BANDA ACEH, Indonesia -- Aceh (pronounced ah-CHAY) is a lush, devoutly Islamic province that lies on the extreme western edge of the Indonesian archipelago that would like nothing more than to break away from the central government in Jakarta.
Their hopes stoked by the secession of East Timor and by remarks by Indonesia's new president that Aceh too should be given the chance to decide its future, a half-million people rallied recently in front of the luminous white mosque in this provincial capital to demand a referendum on independence.For Indonesia, Aceh is the fire next time -- a crisis that, even more than East Timor, could determine whether the central government can hold this staggeringly diverse and far-flung nation together. Unlike East Timor, Aceh's status within Indonesia has never been challenged by foreign governments.
"This could lead to the disintegration of Indonesia," said Eugene Galbraith, an expert on Indonesia and the former head of Asian research at ABN Amro Bank. "There are several other restive provinces, from Sulawesi to Irian Jaya, which would take their cue from Aceh."
Senior military leaders last week began calling for martial law to be declared in parts of Aceh, where they claim that rising separatist activity is leading to violence and civil unrest. Thousands of non-Acehnese are fleeing the province, fearful that they could become targets of groups that want to purge the place of outsiders.
While Aceh is only one of several centrifugal forces tugging at Indonesia, experts believe its secession would be particularly corrosive to its national unity.
In contrast to East Timor, which was a Portuguese colony that Jakarta invaded and subjugated in 1975, Aceh played a vigorous role in the establishment of the Indonesian republic in 1945. Its soldiers are renowned for their bravery in the struggle against the Dutch colonists.