PROMOTING HUMAN RIGHTS, PEACE AND DEMOCRACY IN INDONESIA

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23 January 2002

The TNI operation which led to the death of GAM commander in chief Abdullah Syafi'ie on 22 January is a further setback for hopes to revive talks between Indonesia and GAM. Last week, the Indonesian government proposed that talks should be held at a local level with GAM but this latest operation gives no reason to believe that such a proposal was made in good faith. Killing the commander of GAM cannot be seen as the opening gambit for talks.

Abdullah Syafi'ie was shot dead together with his pregnant wife, Aisyah Umar, and five personal bodyguards during an armed assault by a unit of twenty Kostrad troops from infantry battalion 330 (Siliwangi/West Java) in Sarah Panjang, Jiem-Jiem, Bandar Baru, Pidie district. These troops function under the special army command, Kolakops, which was set up following the introduction in April 2001 of presidential instruction IV/2001 by former President Abdurrahman Wahid and renewed six months later by President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Three of the five men killed in the operation have been named as:

1. Tarmizi Ahmad (32), of Abah Lueng, Bandar Baru, Pidie

2. Usman Abdullah (32) of Kayee Jato Kecamatan Bandar Baru, Pidie

3. Mahfudh (33), of Blang Sukon Kecamatan Bandar Baru, Pidie

At a time when Acehnese civil society is suffering a mounting death toll because of the increasingly bitter conflict, TAPOL fears that the death of Abdullah Syafi'ie will lead to an intensification of operations on both sides and a further deterioration in the level of security for the Acehnese people.

It stressed that the conflict in Aceh cannot be solved by means of military operations and called on the international community to do everything possible to urge the Indonesian authorities to halt the military operations so as to make it possible for talks to resume. It should also call on GAM to show restraint, following the death of their commander.

ENDS

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