Aceh fighting concerns regional media

Fifty schools have been torched in one district alone

As fierce fighting erupts in Indonesia's northern province of Aceh following the breakdown of peace talks between Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels and the Jakarta government, papers in major regional countries like Australia and Malaysia express fears of a possible humanitarian catastrophe.

In Indonesia itself, a leading political figure has echoed the comments of numerous commentators that the military option is a sign of political failure.

"The Indonesian Government recognizes that a new assault on GAM risks creating a humanitarian disaster," Sydney's The Australian argues, noting that Jakarta expects 100,000 refugees to flee to other Sumatran provinces and across the sea to Malaysia.

Lingering resentment ... precludes any role we might otherwise wish to play as peacemakers in the Aceh stand-off

The Australian

"Jakarta's paramount concern since East Timor achieved independence in 1999 has been the territorial integrity of Indonesia," it continues.

"Unfortunately, the policies used to ensure that integrity have veered wildly between worthwhile attempts to placate separatist concerns and authoritarian adventures such as the present assault in Aceh."

The Australian laments that Australia has "little diplomatic purchase on Indonesia, despite our $100m or so of aid money each year".

"Lingering resentment over our involvement in the liberation of East Timor precludes any role we might otherwise wish to play as peacemakers in the Aceh stand-off."

Melbourne's The Age sees no hope for the immediate future.

"Two things are certain about the newly resumed war in Aceh: a lot of innocent people will die and not many people will care.

"Almost as predictable is that Indonesia's latest promise to crush the rebel army will fail, just as it has in the past," the paper says.

Malaysian fears

Malaysia's Chinese-language daily Sin Chew Jit Poh warns that the Aceh problem will have wider consequences.

"This action to wipe out the Free Aceh Movement rebel army will not only affect Indonesia's national stability and unity, but will also threaten regional security and peace in South-East Asia."

"What is worrying," the paper continues, "is that if the Indonesian authorities hit too fiercely with a big stick, it could encourage GAM, separatist outfits in Irian Jaya and other places to unite, which would then exhaust the [Jakarta] central government and slow down the operations against rebel forces."

Another Chinese-language Malaysian paper, Nan Yang Siang Pau, also expresses concern over the humanitarian crisis.

New rebel groups will appear so long as systematic injustice mushrooms in this country

Cleric quoted in Kompas

"The international community should, based on humanitarian principles, pay attention to developments in the war to strive to reduce the number of Acehnese civilian casualties."

It calls for the international community "to strive to push both sides to return to the negotiating table, and tackle the roots of the problem through peaceful negotiations".

'War no solution'

Back in Indonesia, Jakarta's Kompas believes "there is no more time for us to argue whether the government's decision is right or wrong".

But, if Jakarta's military campaign is to succeed, "the most important thing is to carry out operations in a total and honest way, with one principal purpose: to win Acehnese hearts".

In the same paper, Christian cleric Steven Mere warns that "even if the violent military approach succeeds in paralysing separatist groups in Aceh, Maluka and Papua [Irian Jaya], various new rebel groups will appear so long as systematic injustice mushrooms in this country".

A similar argument is made by former Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid in Media Indonesia.

"The solution to the Aceh problem should be through a peace agreement only," he writes. "Military operations show that the government has failed and has grown desperate to solve the problem."

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.