Syaiful Amin, Jakarta – Former army chief General Ryamizard Ryacudu says the potential for Aceh and Papua to succeed from the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) is significant. At the moment he says, the two regions already have a number of prerequisites for them to become independent states.

"In order to become independent states, it only remains for Aceh and Papua to be declared [independent] and acknowledged internationally. We must respond to and plan seriously on this matter for the sake of our love for NKRI", he said at a closed informal discussion titled "60 Years of Indonesian Independence" at the Gajah Mada University in Yogyakarta on Saturday August 27.

Ryacudu said a region that wishes to become independent must fulfill a number of conditions. This includes having a system of government, a state territory, a defense force, a national anthem, a flag and international acknowledgment. In the case of Aceh and Papua he said, they already have some of these conditions and it only remains for them to declare independence and obtain international acknowledgement.

If in the end Aceh and Papua succeeded said Ryacudu, it is certain that other regions will demand independence. "The consequence is that what will happen is civil war, ethnic cleansing and mass killings as wells as gross human rights violation as occurred in Rwanda, Somalia and the like", said Ryacudu.

Ryacudu warned that what is happening now is a modern war which does not use of armed force directly. Modern war he said is waged through intelligence infiltration, education, economics, ideology, policies and the like. The consequence however, will be to weaken and control target states.

"We can [see] this in many states which then dissolve. The most recent evidence is the situation in Iraq, the life of the state has been totally destroyed, it has become a puppet state of perpetual civil war", he said.

[Translated by James Balowski.]