Ambassador Hume Discusses Election Plans with Acehnese

UNCLAS JAKARTA 000459 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MTS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PREF ID SUBJECT: Ambassador Hume Discusses Election Plans with Acehnese Leaders ¶1. (U) Summary: In early March Ambassador Hume met with senior Acehnese political and security officials including the governor and the provincial police chief to discuss the upcoming legislative elections and the Mission's plan to dispatch personnel to the province to observe the situation. Governor Irwandi and Vice Governor Nazar, both of whom have called for international election monitors, told Ambassador Hume that they strongly support the Mission's plan and believed it could ease tensions in critical areas. Chief of Police Aditya Warman told the Ambassador that the situation in Aceh was conducive for peaceful elections and that Mission personnel visiting the region would be safe. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) Meeting with Ambassador Hume on March 6, Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf repeated earlier claims that elements of the military, particularly those from Kopassus and BAIS, are intimidating voters and threatening members of local parties, particularly Party Aceh. In some cases, he said, the military works through former anti-militia groups, in others, they do it themselves, such as in a recent case where military personnel were filmed tearing down the banners and signs belonging to Party Aceh. That case was unique, he said, because it generated such intense press coverage and public outcry that 10 TNI personnel were ultimately punished. ¶3. (SBU) Irwandi told the Ambassador that President Yudhyono had promised to replace Aceh Military Commander Maj Gen Soenarko. This would, Irwandi said, ease tensions and send a strong message that the military should stay out of politics. Unfortunately, Irwandi added, the President gave no indication when this would occur. ¶4. (SBU) Referring to the Mission's plans to deploy personnel to Aceh during the elections, Irwandi encouraged the Ambassador to pay particular attention to the situation on the east coast between the districts of East Aceh and Bireuen, in the central highlands, and along the south west coast. Those areas have significant numbers of ex-militia, he said, and will be particularly vulnerable to instability. Irwandi also said to be on the look out for a new strategy comparing supporters of "separatist parties" to members of the communist party (PKI) in the 1960s. ¶5. (U) Provincial Police Chief General Aditya Warman told the Ambassador that the security environment was conducive for fair elections and that Mission personnel traveling in the region would be safe. Warman had just returned from visiting areas outside the provincial capital and said that he was pleased to find that common people were firmly committed to peace and did not want renewed conflict. It was, he said, actually better than he expected and better than in Maluku when he arrived as police chief in 2004. ¶6. (SBU) On March 9, Aceh Vice Governor and head of the local SIRA party Muhammad Nazar told Ambassador Hume that international election observers were needed, and thanked him for sending Mission personnel to the region. Observers would be particularly important in the central highlands where historic divisions and military and militia activities were leading to instability, he said. Pidie Jaya was another area of special concern, he added, not just because of the militia presence, but also because it was the home region of some of the most divided of ex-GAM's leaders. ¶7. (SBU) Nazar added that President Yudhyono's visit the previous week had eased tensions in the province. The president's speech, he said, was interpreted by Acehnese as a rebuke on both the military and Party Aceh and all others who were disturbing the peace. The effect in the field, he said, was better behavior by both Party Aceh and the Military. Hume