DATE=12/10/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=INDONESIA - SEPARATISM (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-257020
BYLINE=PATRICIA NUNAN
DATELINE=JAKARTA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Indonesia's military says it is ready to
intervene to prevent rebellion in restive northern
Aceh province. As Patricia Nunan reports from
Jakarta, the comments come as President Abdurrahman
Wahid prepares for visits aimed at ending separatist
unrest in other parts of the country.
TEXT: Indonesia's armed forces chief, Admiral Widodo
Adisucipto, says the military is ready to take all
measures to maintain national unity. Indonesian news
reports quote the Admiral as saying the military is
prepared for the worst possible scenario resulting
from independence demands in Aceh. But Admiral Widodo
added he agrees with Indonesia's president that a
solution can only be achieved through a reconciliation
dialogue. The Admiral says if disturbances end, such
dialogue could be arranged.
Aceh is threatening to separate from Indonesia.
Many Acehnese want the right to hold an independence
referendum to allow the people to vote on the
province's political future.
President Abdurrahman Wahid has refused to allow an
independence ballot, in part because of widespread
fear within the government that if Aceh were allowed
to vote on independence, it could lead to the break-up
of Indonesia.
As part of his effort to keep the country from
splintering, the president is scheduled to travel to
another trouble spot Saturday -- Ambon, the provincial
capital of Maluku. He says he wants to talk about the
conflict there in order to clearly see how to solve
the problem.
The president also repeated a call for dialogue
between the warring Christian and Muslim groups in the
province - but he added that determining exactly who
should be involved in the discussions has led to
problems in the past.
Military officials say at least 700 people have died
in the Maluku province in clashes between Muslim and
Christian mobs since the beginning of the year.
Some human rights groups put the figure at roughly
thirteen-hundred.
But many government officials say the president's
priority should be visiting Aceh. However, Mr. Wahid
has announced no plans to visit the province.
After Ambon, President Wahid says he will travel to
the province of Irian Jaya -- also the site of growing
separatist unrest. The United Nations declared the
territory a part of Indonesia in 1969. But many of the
people there want independence for the region they
refer to as West Papua.
The president's expected trip to Maluku province comes
after almost six weeks of overseas travel, since he
took office in October. The foreign travel has drawn
criticism from some Indonesians who say that the
president is neglecting the country's internal
problems
NEB/PN/FC/PLM
10-Dec-1999 05:31 AM EDT (10-Dec-1999 1031 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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