JAKARTA: The detention of five negotiators for the Aceh separatist movement as they set off for peace talks with the Indonesian government in Japan on Friday raised the fear of an imminent return to war.

Police officers seized the representatives of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, but said they had not been formally arrested.

“It’s an administrative matter, but they do not have the right letters to leave Aceh so they cannot go,” Surya Dharma, a senior officer, said.

The two-day meeting due to begin on Saturday in Tokyo has been hastily arranged under international pressure to try to save the ceasefire declared five months ago.

GAM representatives in exile in Sweden were undecided whether they would take part as they boarded their plane for Japan.

“We will go anyway, but if our delegation from Aceh does not attend, talks will be stalled,” the head of the delegation, Mahmood Malik, said.

International mediators from the Henry Dunant Centre (HDC) in Geneva and Indonesian government representatives insisted that the negotiations would still take place.

“GAM always threatens to boycott,” Major-General Sudi Silalahi from the security ministry said. “It’s their habit.” Jakarta has threatened to crush GAM if it refuses to publicly renounce independence at the talks. It has mobilised 40,000 soldiers for an offensive against the guerrillas in their province in northern Sumatra.

Efforts by the mediators to have the men freed were firmly rebuffed, but their spokesman said they were in constant contact with both sides and that the meeting was still on.

“It’s going to review the cessation of hostilities agreement and look to the future,” he said. “Other than that the agenda will be set by the two parties when they meet.”

Both sides have violated the ceasefire and independent analysts say it is on the verge of collapse because the rebels have refused to renounce independence and have been given no alternative political role.

The rebels, who have a force of 3,000-5,000 lightly armed fighters, say the agreement was not specific on the question of the final political status of Aceh, and that they have been forced into their position by Jakarta’s refusal to honour the ceasefire and withdraw its troops.

Analysts believe Jakarta has nothing to lose by attending the talks as it is likely to make demands the rebels will regard as impossible to meet, thus justifying its military assault.—Dawn/The Guardian News Service.