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| Southeast Asia |
| Aceh rebels under siege |
| 2002-11-09 |
| The Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) has surrounded hundreds of rebels at a secret base camp in Aceh province and ordered them to surrender, but the separatists have vowed to die fighting. "You'll never take us alive, coppers!" The standoff could jeopardize peace talks that are due to resume next month in Switzerland between representatives of the Indonesian government and Free Aceh Movement (GAM). Well, yeah. Guess it would. If they're all dead, how're they gonna negotiate? At least five people have been killed since the latest round of violence started on October 30 when the Army attacked the GAM base in northern Aceh. âWe are spreading leaflets to the rebels asking them to surrender. We haven't exchanged fire in the past two days. But we will keep them surrounded until they surrender,'' provincial military spokesman Major Zaenal Muttaqin was quoted as saying by the Associated Press on Saturday. Doesn't sound particularly bloodthirsty, especially for the Indonesian army... GAM spokesman Sofyan Daud said the rebels would prefer to perish fighting if attacked by the âthousandsâ of soldiers outside their camp. âWe will not surrender. We are ready if they attack us, and we are waiting for it,â he was quoted as saying by AP. As an unbiased outsider, I'm hoping for catastrophically high casualties on both sides... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |