LAKSAMANA.Net, January 10, 2005 04:03 AM
Rebels Say Militant Groups FPI & MMI in Aceh
Laksamana.Net - The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) says two Java-based militant
Islamic groups, the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and the Indonesian Mujahidin
Council (MMI), have entered Aceh and their presence will only increase the suffering
of the province's people.
GAM's exiled leaders based in Sweden on Sunday (9/1/05) issued a statement
expressing concern that the presence of FPI and MMI members would squander
scarce resources that are desperately needed by the survivors of last month's
earthquake and tsunami that killed more than 104,000 people in Aceh.
The statement branded the two groups as "criminal organizations" and said they are
not welcome in Aceh. It said the actions and words of FPI and MMI contradict Islamic
teachings and "the tolerance and faith of Acehnese Muslims".
FPI
FPI was established in August 1998 and soon became notorious for attacking bars,
nightclubs, brothels, pool halls and other entertainment venues deemed an affront to
Islam.
The organization significantly toned down its violent activities after the October 2002
Bali nightclub bombings, which have been blamed on regional terrorism group Jemaah
Islamiyah.
Prior to the Bali blasts, authorities had generally turned a blind eye to FPI's raids on
nightspots, lending credence to claims the organization was backed by powerful
officials in the security forces.
FPI has long demanded the destruction of nightspots on the grounds that they are
hangouts of prostitutes, gamblers and drug abusers.
Critics claim that FPI has at times been in cahoots with police and soldiers, and
sometimes in competition with them, to extort protection money from owners of
nightspots.
Less than a month after the Bali bombings, FPI pledged to end its violent raids. But
the group in February 2003 announced it was making a comeback and threatened to
attack Westerners. It also urged Muslims to sign up to fight Americans in Iraq.
In October 2004, FPI members attacked bars in Jakarta and its satellite cities,
accusing them of operating during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadhan.
MMI
MMI was founded in August 2000 with the ostensible aim of promoting the adoption of
strict Islamic law in secular Indonesia.
The group's founder is radical cleric Abu Bakar Baasyir, the suspected leader of
Jemaah Islamiyah. He is now on trial at South Jakarta District Court, accused of
inciting his followers to carry out the Bali nightclub bombings and the August 2003
bombing at Jakarta's JW Marriott Hotel.
MMI chairman Irfan S. Awwas last week sent scores of the group's members to
Jakarta, from where he said they would take a plane to Aceh to give "spiritual
guidance" to the survivors of the disaster.
MMI recently announced it had established dozens of new branches in 53 regencies
across eight provinces across Indonesia to bolster its campaign for Islamic law.
Awwas said the group would continue to set up more branches throughout the country
to spread its message.
Statements
Following is GAM's statement accusing the FPI and MMI of entering Aceh, as well as
the text of a letter recently sent to US State Secretary Colin Powell by a group of
non-government organizations urging him to pressure Indonesia to end military
operations in Aceh.
Regarding the Islamic Defenders Front and the Indonesia Mujahidin Council in Acheh
The Government of the State of Acheh (PNA)
Ministry of Information
P.O.BOX 130, S-145 01 NORSBORG, SWEDEN
TEL : +46 8 531 83833 FAX: +46 8 531 91275
Stockholm, Sweden, 9 January 2005
The government of Acheh in exile, the PNA/ASNLF, deplores the arrival in Acheh of
members of the thuggish so-called Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and the terroristic
Indonesia Mujahidin Council (MMI). The introduction of these organizations into Acheh
at this most critical time squanders scarce resources by the Indonesian government
which is better allocated to the victims of the recent tsunami.
The FPI and MMI are not welcome in Acheh and have never been supported by the
Achehnese people, nor has their presence been requested. The FPI has been involved
in sectarian killings in Maluku and Central Sulawesi and illegal attacks against
non-Muslims and others in Java and elsewhere.
The FPI, which is made up of street thugs and minor criminals, was established as a
militia by TNI generals on 17 August 1998 to act as a vanguard against Indonesia's
pro-democracy activists. It has since become infamous for attacking nightclubs and
other places it claims contradict the teachings of Islam.
However, as is well known, the FPI has used these attacks to extort ‘protection'
money from bar owners. The FPI continues to act with the support of, and on behalf
of, TNI generals, and is clearly in Acheh on their behalf.
The MMI, which is the umbrella organization for groups such as Laskar Jihad, Laskar
Jundullah and the FPI, was established in 1999 and headed by the leader of the
terrorist organization Jema'ah Islamiyah, Abu Bakar Ba'asyir. It has the explicit aim of
turning Indonesia into a non-democratic fundamentalist Islamist state. MMI's military
wing, Laskar Mujahidin, used TNI sourced weapons in sectarian operations in Maluku
and Central Sulawesi in 2000 and 2001.
The actions and words of both the FPI and MMI are against the teachings of the Holy
Qur'an and the Hadith and contradict the tolerance and faith of Achenese Muslims.
Neither the FPI nor the MMI has any credentials or skills in disaster relief, and their
presence is clearly intended as a provocation to the people of Acheh. Their
intervention in Acheh is therefore counter-productive and is not wanted.
At a time when the international community is so generously assisting the people of
Acheh, the Indonesian government is wasting valuable funds by assisting these
criminal organizations to travel to and stay in Acheh. It is thus showing that it is not
concerned for the welfare of the Achehnese people, but is cynically intent on causing
more chaos for the suffering people of Acheh.
The PNA/ASNLF also deplores the continuing military operations against its forces in
Acheh, who have declared a unilateral ceasefire in order to facilitate the relief effort.
Again, this diversion of scarce resources at such a desperate time shows the Jakarta
government is not concerned with the welfare of the Achehnese people, but only with
its colonial military domination of our homeland.
We therefore call on the international community to demand that the FPI and MMI
leave Acheh, and that the Indonesian government immediately call a halt to military
operations. Like Achehnese forces, it should focus its efforts on helping the
Achehnese people in this time of their greatest need, or it should get out.
Bakhtiar Abdullah,
Information Officer
Text of NGOs' Letter to US State Secretary Powell on Aceh Crisis
4 January 2005
Secretary Colin Powell
U.S. Secretary of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Secretary Powell:
We, the undersigned NGOs, are writing to bring to your urgent attention special
concerns about the humanitarian response to the extraordinary suffering and damage
caused by the December 26 earthquake and tsunami that struck Indonesia and other
Indian Ocean littoral nations.
The particularly severe damage in Aceh, where more than two-thirds of the casualties
have been reported, requires specific international focus. It is crucial that the
international humanitarian response to Aceh take into account the historical context
of the region, as that will heavily influence the effectiveness of relief efforts. As you are
aware, for nearly three decades, the people of Aceh have suffered the consequences
of Indonesian military operations in which the principal victims have been civilians, as
described in multiple State Department human rights reports. More than 2000 people
have been killed since the May 2003 imposition of martial law in Aceh. During a
previous period of martial law, from 1989 to 1998, some 10,000 perished. Human
rights violations, predominantly committed by the military, have been rampant.
To ensure maximum impact and timeliness of humanitarian assistance in Aceh, we
believe it is essential that the United States and the international community urge the
Indonesian government to immediately take the following steps:
Remove all restrictions impeding access to Aceh by domestic and international
agencies and organizations, media, and individual government assistance programs.
Burdensome visa requirements and other bureaucratic red tape must be eliminated.
Formally lift the "civil emergency" status still in force in Aceh. President Yudhoyono
should do this directly and in no uncertain terms.
End all offensive military operations in Aceh by the Indonesian armed forces (TNI).
According to TNI spokespersons and media reports, offensive actions by the TNI
against insurgents are still underway, while the insurgents have declared a ceasefire.
Direct the TNI to focus exclusively on provision of essential logistics to facilitate
humanitarian relief. TNI officers should not be directly involved in aid distribution - so
as to circumvent military abuse of humanitarian assistance and to avoid escalation of
legitimate fear felt by many Acehnese toward the military and certain elements of the
police (e.g. BRIMOB).
Acehnese civil society and local administrative infrastructure have been devastated.
United States and other international assistance, to the extent possible, should give
priority to rebuilding Acehnese civilian capacity to address both immediate needs and
long-term reconstruction.
As you travel to the tsunami-stricken countries, we thank you for your serious
consideration of these concerns in such trying times.
Sincerely,
Bama Athreya
Deputy Director
International Labor Rights Fund
Munawar Zainal
Secretary General
Acheh Center, USA
Miriam Young
Senior Program Officer
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights
Karen Orenstein
Washington Coordinator
East Timor Action Network
Suraiya IT
Chair
International Forum for Aceh
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