DATE=11/16/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=INDONESIA / ACEH (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-256210 (CQ)
BYLINE=PATRICIA NUNAN
DATELINE=JAKARTA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid says it
is likely that a referendum on the future of the
troubled northern province of Aceh will be held in
seven months. As Patricia Nunan reports from Jakarta,
the announcement comes shortly after local Achenese
leaders issued an ultimatum to the President -- giving
him just one month to call for a referendum or they
would announce one themselves.
TEXT: Port officials in Aceh say more and more people
have started leaving the province, as the December 4th
deadline issued by independence supporters begins to
draw nearer. Officials say that up to 100 people are
leaving on each of the ships departing the port of
Malayahati. That is more than twice the number of
regular travelers. Most are migrant workers, headed
for the neighboring province of North Sumatra.
The exodus comes as Indonesian President Abdurrahman
Wahid said that an independence referendum is likely
to be held in Aceh in seven months. The president --
who made his comment to reporters while on a state-
visit to Japan -- did not elaborate on an agenda to be
followed during that time-frame.
The push for an independence referendum for Aceh has
gained new momentum since the government allowed East
Timor to break away from Indonesia after a referendum
supervised by the United Nations in August.
But analysts say many Acehnese are likely to be
skeptical of Tuesday's promise by the Indonesian
president, who has made several apparently
contradictory statements about Aceh in recent weeks.
The Speaker of Parliament, Amien Rais, says
the president's inconsistency on the issue has damaged
relations with the Acehnese.
/// RAIS ACTUALITY ///
That's why I whispered to him last Friday,
"please my brother, don't ever easily give
comments just like before. Previously you were
an N-G-O activist, you were the leader of
Nhadlatl Ulamat. Now you have a different
position, you are the president of 210 million
people of Indonesia, so be more careful and
before you say something, think over again and
again so it will become a good statement."
/// END ACT ///
The President's comment is also certain to anger some
government officials who oppose an independence
referendum. The speaker of the National Assembly and
other top officials have warned that if Aceh is
allowed to vote on its political future, other
provinces will demand the same right -- leading to the
disintegration of Indonesia.
Separatists from the "Free Aceh Movement" declared the
province independent in 1976. But the move was not
recognized by Jakarta or by the international
community. Support for the movement began to intensify
in 1989, when the Indonesian military launched a
crackdown against the separatists, which human rights
officials say has left at least two-thousand civilians
dead or missing.
NEB/PN/FC/JO
16-Nov-1999 04:49 AM EDT (16-Nov-1999 0949 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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