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SLUG: 2-269104 Indonesia/Aceh
DATE:
NOTE NUMBER:

DATE=11/11/00

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=INDONESIA/ACEH (l-o)

BYLINE=PATRICIA NUNAN

DATELINE=JAKARTA

NUMBER=2-269104

INTERNET=

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Thousands of people have attended a rally in Indonesia's northern Aceh province to call for an independence referendum - in the region plagued by separatist unrest. As Patricia Nunan reports from Jakarta, the rally was held despite the deaths of at nearly two dozen people in the days leading up to the event.

Text: A military helicopter circled overhead and armored cars stood by as thousands of people attended the rally at the grand

mosque in the center of Aceh's provincial capital, Banda Aceh. Protesters chanted "Referendum" and "Free Aceh" - while many

waved flags belonging to the guerrilla separatist group, the "Free Aceh Movement."

So far, however, security forces have not interfered with the rally - intended to demand the right to hold a vote on independence for Aceh province.

The low-profile assumed by the military Saturday stands in marked contrast to the three days leading up to the rally. Human rights groups and rally organizers have accused Indonesian troops of unprovoked shooting at convoys of vehicles at checkpoints outside Banda Aceh, roughly 750 kilometers north of the Indonesian capital Jakarta. Human rights officials also accuse the military of arresting several of the rally organizers.

Local military commanders deny that troops shot at civilians. Instead they say, the deaths occurred when troops fired in

self-defense after attacks by guerrillas from the Free Aceh Movement.

Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid said he believes the shootings were carried out by renegade members of the military - who still wear their official military uniforms.

President Wahid has ruled out the possibility of independence for Aceh - a province rich in oil and natural gas. Instead the

government wants to offer Aceh and other disgruntled provinces more control over the revenue derived from their natural resources.

But the damage may already have been done. Analysts say many Acehnese have grown disillusioned with promises by the

central government - which has also promised in the past to withdraw the Armed Forces from the province. At least five thousand people are believed to have died in the 10 years since the military began its crackdown on the guerrilla "Free Aceh Movement" - which in turn has fueled support for the guerrillas.

The "Free Aceh Movement" has been fighting for independence since the 1970's.

The two day rally is the second large-scale demonstration held in Banda Aceh. A similar event last year was attended by at least 500 thousand people-- making it the largest independence rally ever held in Indonesia. (Signed)

NEB/MPN/PFH



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