With an increasing number of foreign troops entering the disaster-hit Indonesian province of Aceh to help with assistance and rescue work, people of the Muslim-dominated country have become more concerned with their security and stability recently.
To ease people's apprehension, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yuduhoyono and his officials told people that the foreign troops, mainly from the United States, Japan, Australia and Singapore, have come to this country to help victims of the Dec. 26-tsunami and they would stay no longer than three months.
Meanwhile, the issue of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) has also become a major concern due to the fact that the GAM has been struggling for an independent country in the region since 1976.
The protracted bloody conflicts lingering for almost 40 years have killed tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians. Despite military operations in the last year, the GAM rebels still made trouble here and there in the province, although not as active as in the past years.
President Susilo warned several donor countries on Monday not to intervene on the separatist issue in Aceh during their humanitarian operation in the restive province.
Susilo made the statement when meeting with ambassadors from Singapore, Libya, the United States, Sweden, Britain and Japan, State Secretary Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra told press following the meeting.
"The president asked them not to intervene in the settlement of the separatist GAM issue, because it is our domestic problem," Mahendra said.
The Indonesian government wants to find a peaceful solution to the protracted conflict.
"We emphasized that the separatist issue is our domestic affairs, but especially the GAM leaders in Sweden, we asked for the Swedish government to do something against their citizens that lead the rebellion movement here in Indonesia," Mahendra stated frankly as quoted by the daily Jakarta Post here Tuesday.
The United States and Japan was involved in facilitating the cessation of hostility between the Indonesian government and the GAM in 2002, and a son of Libyan President Muammar Qadafy visited Indonesia not long ago trying to facilitate peace between the two sides.
The GAM defense minister (rebel style) Zakir Manaf has now settled in Singapore. The rebel's top leader Hassan Tiro and two other leaders Malik Mahmood and Abdullah Zaini now hold Swedish citizenship and live in Stockholm.
President Susilo and the Indonesian Military Force (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto have urged all GAM members to finish their separatist movement and to join in the country's efforts to rebuild the devastated province along with Acehnese.
(Xinhua News Agency January 11, 2005)
