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Indonesian President and Governor Face Protests in Aceh
JAKARTA, Sept 9 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Difficult hurdles remain ahead of peace in the restive province of Aceh as Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri was booed during her brief visit to Bandah Aceh.
Things were made worst when students interrupted the Aceh governor's speech Saturday.
Observers in Jakarta said Megawati's visit would not necessarily solve problems in the province, adding that Indonesia would have to handle the situation with utmost care.
Megawati publicly asked on Saturday for forgiveness from all Acehnese for the government's past mistakes and promised to resolve the decades-long problem in a peaceful way.
"I know that the central government made mistakes in the past. Personally, and on behalf of the government, I would like to ask for your forgiveness," Megawati, who wore a blue dress and a black head scarf, told a gathering of about 2,000 people in the grounds of the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque.
She asked the Acehnese not to look back to the past, but to concentrate on the future.
Megawati asked the Acehnese to accept the Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam autonomy law that grants the Acehnese 70% of the province's oil and gas revenues, and gives them more freedom to manage their own affairs.
The President promised the government would rebuild all ruined facilities in the province, but in return asked the Acehnese to maintain the facilities and end all clashes.
She noted the importance of establishing peace and order in the troubled province.
"We must share a common perception that we will settle [the Aceh problem] without violence," she said.
The President was booed several times during the speech, and she had to repeat her remarks that the people of Aceh should show respect for their guests.
Megawati had no plans to discuss peace or review the situation with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).
Sources in Jakarta said the president would not want to "legitimize" the GAM by meeting with them, preferring to let the military handle the situation on the field.
However, the sentiment in Bandah Aceh after Megawati's brief visit was one of missed opportunities. Acehnese interviewed by the local press said they wished Megawati had announced the pullout of Indonesian troops from the province.
Students, joined by other activists from various organizations, called a press conference at the offices of the Aceh branch of the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) to convey their demands.
They demanded that the government revive stalled talks with the GAM, with intermediation from an international organization, hold a referendum, try human rights violators, stop terror being perpetrated against the Acehnese, and free Acehnese political prisoners.
Banda Aceh was half deserted as most people preferred to stay inside their houses during the President's six-hour visit. The same scenario was witnessed during the three-hour visit by former president Abdurrahman Wahid in Aceh.
Megawati is the third president to visit the restive province in the past three years.
Former president B.J. Habibie made a two-hour visit on March 26, 1999. Unlike Megawati, who refused to take questions, both Habibie and Abdurrahman held dialogues with the Acehnese at the Grand Mosque in Bandah Aceh.
With additional reporting by Kazi Mahmood
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