Jakarta – A barrage of criticism was raised on Thursday in response to the Indonesian Military and National Police's proposal to impose limited martial law in Aceh, warning such a move could lead to further human rights violations.

National Commission on Human Rights chairman Marzuki Darusman said imposing martial law in Aceh was not "feasible" and should only be considered as the "very last" alternative.

"I do not see the feasibility of instituting martial law in Aceh," Marzuki, who was recently appointed Attorney General, told The Jakarta Post here on Thursday.

"It has been the experience in the past that martial law has always led to violations of human rights. What is now needed is to restore confidence in the central government and to create multiple layers of dialog with the Acehnese as a whole, and to openly recognize the Free Aceh Movement as a precondition to effective negotiations," Marzuki said.

House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung also denounced the proposal, saying the Aceh problem could only be resolved through dialog.

"There is no urgency to impose martial law in Aceh. What we have to do is just communicate with the people of Aceh and listen to what their demands are," Akbar said.

National Police chief Gen. Roesmanhadi said on Wednesday he wanted to impose limited martial law in some areas of the restive province. He said the police were not prepared to take over from the combat troops being pulled out of the province and face the guerrilla warfare tactics of separatists fighters. Roesmanhadi specifically mentioned the areas of Pidie, North Aceh, West Aceh and South Aceh.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Subagyo Hadisiswoyo touted the proposal on Thursday, saying in Medan, North Sumatra, that martial law was necessary in areas were separatist forces were active.

Subagyo was speaking after installing Maj. Gen. Affandi as chief of the Bukit Barisan Military Command overseeing Aceh and North Sumatra. Affandi replaced Maj. Gen. Abdul Rachman Gaffar.

However the proposal to enforce limited martial law in Aceh demonstrates the inconsistency of the military and police, and raises questions about their sincerity to resolve issues through nonrepressive measures.

Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Adm. Widodo A.S. said a fortnight ago the "security approach" in Aceh had proven ineffective and would no longer be used. "Frankly speaking, the security approach is not the proper way to settle the Aceh problem," Widodo said on November 3.

This latest proposal has deepened the growing rift between the military and civilians on how to address unrest in the provinces following the East Timor debacle.

Amid increasing violence following the September announcement of the result of the self-determination referendum in the former Indonesian province, the military pushed through its proposal to impose martial law in the territory despite the initial rejection of the Cabinet and House.

Earlier in the day, President Abdurrahman Wahid defended his plan to hold a referendum in Aceh despite opposition from the House.

"I am myself of the opinion that there must be a referendum in Aceh," Abdurrahman told a House plenary session without saying whether the referendum would be for independence or greater autonomy within Indonesia.

Abdurrahman, however, invited legislators to debate whether a referendum was an acceptable option. "If necessary, we should fight; we should debate, as long as it is done in accordance with the law," Abdurrahman said, adding that debate was a healthy way to reach positive results.

Abdurrahman said he was still drafting his policy on Aceh and would not visit the province until the policy had been agreed upon. "I still don't know when I will go to Aceh because the policy has not yet been drafted by the government and other parties," he said outside the House.

House leaders rejected on Wednesday the idea of an independence referendum in Aceh, saying it was the government's task to maintain the integrity of the state.

They also derided Abdurrahman's statement that a referendum in Aceh could be held within seven months.

Further criticism of Abdurrahman's handling of Aceh came from political observer Eep Syaefullah Fatah.

He said the President might be oversimplifying the situation by quickly opting for a referendum without truly understanding the wider implications. "I'm afraid Abdurrahman Wahid will repeat the fatal blunder made by former president B.J. Habibie [in East Timor] in deciding to grant a referendum as the sole solution for the Acehnese.

"He [Abdurrahman] always sees everything as being simpler than it is. For example, when he said that those who violated human rights in Aceh were not TNI personnel but people wearing combat fatigues," Eep said. "That statement really hurt the Acehnese," he added.

Separately, some 100 students staged a protest in front of the Ministry of Defense in Central Jakarta demanding the prosecution of Army generals, including former president Soeharto, involved or responsible for rights abuses in Aceh.

The protesters from the University of Indonesia's Student Executive Body said they supported a referendum in Aceh as long as it was for greater autonomy within Indonesia.