Indonesia press split over Aceh fighting

Uncertain times as Indonesian troops return

As Indonesia declares martial law in Aceh and resumes military operations against separatist rebels, leading newspapers examine the troubled situation.

There are warnings that military action is unlikely to win the hearts and minds of the Acehnese, and that rebels often thrive in guerrilla warfare. The role of the international community also comes under scrutiny.

An opinion piece in Jakarta's Suara Karyasays the government is doing the right thing in resuming hostilities.

"The government must take a firm stance to solve Aceh's problems. Once again, no one in Indonesia rejects military operations against [the separatist rebel movement] Gam."

It is a mistake to base any government victory on the deaths of Acehnese people.

Detik

But according to a commentary in another Jakarta paper, Detik, "military operations are not the best solution".

"The reason is that the principle of military operations is to defeat people by killing, not by influencing their way of thinking."

"It is a mistake to base any government victory on the deaths of Acehnese people."

Another Detik commentator agrees that a military solution is short-sighted.

"The Indonesian military can defeat Gam easily since it has limited capability. The question is whether it can overcome Acehnese political sentiment, which will spread."

No pushover

A writer in the influential Jakarta daily Kompas is unconvinced that the rebels will be pushovers.

The problem of separatism in Aceh has turned from a domestic issue into an international one.

Jawa Pos

"Gam is involved in asymmetric warfare, a strategy always applied by groups with limited forces to defeat an enemy which is much more powerful.

"In general, separatist groups master this strategy well."

Surabaya's Jawa Pos feels the issue has been elevated from the national to the international arena following the failed peace talks in Tokyo.

"The involvement of a number of countries and international organisations, amongst them the US, Japan, Britain, and the European Union, as mediators in peace negotiations has turned the problem of separatism in Aceh from a domestic issue into an international one."

But the paper asks: "Is it true that these countries have no vested interests?"

An editorial in Yogyakarta's Kedaulatan Rakyat calls for the recognition of some Gam elements "who are seeking to join the Republic of Indonesia".

Jakarta's Suara Pembaruan points the finger of blame at previous governments in Jakarta.

It accuses them of "arrogance" and says they have been the cause of "the rotten fruit which is today Aceh".

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.