry Dunant
Institute (later renamed the Humanitarian Dialogue Centre). After a series
of meetings in Switzerland, both parties signed a Joint Understanding
on Humanitarian Pause for Aceh on 12 May 2000. The main goals of the Understanding
were to deliver humanitarian assistance to those effected by the conflict
situation; to formulate security modalities with a view to supporting
the delivery of humanitarian assistance and to reducing tension and violence
which may cause further suffering; and to promote confidence-building
measures towards a peaceful solution to the conflict situation in Aceh.
During
the first phase of the implementation of the Understanding, which lasted
from June 2 to September 2, 2000, there was an improvement in the security
situation in the Province. However, there was also a deep concern that
on many occasions, the GAM continued to violate the Understanding, such
as raising the flag of GAM, attacks on police outposts, extortion, distribution
of threatening letters and intimidation of local government officials
from village to district level with the objective of disrupting and stopping
government services. Moreover, there has been strong evidence that GAM
abused the Humanitarian Pause by consolidating, including recruiting and
training more of their armed elements. All these activities were undoubtedly
in violation of and contrary to the spirit of the Joint Understanding.
Despite
breaches of the Humanitarian Pause by GAM, in September 2000, the Government
agreed that the Humanitarian Pause be extended until 15 January 2001.
During the second phase of the implementation, the security situation
in Aceh, however, did not show much progress due to the lack of GAM's
commitment to genuinely implement the Understanding.
On
6-9 January 2001, both parties again met and decided to terminate the
Pause. Substantially, both agreed to hold a substantive political dialogue
seeking a formula for a lasting and comprehensive solution to the conflict
by using non-violent means. The meeting also agreed to formulate new security
arrangements and to create a mechanism for all-inclusive democratic consultations
in Aceh on substantive issues including human rights, socio-economic development,
while a one-month moratorium on violence was agreed. As a follow up of
the meeting, in February 2001, commanders from the Police/TNI and GAM
held a series of commander to commander talks and reached agreements among
others: to stop violence and to maintain law and order in Aceh.
Despite
the inability of GAM to fulfill its commitment, a meeting was reconvened
in Switzerland on 30 June and 1 July 2001. Its objectives were to re-establish
contact and to explore security guarantee so as to enable the operation
of vital objects in Aceh. In the political aspect, agreement was reached
to conduct an all-inclusive dialogue among the elements of Acehnese society,
including GAM. In the security aspect, GAM insisted on a comprehensive
cease-fire, while the Government demanded a gesture of good faith from
GAM that they issue a guarantee not to disturb the operation of vital
objects as well as to involve GAM's regional commander in commander-to-commander
meetings. Since GAM could not fulfill these conditions, the government
decided to freeze the Committee on Security Matters, until such a time
that GAM would change its position.
Following
the meetings in 2001, the Indonesian Government and GAM continued to have
dialogue facilitated by the 'Henry Dunant Center' (HDC), and managed to
produce some more agreement inter alia: agreement on 'Points for Further
Consultation' on February 2002; a joint statement, underlining the acceptance
of NAD Law as a starting point for a democratic all-inclusive dialogue,
involving all elements of Acehnese society on May 2002; and an agreement
on the cessation of hostilities signed by the Government of the Republic
of Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement on 9 December 2002 in Geneva,
Switzerland. Under this latter agreement, both sides agreed inter alia:
not to increase their military might in Aceh; to support the process of
all-inclusive dialogue in Aceh facilitated by the HDC; to reactivate the
Joint Security Committee (JSC) in order to formulate the implementation
of the agreement and to monitor the security situation in Aceh. The JSC
was also empowered to undertake investigations of any security violations,
to take appropriate action to restore the security situation and to apply
the sanctions. To focus its attention in establishing and maintaining
the security in Aceh, the JSC would establish certain regions in Aceh
as 'peace zones'; and that issues or disputes arising from the implementation
of the agreement were to be solved through a joint council composed of
the most senior representatives of the Indonesian government, the Free
Aceh Movement and the HDC.
RECENT INITIATIVES
In
its efforts to solve the problems of Aceh, the Indonesian government had
decided to adopt a comprehensive approach, and to address the political,
economic, social, law and order, security and information and communication
aspects of the problem. This policy was reflected in Presidential Instruction
No. 4/2001 on "Comprehensive steps in the context of resolving the
Aceh problem" issued in April 2001. It defined the problem as the
dissatisfaction of the people and the existence of an armed separatist
movement. It outlined a six-point plan which included restoration of peace
and security, the passing of the autonomy law, the restoration of the
functioning of local government, restoration of economy and society, the
reassertion of the rule of law and an information campaign to explain
the strategy to the Acehnese.
In
accordance with the change of national leadership and developments in
the field, the administration of President Megawati Soekarnoputri conducted
some adjustment to the Instruction through the issuance of Presidential
Instruction No. 7/2001 which essentially revised the earlier instruction
and reaffirmed the comprehensive approach to the solution of the problems
in Aceh.
Against
its true spirit and objective, the instruction has mistakenly been construed
by several quarters as a new military approach. It is worth mentioning
however that the security aspect is only one dimension to the comprehensive
approach. In this regard, the security apparatus will avoid casualties
among innocent people, which are usually used as human shields by the
armed separatist movement. Any necessary operations would be conducted
by well-trained professional counter insurgency units of the TNI, preceded
by intelligence operations to gain accuracy of the target, that is, the
members of the armed separatist movement. The Government is also convinced
that the limited security operation would create a more conducive environment
necessary for the implementation of development programs including humanitarian
assistance badly needed by the Acehnese which have been hindered by the
activities of GAM.
Although
the government has been confronted by its own domestic critics for pursuing
a policy of allowing itself to be equal with the separatists, the dialogues
have been conducted by the good offices of the Henry Dunant Center, as
have been explained earlier in this book (see: In search of a Lasting
Peace in Aceh). But while its efforts to solve the problems of Aceh through
persuasion and dialogue with GAM are time-consuming, they have so far
brought out minimum results. Some progress had actually been made, in
particular following the cessation of hostilities agreement in December
2002, such as the establishment of the first peace zone in Aceh covering
Indrapuri District in the Greater Aceh regency on 25 January 2003 by JSC;
the designation of peace zones by JSC covering Kaway XVI in West Aceh
regency, Peusangan in Bireuen regency, Tiro in Pidie regency, Sawang in
West Aceh regency, Simpang Keramat in North Aceh regency and Idi Tunong
in East Aceh regency.
Regrettably, this encouraging
progress did not materialise further as the rebels capitalised on the
relatively calm environment to further consolidate their forces by continuing
activities to recruit new members for their military wing and by establishing
a new administrative structure; as well as running campaigns to have a
referendum for independence in Aceh, all of which are not in accordance
with the agreement. In addition, the rebels continue their intimidatory
tactics on large companies, on the public from various professions and
ordinary people to raise what are so called 'Nanggroe taxes' to fund their
independence cause. Furthermore, the rebels have shown their defiance
by refusing to start the five-month disarmament process as required by
the agreement. Under the agreement, the rebels in phases were to begin
the process of disarming in those designated areas.
These
unwelcome situations have yet again forced the Indonesian government to
revisit the military option, a difficult one, but it should not be ruled
out to meet the rebels' uncompromistic stance for Aceh independence.
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