Banda Aceh – Independence fighters in the Indonesian state of Aceh pledged Sunday that they were ready for all-out resistance against new government troops being sent to the region.
The Free Aceh Movement (GAM), which has been fighting for independence for the last 25 years, also warned non-Acehnese to leave the province immediately.
"We will deploy all our trained guerrillas with full armament to face the TNI [the Indonesian armed forces] troops that are specially dispatched here to hunt us," North Aceh GAM deputy commander Sofyan Daud said.
In a written communique issued on Sunday, Daud said that the GAM will deploy tens of thousands of its guerrillas from its various bases across Aceh to face the soldiers who are set to arrive in Aceh later in the day.
Jakarta is sending an additional 11 companies of anti-guerrilla troops, or about 1,100 men, to Aceh with the first batch expected to arrive in Aceh later on Sunday.
"The statement of the TNI Commander, Admiral Widodo Adisucipto, has made it clear that what has been taking place in Aceh so far is really a military operation," Daud said.
"This has been made even clearer with the reinforcement of 11 companies of anti-guerrilla soldiers and the establishment of the Command for the Implementation of Operations in Aceh." The troop reinforcements have been given special training in Bandung, West Java, according to the military.
Widodo on Friday announced the establisment of the operation command to be headed by Brigadier General Zumroni. The troop deployment signals a takeover by the military from the police in handling the guerillas in Aceh. Up until now, police have been in charge of anti-guerrillas efforts and the military have only provided back-up.
"To non-Acehnese resident, we ask you to leave the country of our forebears as soon as possible. And all activities related to Indonesia in Aceh should immediately cease," Daud said in the statement. He singled out people from Java, the main Indonesian island, which he said would be used by the military as spies and help its intelligence operations in Aceh.
"With all respect, we ask our brothers from the Javanese ethnic group to temporarily move out, because we do not want you, who have been thrown out of your own region, to become the unnecessary victims should war break out between GAM guerrillas and Indonesian security troops," Daud said. He predicted that the violence that marked the nine years of anti-gerrilla military operations in Aceh under former president Suharto, would be repeated in the region with the new military drive.
The military operation, which was only halted under Suharto's successor BJ Habibie in August 1998, was widely criticized amid allegations of gross human rights violations. Thousands of civilians, soldiers and guerillas died during the nine-year operation and many more were seriously injured, went missing or lost their homes.
GAM has been fighting for a free Islamic state in oil and gas rich Aceh since 1976. The rebels and the government have since last year agreed on a series of truces but have been unable to put an end to violence.