Indonesian army stokes violence in Aceh
By James Balowski
On August 4, a two-day general strike in Indonesia's northernmost province of Aceh left most cities and towns deserted, public transport paralysed and business brought to a standstill. This is the first such protest in Aceh and highlights broadening and widespread resentment against Indonesian military violence.
It also indicates that support for secession from Indonesia are no longer limited to students and "separatist rebels" of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), which has been waging an armed struggle for independence since the mid-1970s.
The student groups and activists who organised the strike called on Jakarta to withdraw its troops from Aceh, investigate human rights abuses by the military and hold a referendum on the status of the province, similar to the vote planned for East Timor on August 30.
The action was supported by the Solidarity Forum for Aceh — a grouping of 27 non-governmental organisations — which held a series of discussions, exhibitions and fundraising sales of paintings in Jakarta on August 5.
On August 6, Acehnese protesters were removed by police from the grounds of the Dutch embassy in Jakarta, where they had been camped for more than 36 hours. The nine, who dashed into the embassy grounds two days before, had vowed not to leave until their demands for self-determination in Aceh were met. Although they were trucked to police headquarters, they were released shortly afterwards.
A military spokesperson, Lieutenant Eddy Hariadi, told Associated Press on August 5 that rebels had orchestrated the work stoppage to destabilise the region. "They want to frighten society and prevent people from carrying out their daily activities," he said. The strike ended peacefully late on August 5.
Anger at military violence
The strike was responding in part to a massacre of as many as 71 civilians by Indonesian troops in Blang Merandeh village in Beuton Atech, west Aceh.
According to a July 28 report by the Aceh Forum, 100 military personnel — known to the Acehnese as "the civilian killers" — arrived at the village in 17 military trucks at around 4pm.
The village head was ordered to gather all residents at the house of a religious leader, Tengku Bantakiah. Eight men were then taken by soldiers to act as "guides" to search for GAM members; two houses were torched during the search.
Failing to find anything, the soldiers returned and ordered some 70 men from the village to assemble in front of Bantakiah's house. According to witnesses, the commander of the unit, Lieutenant Colonel Sudjono, then shot Bantakiah at point-blank range. When his son and wife ran to his side, they were also shot. Villagers were then forced at gunpoint to bury the three.
Once the burial was over, the villagers were again ordered to line up and fired on with automatic weapons. Twenty-eight were killed on the spot and their bodies dumped in a well behind Bantakiah's home. The injured were loaded onto a military truck and later killed and their bodies dumped.
On July 30, 25 bodies were found in ravines near the village, and on the following day 15 more were discovered in ravines near Alur Baru village, around two kilometres from the site of the massacre. Residents said that most of the bodies had gunshot wounds.
On August 1, Reuters news service quoted the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) as saying that more than 100 people were killed in the massacre. Kontras' head, Munir, told the Indonesian-language daily Media Indonesia, "Families of the victims have said that the number of deaths could surpass 100 ... we are pretty sure that the number of victims will grow."
The military has denied the reports, saying that the victims died in a gunfight between soldiers, police and GAM rebels.
The military district commander, Colonel Syarifuddin Tippe, said that 31 people were killed and a large cache of weapons seized. He denied the reports of a cold-blooded massacre.
New offensive
The strike was also in response to an announcement by the national police chief, General Rusmanhadi, of a new six-month offensive against Aceh separatists involving 6186 Aceh police and auxiliaries and some 5000 backup troops. The new offensive included an order to shoot on sight any suspect civilians carrying arms who "bother the public".
The Aceh police chief told Media Indonesia on August 2 that the offensive — dubbed Sadar Rencong Operation II — will target some 200 "armed civilians" who have been identified and whose hideouts were known. "We only have to wait for the right time to act. What is certain is that our target is already clear", he said.
At least 450 people have died in Aceh over the past 11 months. The majority have been innocent citizens mistakenly or deliberately targeted by the military.
Military violence in the province has escalated dramatically since a May 3 massacre in the village of Krueng Geukeuh, when soldiers opened fire on several thousand Acehnese protesting against abusive treatment by the army. According to eyewitnesses, the shooting went on for 30 minutes, killing 41 and wounding more than 100.
Human rights groups say that most were shot in the back as they tried to escape or as they lay face down on the ground. Many of the dead and injured were later trucked away by the military and thrown into nearby rivers.
Since Jakarta's announcement of the new offensive, at least 20 more have been killed, including 14 woodcutters and farmers who were mistaken as rebels and blasted with grenades.
Rather than withdrawing troops as recommended by human rights groups and Acehnese NGOs, Jakarta has hardened its line.
In an interview on August 3, President B.J. Habibie said that Aceh is to Indonesia what Georgia is to the US — an integral part of the country. East Timor, by comparison, is like Puerto Rico to the US, a territory. He also ruled out any formula similar to that used for East Timor, warning that any province trying to do so would face the might of the Indonesian military.
On August 4, Amnesty International described the human rights situation in Aceh as "critical". Amnesty accused the Indonesian military of "rampant violence" and said that "deploying more troops in the province would only worsen the situation".
"The recent escalation in human rights violations in Aceh, including dozens of extrajudicial executions, disappearances and arbitrary arrests flies in the face of the government's commitments to address human rights problems in Indonesia," Amnesty said.
It added: "President B.J. Habibie's government has so far failed to bring to justice members of security forces who tortured, disappeared or unlawfully killed thousands of Acehnese during counter-insurgency operations in Aceh from 1989 to 1998. The government's failure to address human rights violations in the past sends a message to the security forces that they can continue to kill ... without being held to account."
In response to the report, Syarifuddin Tippe, told the Jakarta Post, "It is impossible that TNI [armed forces] could be so cruel ... What do you think we are, the enemy of the state?".
"The reason why people fear the GAM more than the military is that they are more sadistic", he claimed.
Refugees
In response to the escalating military violence, over the last few months thousands of refugees have fled the region and are now sheltering in the grounds of mosques and schools. In northern and eastern Aceh, numbers have reached 140,000, and many are living in squalid conditions.
Aceh's secretary to the governor, Sofyan Muchtar, told the state news agency Antara on July 31, "Their health is getting worse due to inadequate sanitary facilities and lack of clean water".
The head of Aceh's Ministry of Health office, Hanif Asmara, said refugees suffered fever, respiratory diseases, diarrhoea, cholera and malnutrition.
How much public support there is in Aceh for GAM remains unclear. Although most of its attacks have been against police and military personnel and there have been few if any attacks on civilians, GAM activities such as hijacking buses and trucks have caused significant disruption in some parts of the province.
However, GAM's ability to move about openly and evade the military suggests that it has considerable support in some parts of the province.
GAM public statements have made it clear that it will continue its armed struggle. On August 5, Associated Press reported that GAM had threatened to blow up a natural gas refinery in Lhokseumawe if Indonesia didn't withdraw its troops. Asnawi Mansur, spokesperson for GAM, told AP, "We're not playing games".