(Ed. Note: Aceh, at the western tip of Indonesia houses immense natural resources was one of the areas that joined the nation. The Achenese have been the most vocal about Jarkarta's domination and military abuses. On 8 November, 1999 hundred of thousands rallied for a referendum. President Abdurrahman has voiced support for a referendum.)

Violence between separatist rebels and Indonesian security forces in the troubled province of Aceh has left 300 people dead and 66 missing since May. Aceh Police Chief Brigadier General Bachrumsyah said that the death toll consisted of 206 civilians, 51 policemen and 43 soldiers, the Banda Aceh-based Serambi daily newspaper reported.

Bachrumsyah said the violence had also left 178 people severely injured and there had been 181 cases of arson on government and public buildings. 
Troops and police in Aceh were ambushed 32 times between May and December, nine security posts were blown up by explosives while 27 others came under armed attack, he added.

He said security forces had also arrested 157 people suspected of being active members of the Aceh Merdeka Movement (GAM) that has been fighting for an independent Islamic state since the mid 1970s.

Two security personnel died in separate locations while the body of a civilian, with bullet wounds, was found on the last day of 1999, the Serambi said.

Master Sergeant Zenda, from the sub-district police post in Pereulak, was stabbed to death by a man while on his way to the local mosque for Friday's prayers, according to East Aceh police chief Lieutenant Colonel Abdullah Hayati.

Second Sergeant Zulkifli was also hacked to death by a group of men in Keude Giegieng, Pidie district, on Saturday. He was buying fish at the local market.

Army intelligence operative, Corporal Armaidi, who was riding a motorcycle with a colleague, was shot by two men in Langsa, the Serambi said.

A police post in Kutamakmur, North Aceh, was also attacked with home-made bomb slate on Friday, the paper added. There were no casualties.

Meanwhile, villagers found the body of a man on the side of a road in Alu Rambot, West Aceh, on the last day of 1999. The man, in his late 20s, had two bullet holes. He was not identified.

In 1997, the province provides 17% of Indonesia's .8 billion oil and gas export earnings. Its secession would cast doubt on the continued viability of Indonesia.

Aceh, a resource-rich region on the northern tip of Sumatra, has been wracked by clashes between Indonesian troops and separatist rebels and their supporters amid mounting demands for a referendum on self rule. Demands for Aceh to secede from Indonesia have been fuelled by the brutality of the military's decade-long campaign to crush the rebel movement.

More than 2,000 people were killed during such operations, which were halted in August last year with the withdrawal of most of the troops.

Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid has responded quickly. After the rally, he sent four ministers on a listening tour of the region. He had also appointed Acehnese as his human rights minister and deputy armed forces chief. Most important, he has affirmed his long-held sympathies for a referendum which he voiced during a visit in May to Aceh while campigning for parliamentary elections.

On 16 November 1999 Wahid announced that a vote would be held within seven months. However both army generals and parliamentary leaders opposed Wahid's decision. The strongest opposition comes from the military. According to an independent inquiry there have been 7,000 cases of rights violations in Aceh since anti-separatist operations were launched a decade ago. It recommeded that the government focus on five cases - five of which occurred last year, including a massacre of 40 protestors and the shooting of an Achenese activist and his students.

(Source: Channel News Asia and Asia Week)