Carmel Budiardjo

Jakarta imposes martial law in Aceh

1 June 2003 On 19 May 2003 the Indonesian government placed Aceh, one of Indonesia's most resource-rich provinces, under martial law. This followed the breakdown of a December 2002 peace agreement between the government and the Free Aceh Movement (Gam). Breaking the original agreement, the government demanded that Gam gave up its goal of independence and laid down its arms. When Gam refused, Indonesian president Megawati Sukarnoputri declared martial law