Indonesian press back Aceh operation

Fifty schools have been torched in one district alone

Most Indonesian papers take a resolutely pro-government and nationalist line in support of the military actions against the separatist Free Aceh Movement, or Gam, in the northern province of Aceh.

"Regardless of TNI's strengths and weaknesses, we can say that early implementation of martial law in Aceh has already shown our soldiers' professionalism... Let's give TNI a chance", writes M.S. Ramadan in Medan's Waspada.

Denpasar's Bali Post takes a similar line. "Ideally we settle Aceh's problems at the negotiations table. But, if the situation requires it, we can solve our problems on the battlefield. Therefore, the president's decree declaring integrated operations is acceptable," the paper says.

Their guerrilla war can be classified as an act of terrorism

Columnist in Jawa Pos

Writing in Jakarta's Kompas, Retired Lt. Gen. Kiki Syahnakri also agrees. "Civil society needs to understand that martial law has been declared in Aceh as a lawful screen for military resolute measures," he writes.

Gam accused

A number of papers accuse the Gam of acts of terrorism. Writing in Semarang's Suara Merdeka, military observer M.T.Arifin notes that the separatist movement's military strength has yet to be tested but accuses it of "using civilians as human shields without hesitation".

A columnist in Surabaya's Jawa Pos agrees. "If it turns out that the war strategy of Gam's military forces merely rely on violent threats which bring about widespread fear amongst civilians, and not to fight against Indonesian National Military Forces, then Gam members are not professional fighters. Clearly, their guerrilla war can be classified as an act of terrorism".

The burning down of hundreds of schools in Aceh also attracts comment. Writing for the Jakarta-based Media Indonesia, a former Gam commander, Said Ali, accuses his former comrades of "always fighting for the sake of their leaders and members' own interests".

"Gam never fights for Acehnese people... it is Gam's Commander-in-Chief Muzakir Manaf who is ordering the burning down of schools", he says.

Each side has blamed the other for the destruction.

Questions asked

But others question the tactics being employed in the military operation and the resultant loss of life, although none explicitly call on the operation to end.

One of the doubters, the Jakarta-based Sinar Harapan, reports that "in response to intensifying security uncertainties" martial law chief Major-General Endang Suwarya has issued "summary execution" orders against anyone thought to have committed a criminal act.

"In this connection, we encourage human rights monitors to work in Aceh to find out and report various human rights violations there", the paper writes in an editorial.

Another paper, Republika, worries that an overly aggressive response by the Indonesian National Military Forces, or TNI. "War is an abnormal situation", the paper argues.

"No matter how cautious they are in developing tactics to minimise civilian casualties, excesses will continue".

To invade Aceh means to violate human rights. On the other hand, if Indonesia does not do so, Gam will be out of control

Commentator in Waspada

A commentator in the Medan-based Waspada, Djoko Sugiarno, writes that the worst outcome would be an international perception that human rights were being violated, and the interference of other countries in Indonesia's domestic concerns. "To invade Aceh means to violate human rights," he writes. "On the other hand, if Indonesia does not do so, Gam will be out of control."

An editorial in Surabaya's Jawa Pos notes that, after only a few days, it was clear that the security operations launched by the military were not proving to be as simple as initially predicted. "In spite of their more powerful and larger number of troops than Gam's, it appears that TNI find it hard to paralyse the Gam," the paper writes in an editorial.

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.