Lela E. Madjiah, Banda Aceh – The Indonesian Military (TNI) seems to be succeeding in its efforts to crush the armed separatist movement in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, with reports of an increasing number of armed separatists being killed and arrested, as well as a rise in the number of separatists surrendering.
During the first phase of the operation to restore security and order in the province, from May 2 to Nov. 1, 2001, security forces killed 417 members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and arrested another 223. A total of 593 GAM members surrendered during this period.
Security forces also confiscated 269 rifles, including 125 military-standard rifles, 39,258 rounds of ammunition, 133 homemade bombs, 157 detonators, 213 motorcycles, 37 cars and nine speedboats from the rebels.
On the TNI's side, the number of troops killed and wounded has been declining. A total of 34 combat troops were killed and another 10 were wounded during the first phase of the operation. The number of troops killed from Nov. 2, 2001, to March 1, 2002, stood at 20.
Recent statistics show that one-third of villages in Aceh are still under GAM's influence, and activities have not yet returned to normal in these villages.
This figure is a reversal of the situation prior to the issuance of Presidential Instruction No. 4/2001, which approved the resumption of military operations in the province. Then, nearly 60 percent of villages were under GAM's influence or served as GAM operational bases.
Today, GAM's strength is concentrated in six of the province's 11 regencies – Pidie, North Aceh, Central Aceh, East Aceh, West Aceh, South Aceh, although most GAM attacks in recent months have been launched from Pidie, North Aceh, East Aceh and West Aceh.
"In many areas life has returned to normal, albeit slowly and mostly in the big cities, as more and more people have confidence in the ability of the security forces to protect them," Aceh Military Commander Brig. Gen. M. Djali Yusuf told visiting Army Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Kiki Syahnakri last week.
Kiki was in the province to evaluate troop performance with the arrival of replacement units to relieve soldiers that had been deployed in the province since last year.
On the first day of his visit last Wednesday, Kiki bunked down with troops in Indrapuri in Aceh Besar regency, around 30 kilometers from Banda Aceh. He also met with the local village head and district chief and a local legislator.
"In the past, they [local residents] did not dare meet with us for fear of reprisal from GAM. The fact that the district chief and village head agreed to meet me was proof that the situation is improving and people feel safe to meet and talk to us," Kiki said.
Djali conceded, however, that in rural and remote areas out of the reach of security forces very little had changed. To reduce GAM's rural influence, the TNI has changed its strategy, relying more on its mobile units to patrol areas where troops are not deployed on a permanent basis. The aim is to restore local authority and revive the economy.
For TNI, however, its greatest achievement is not the killing or arrest of GAM members, but convincing separatists to end their armed rebellion. That was the message Kiki sent to troops during his visit there.
"The total elimination of GAM members is not the sole aim of TNI's operations in Aceh. What is more important is for TNI to encourage GAM members to surrender," Kiki told troops in Banda Aceh, Lhokseumawe in North Aceh, and East Aceh.
TNI is fully aware that military operations alone will not end the conflict in Aceh. "The history of separatist movements in Indonesia has shown that military operations do not end the conflicts. However, dialog without military pressure will not work either.
"The government is always open to dialog because GAM members are Indonesian citizens. They are our brothers. However, if GAM continues to use force, then there is no alternative but to respond with force," Kiki said, adding that it is the duty of TNI to safeguard Indonesia's territorial integrity against secessionist efforts.
He also reminded troops that the ultimate weapon against separatist guerrillas was military professionalism. "Military professionalism is the embodiment of military skills and military character. The first relates to such skills as marksmanship, while the second relates to military behavior, how troops behave in combat and noncombat situations."
He stressed that while military skills were important, the behavior of troops was even more so. "In guerrilla warfare, winning the hearts and minds of the people is key to winning the battle and ultimately the war. It is therefore important for every soldier to show respect to the people, to practice the TNI's Seven Ways and Eight Obligations, in order to secure the support of the people," he said.
The Seven Ways are the soldiers' pledge of allegiance to the nation and state, their pledge to defend the country and people, to uphold the truth, justice and discipline, and to obey commands.
The TNI's Eight Obligations are the soldiers' pledge to respect and protect the people of the nation, to maintain their self-esteem and to set a positive example in solving problems.
"Let the Seven Ways and Eight Obligations be your guide and when people see that TNI troops are good people, then they will no longer side with GAM. They will have the courage to fight GAM and defend TNI," Kiki said.