Will Hardie, Stockholm – Rebels from Indonesia's restive Aceh province warned new president Megawati Sukarnoputri on Wednesday that she must rein in her military and release jailed rebel officials or jeopardise peace talks.
A senior rebel official told Reuters he did not believe the removal of Sukarnoputri's predecessor, Abdurrahman Wahid, would calm tensions in the resource-rich but bloody zone.
"Who has been appointed president doesn't matter for us. The aim of the people of Aceh is getting independence. That is all," Aceh Health Minister-in-exile Zaini Abdullah said in Stockholm, where the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) has its headquarters.
Sukarnoputri took office after Indonesia's national assembly fired Wahid for incompetence last week. "In fact there has been no change at all. Especially the situation on the ground in Aceh, which is more killing and violence," Abdullah said.
Indonesia sent 1,500 troops to Aceh last month to reinforce about 30,000 police and soldiers already there. Abdullah said they had burned more than 100 homes in Aceh last week: "There is just more and more killing, raping and burning." On July 20 Indonesian police arrested six key Acehnese figures for inciting rebellion, including GAM spokesman Amni Marzuki and chief peace negotiator Nashiruddin Ahmad.
Abdullah said a new round of peace talks scheduled for Geneva in September would not go ahead unless they were freed: "They have no right to arrest those people because they are negotiators. If they do not release them, there is no chance of making more talks."
GAM has made a formal protest via a Swiss-based advocacy group which has brokered several recent rounds of talks. The last negotiations at the start of July produced no more than an accord to meet again in September.
The rebels have been fighting for decades for independence for the province on the northwestern tip of Sumatra island. Aceh accounts for a fifth of Indonesia's oil and gas exports and is an important prop for its creaking economy.
To appease deep-seated resentment, Jakarta has moved to give Aceh a greater share of its own wealth. Parliament passed a bill last month granting Aceh more power over its own affairs, which must still be approved and implemented by the new government.
Abdullah said the bill was not enough, and the rebels would never compromise on their demand for full independence. "Which way we go depends on the situation. It may be via a referendum, or we may take it directly," he said.
Although a ceasefire is in place, it has failed to prevent regular bloodshed. Human rights activists say the violence seems to emanate from both rebels and militias backed by the army.