Lindsay Murdoch, Jakarta – The Indonesian President, Mr Addurrahman Wahid, has ruled out a referendum on independence for Aceh, raising fears of more violence in the resource-rich province at the tip of the island of Sumatra.
Mr Wahid said during a visit to the Middle East that the referendum he had earlier promised would cover only the introduction of sharia, or Islamic law, and not independence.
Asked about demands in Aceh for a vote on self-rule, Mr Wahid said: "No, no, never, because all countries, including the United States, back Indonesia's sovereignty over all areas of the country."
His refusal to bow to demands for an East Timor-style referendum puts his administration and the country's security forces on a collision course with Acehnese independence groups, who say they will accept nothing less than full independence.
Activists have given the Government until December 4 to announce a vote on independence or else they will attempt to raise the flag of the outlawed Free Aceh Movement.
In one of the biggest demonstrations in the country's history more than 750,000 people rallied in Aceh's capital, Banda Aceh, on November 8 to demand a vote on self-determination.
Although Aceh is staunchly Islamic, the introduction of Islamic law has not been the focus of anti-Jakarta protests.
Indonesia's lower parliament, the House of Representatives, has already passed legislation allowing provinces to introduce Islamic practices.
A leading Acehnese human rights activist, Mr Abdul Gani Nurdin, told the Herald that a three-day strike would be called on December 4 and the GAM's flag raised.
"This is totally wrong," Mr Nurdin said. "Independence is non-negotiable. Aceh is already following Islamic law." He warned that unless the people were granted an independence vote "it could end up in war".
Almost 300 people, including 88 Indonesian soldiers, have been killed in clashes in Aceh since late last year.
Yesterday Indonesian security forces dispatched 870 elite police to Aceh despite an order by Mr Wahid several weeks ago for 600 combat troops to be withdrawn in an effort to ease tensions.
The Indonesian military commander in Aceh, Colonel Syarifuddin, warned that his men would fight to the death to ensure the province remained part of Indonesia.
"I and my soldiers will defend Aceh from separation from Indonesia until our last blood," he said. "We are not afraid of people saying that we violate human rights. We have every right to protect ourselves."
Indonesia's armed forces have been pushing for the introduction of martial law in the province, a move strongly opposed by the Acehnese groups.
The military stands accused of widespread human rights violations in Aceh during a decade-long crackdown on dissent that spawned a highly organised rebel movement.
The province's military chief, Colonel Syarifuddin Tippe, said civil servants and thousands of other people have fled Aceh ahead of the December 4 deadline.
"I cannot say Aceh is safe," he said. "Even the army cannot secure and cover almost all the areas in Aceh. That's why I cannot guarantee the lives of the Acehnese people."
[On November 6, AFP reported that Vice-president Megawati Sukarnoputri was quoted in an interview with the Tokyo publication, Mainichi Shimbun, as saying that "As long as the special province of Aceh is part of Indonesia, it is critical not only to listen to what Aceh people want ... but also to pay heed to what [Indonesian] people think as a whole". She also said that there were three ways forward for a referendum: a national referendum, an Aceh-wide referendum, or a referendum restricted only to the indigenous people of Aceh - James Balowski.]