lmost everything the government does is not in accord with its words. One example is its implementation of OKPH, the 'Operation for the Restoration of Security and the Enforcement of Law'. Still worse, efforts to destroy civil society are underway. All this is a form of terrorism which is likely to eliminate the peaceful process and efforts to find a comprehensive solution to the Acheh conflict. These destructive endeavours are evident from the following facts:

1. The government's policy and actions to continue with military operations, camouflaged as being for the restoration of security and law, the OKPH. In the beginning, the Jakarta government declared that OKPH would be selectively targetted. But the facts on the ground show that civilians are being deliberately targetted, that they are the main targets. A military strategy that is cloaked in law is being conducted to spread fear and destroy the social and political aspirations of the Achenese people.
2. The arrest and detention of civil society activists and convicting them in court, as in my own case as SIRA's leader, that of the coordinator of SIRA in Jakarta and others. It is evident that the government is doing everything possible to prevent civil society from playing a role in resolving the Acheh case by peaceful means.
3. The arrest, detention and shooting (dead) of GAM negotiators, as well as other Achenese leaders. This is happening despite the fact that the GAM negotiators have been formally recognised as such and given security assurances as persons who sit at the negotating table with government representatives. This is totally conter-productive and can throw the process of resolving the Acheh conflict into chaos.
4. Exploiting global issues such as the US-Afghanistan conflict. The fact that international public attention, including Indonesian public attention, has been drawn to this conflict, means that the way has been opened for even greater violence in Acheh, through military and intelligence operations. Even local newspapers are devoting most of their attention to the US-Afghanistan conflict.

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For these reasons, SIRA calls on the entire people of Acheh and lovers of peace, democracy., human rights and justice, wherever they may be, to devote serious attention to ending Indonesian terrorism and oppression in all its forms now being carried out in Acheh. The continuation of terrorism and oppression in Acheh is not only worse than international terrorism but it can also destroy the peace process and democratic aspirations of the Achenese people. The people of Acheh need support in order to be able freely to determine their own fate. A referendum to determine their future is the political compromise of the Achenese people for a peaceful process with Indonesia. A referendum is not something that should be brutally crushed because it is not unholy (haram) and warlike. SIRA therefore calls on the international community to help create a comprehensive, peaceful and free process, by also taking on the role as mediator.

SIRA also urges the Indonesian government and GAM to agree to a ceasefire and to guarantee freedom of speech to everyone, whether they support independence or integration. This is far better than for the Indonesian government to conduct aggressive and repressive military operations against the people of Acheh or for GAM to respond with the use of arms to the actions of the security forces, TNI/Polri. There is a pressing and urgent need for official international involvement at a higher level than hitherto. The Henri Dunant Centre is not adequate to the task of communicating the wishes of the two side, Acheh and Indonesia.(SIRA)

Muhammad Nazar, Chair of the Presidium Council of SIRA. This statement was released by Muhammad Nazar, chairperson of SIRA, the Information Centre for a Referendum in Acheh, at a press conference held at the office of the PBHI, the Association for Legal Aid and Human Rights in Indonesia, on 24 October 2001. Nazar was recently released from prison in Banda Acheh after serving twelve months (sic) of a ten-month sentence.