Jakarta, May 13: A top Acehnese rebel today said that he has surrendered to Indonesia as the government prepared an expected major military offensive against separatist insurgents in the province. Thai ceasefire monitors were leaving the country for home in a further sign the five-month peace pact in the province is all but dead. They were withdrawn from Aceh itself yesterday.

Top security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that the situation in Aceh is becoming "intolerable." The government announced it would consult legislators on Thursday about launching an attack.

The defector, Amri bin Abdul Wahab, was a rebel member of the joint security committee set up to monitor the ceasefire.
His former colleagues in the free Aceh movement (GAM) allege he was kidnapped by Kopassus special forces. But Wahab told reporters in Jakarta he surrendered "without any pressure from any side or anybody."

He said that recent statements by gam leaders about security in the province were not responsible. "So I decided to rejoin the motherland." he said.


Wahab left Aceh on the same flight bringing out international peace monitors.
"We thank god that Amri Abdul Wahab has made a statement to return to the motherland," military chief General Endriartono Sutarto told reporters.

Gam said that it still believed special forces kidnapped Wahab from his hotel in the provincial capital Banda Aceh yesterday.

Bureau Report