DATE=1/25/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=INDONESIA / UNREST (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-258404
BYLINE=PATRICIA NUNAN
DATELINE=JAKARTA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Indonesia's two top leaders are traveling
in different parts of the country, to help
restore calm in the strife-torn provinces of Aceh
and Maluku. As Patricia Nunan reports from
Jakarta, the religious violence and separatist
unrest is threatening to break Indonesia apart.
TEXT: Warships waited offshore while hundreds of
police and troops stood by in Aceh's Sabang port
Tuesday, to ensure security for President
Abdurrahman Wahid's visit. The President is
traveling to the island of We, off the northern
tip if the province. His visit with local
community leaders is aimed at ending demands for
Aceh's independence from Indonesia.
Just hours before Mr. Wahid's arrival, four
Indonesian marines and three guerrillas from the
rebel "Free Aceh Movement" were killed in two
separate gun-battles in the province. The rebels
have been fighting for independence since the
1970's, but have stepped up their campaign for
statehood since the Indonesian government granted
independence to East Timor three months ago.
Last week the government said rebel leaders would
be invited to participate in the talks. However,
with the meetings already underway, it appears no
guerrillas will be taking part.
It is President Wahid's first visit to Aceh since
he came to power in October. Shortly after taking
office, the president made a series of
contradictory statements about whether he would
allow an independence referendum to be held in
the province. Analysts say Mr. Wahid's remarks
only fueled the mistrust shared by many Acehnese
towards the government in Jakarta.
President Wahid now says he has ruled out the
possibility of independence for Aceh. Instead the
government wants to offer the Acehnese a higher
degree of control over the province's natural gas
and oil reserves, as an incentive to remain
within Indonesia.
Meanwhile in eastern Indonesia, Vice-President
Megawati Sukarnoputri is heading a government
delegation to Maluku province to help bring an
end to the religious violence there.
Ms. Megawati is on the second day of a two-day
visit, during which she visited a refugee camp
sheltering thousands of people fleeing religious
clashes. The vice president has also met with
leaders of the province's Muslim and Christian
communities. She is expected to return to
Jakarta later Tuesday.
Clashes between Muslims and Christians in Maluku
have claimed more than two thousand lives in the
past year. The religious tension spilled into
the resort island of Lombok last week, where five
people were killed in three days of anti-
Christian rioting.
The religious unrest coupled with the separatist
push in Aceh and other provinces has raised
concerns that Indonesia could be on the verge of
disintegration.
President Wahid has made preservation of the
Indonesian nation the main priority of his
government.(SIGNED)
NEB/PN/GC/FC
25-Jan-2000 04:44 AM EDT (25-Jan-2000 0944 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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