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Indonesia forces begin aceh offensive { May 19 2003 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/indonesia/Story/0,2763,959137,00.htmlhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/indonesia/Story/0,2763,959137,00.html
11.15am update
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Indonesian forces begin Aceh offensive
Staff and agencies
Monday May 19, 2003
Hours after the breakdown of peace talks, Indonesian attack planes today fired rockets at a rebel base in Aceh province and signalled the start of a major military offensive.
The military said it parachuted hundreds of soldiers into the province and moved 15 warships into the area to "strike and paralyse" the Acehnese rebels in what is expected to be Indonesia's biggest military operation since its invasion of East Timor in 1975.
The peace talks, in Tokyo, fell apart when the rebels rejected Jakarta's demands to lay down their weapons, drop their independence bid and accept regional autonomy. The rebels vowed to resist any attack by the military and to fight on for independence.
Indonesia's president, Megawati Sukarnoputri, signed a decree late yesterday authorising war in the oil- and gas-rich in province and imposing martial law. It gave the military sweeping powers to make arrests, impose curfews and curb travel. The military immediately arrested five senior rebels.
Announcing the main onslaught, Major General Erwin Sujon today said Indonesian attack planes, US-made OV-10 Broncos, fired the rockets at a rebel stronghold about 12 miles east of the provincial capital of Banda Aceh. "The offensive has begun," he said.
Six C-130 Hercules transport aircraft later released 458 soldiers over an airstrip close to Banda Aceh.
There are more than 30,000 government troops in Aceh, up against about 5,000 poorly armed rebels.
The attack signalled a return to military confrontation following a December 2002 peace agreement between the government and the Free Aceh Movement that raised hopes for a breakthrough in one of Asia's longest-running separatist conflicts.
The accord unravelled in recent months following violence by both sides and mutual recriminations.
More than 12,000 people have died in fighting since 1976 in the province, province 1,200 miles northwest of Jakarta, amid accusations of atrocities on both sides.
A body with gunshot wounds was today found near Banda Aceh, while in northern Aceh unidentified gunmen fatally shot a man riding a motorbike with his wife. The circumstances surrounding both deaths were unclear.
The Tokyo talks over the weekend had been arranged hastily under pressure from international donors alarmed by the prospect of renewed fighting. Even as the two sides talked, thousands of Indonesian troops massed in the province.
The European Union, Japan, the United States and the World Bank issued a joint statement today saying they "deeply regret" that the two sides "failed to seize the unique opportunity before them".
They urged the two parties "to leave the door open to further dialogue" and said a peaceful solution is still possible, "even at this late hour".
Rebel leader Malik Mahmud said he believed the Indonesian government was "looking for a way to declare war" and had no intention of compromising.
"They asked us to surrender," said Mahmud, who vowed resistance to government troops.
"We will oppose the onslaught," he said. "We will fight for independence."
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