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'The
government will suffer for their decision,' ...'The more
troops they send to Acheh, the more they will go back in
bodybags. We cannot let them kill our people.' —
ABDULLAH
SYAFIIE, free
Acheh Movement commander
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 RESIDENT
ABDURRAHMAN WAHID last week signed
a decree authorizing an new offensive against the Free Acheh
Movement after a year-long series of failed negotiations and
cease-fires.
"The government will suffer for their decision,"
rebel commander Abdullah Syafiie told the Associated Press
at his hideout in the Pidie district.
"The more troops they send to Acheh, the more they will
go back in bodybags. We cannot let them kill our
people."
Wahid's administration has justified a build-up of troops in
Acheh, saying that rebel activities have escalated sharply in
recent months, crippling the local government and industries
in the oil- and gas-rich province.
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| iNTERNET:
WASHINGTON POST, MSNBC and BBC |
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More than 400 people have died in fighting this year and
more than 6,000 in the last decade.
On Thursday, four civilians, including a small boy, were
killed in East Acheh. It wasn't immediately clear who was
responsible for the shootings.
Last month rebel attacks forced the U.S. energy giant Exxon
Mobil Corp. (XOM) to halt gas production in the province, on
the northern tip of Sumatra island.
The closure is costing cash-strapped Indonesia millions of
dollars a day in lost revenues and has scared away other
foreign investors.
Wahid has promised that the new hunt for rebels won't claim
civilian lives. However, many fear that Indonesia's troops,
who are notorious for widespread human rights abuses, will
also target unarmed people.
"We abhor the inhumane and lawless acts of the
soldiers. They also burn villagers' houses and loot their
belongings," said Muhammad Yus, who heads Acheh's
regional legislature.
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