---------------------------------------------------------- FREE for JOIN Indonesia Daily News Online via EMAIL: go to: http://www.indo-news.com/subscribe.html - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - Please Visit Our Sponsor http://www.indo-news.com/cgi-bin/ads1 ++ Pemilu Online: http://www.indo-news.com/pemilu/ ++ ---------------------------------------------------------- The Jakarta Post, 30 June, 1999 Wiranto Denies Oppression In Aceh JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen. Wiranto denied on Tuesday the presence of security troops in Aceh was causing residents to flee the volatile province. Wiranto was refuting a statement by Aceh Governor Syamsuddin Mahmud, who said after meeting with President B.J. Habibie here on Monday the trauma of a decade-long military operation in Aceh was so deep that many Acehnese fled the presence of security forces. "It's not true. TNI has never oppressed its own people. (Residents) are just afraid of threats from separatist rebel groups," Wiranto said before attending a National Defense and Security Council meeting at Bina Graha presidential office. He said TNI personnel in Aceh were grouped in the Riot Reinforcement Troops under the National Police's coordination. According to Wiranto, the current military operation aimed at restoring order in the province is well planned and supervised by field commanders. "It's the rebel groups who force people to flee and provoke them into unpredictable moves," Wiranto said. Violence in the province has not abated even with the presence of reinforcement troops in the territory. An elementary school principal and teacher in Pidie regency were shot to death by a group of unidentified people on Sunday night, hours after military troops killed a suspected rebel in North Aceh regency. Security concerns forced the General Elections Commission to cancel the general election in Pidie and North Aceh. Wiranto called on people not to heed groundless reports of military abuses in Aceh. "Does it make sense for TNI or the police to loot people's belongings? The troops are out there in an arranged operation to search for criminal groups who have in fact stirred unrest," Wiranto said. He said rebel groups in Aceh were armed with weapons which had been supplied from abroad. Most of the rebels' guns are Russian-made AK-47s. "Several times we arrested firearm smugglers and punished them," he said. In the Aceh capital of Banda Aceh, the Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI) urged a religious approach to solving the problems in the province. Speaking at a MUI chapter meeting on Monday night, MUI deputy chairman H Amidhan lashed out at the repressive and violent measures taken by security forces in quelling separatist activities in Aceh. He said the strict security approach left "domestic problems" in the province unresolved.(prb/amd) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 1 Jul 1999 jam 08:10:03 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
