Acehnese want safety guarantee

Aceh's military commander has asked for 2,000 extra troops to fight a long-running separatist revolt

JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Civilians in Indonesia's Aceh province will accept tough security measures to restore peace as long as security forces guarantee their safety and human rights, said a minister.

Fighting between the separatist Free Aceh movement (GAM) -- fighting for independence -- and security forces since 1976 have killed 10,000, most of them civilians.

Human rights groups have blamed both the military and the rebels for the killings as well as the widespread incidents of torture, kidnappings, rapes and disappearances.

"It is not true that the people of Aceh totally reject the government's firm actions," top Security Minister, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, told a press conference following a week-long trip to Aceh.

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Yudhoyono said in his meetings with all elements of Acehnese society, including those living in the rebels' strongholds, he was asked to restore peace.

"They said to me: 'We are tired. Please restore peace quickly, we are scared of GAM. But please, we also hope that if the military and police should conduct security operations, we will not be targetted by mistake and become victims ourselves," said Yudhoyono.

Human rights groups estimate that some 600 people have died this year alone.

Evaluations

A June 16 demonstration demanded the authority to reject any plan to impose a state of military emergency in Aceh and the resignation of Megawati

The government is currently evaluating the security situation in Aceh and considering the possibility of imposing a state of military or civilian emergency as part of the efforts to restore peace and to revive the running of local administrations which has halted following escalating violence in several regencies.

A military emergency will put the control of the province in the hands of the military commander.

A civilian emergency is one step down, where the running of the province will remain in the hands of civilian authorities but will grant sweeping powers to the security forces to undertake tough security measures.

Yudhoyono said a decision on Aceh's status will be made on August 5th.

On Wednesday, the Indonesian parliament's commission on security recommended the government impose a state

of civilian emergency in Aceh to restore order.

Human rights groups and Acehnese legislators have opposed martial law, saying it risked intensifying human rights abuses by both the security forces and rebels.

Exodus of young males

The local press reported that young male Acehnese have started fleeing Aceh as they fear being caught in the crossfire between Gam and security forces should martial law be declared.

Yudhoyono estimated GAM's strength at 3,000 personnel and said they were backed by some 2,700 weapons. He said the government needed a substantially larger force than the rebels' in order to defeat the guerilla insurgency based on universal norms.

"In fighting against a guerilla warfare, the ratio is nine versus one or ten versus one," said Yudhoyono.

The military has asked for an additional 2,000 troops to be sent to Aceh.

Indonesian military spokesman Sjafrie Sjamsuddin said the request was being considered and reinforcements "may be sent" before a decision was made on Aceh's status.

A military commander in Aceh told CNN there were currently 22,000 troops in the province and many of them were assigned to administrative task.

"Only about 9,000 of them are mobilised on the ground to face Gam," the officer said.