Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) is preparing to deploy 15 battalions of troops to speed up reconstruction efforts in tsunami-hit Aceh.

TNI chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said on Thursday the head of the Aceh and Nias Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency (BRR), Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, had requested assistance from the military. Soldiers will focus on reconstruction work in remote areas that civilian contractors cannot reach, according to Endriartono.

"If the agency has no other choice but to ask for military help to carry out reconstruction then we will help, on the condition that (the BRR) provide the funds to mobilize the troops," Endriartono said.

This announcement comes as the TNI completes a major withdrawal of combat troops from the province, in line with a peace deal signed in August. The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) recently completed its disarmament, which was also a key part of the peace agreement.

The Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) announced on Wednesday the completion of GAM's disarmament, with 1,042 weapons surrendered by the former rebels. The TNI has so far withdrawn nearly 20,000 troops from Aceh, with a final 4,000 soldiers scheduled to depart the province before the end of the month.

Endriartono said the battalions to be deployed to Aceh as part of the reconstruction effort would come from the Army's logistics division. One battalion consists of between 700 and 1,000 personnel.

"TNI Headquarters is now defining the framework for the project, while the Army will prepare the human resources and the necessary equipment to assist the BRR," Endriartono said.

He was speaking following a coordination meeting on the TNI's planned non-military missions next year in areas across the country, including Aceh.

In 2005, the TNI took part in the construction of bridges in Aceh that were damaged or destroyed by the Dec. 26, 2004, tsunami. The military also reconstructed the main road linking the provincial capital Banda Aceh and Meulaboh.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Djoko Santoso said the deployment of troops to Aceh for reconstruction work was just waiting for the official green light. "Of course we will coordinate with the BRR, especially in determining what work we will undertake. We are ready to carry out the work," Djoko said.

However, GAM spokesman Bakhtiar Abdullah questioned the deployment, saying there were lots of Acehnese and former guerrillas ready to help the BRR carry out construction in the province. "In this post-conflict situation, it would be better to avoid any policy that could rekindle the trauma of the Aceh people. This redeployment, if it materializes, will remind the Acehnese of their past traumas.

The peace accord signed by both the Indonesian government and GAM requires the military to reduce the number of its troops (in the province) to 14,700.

"The planned mobilization goes against the peace agreement," Bakhtiar told The Jakarta Post. He said he would file a complaint with the AMM over the plan.

Several non-governmental organizations grouped under the Aceh Working Group also criticized the plan. "Why doesn't the BRR ask professionals to carry out the work? Any project involving the military should be seen as the disbursement of large amounts of funds without transparency," Choirul Anam of Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial) said.