Civilians suffer most in Aceh<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Lhokseumawe, Aceh<\/p>\n
A woman looked anxious when dozens of fully armed soldiers jumped
\nout of their trucks as they arrived at a hamlet in the West
\nJamuan area in North Aceh.<\/p>\n
"When will they leave my village?" the woman, Siti Aminah,
\nwhispered. Her eyes were glued to the troops, who wore military
\nfatigues with red and white scarf around their necks.<\/p>\n
The hamlet was deserted when the military personnel arrived on
\nFriday. Some 30 houses in the poverty-stricken area showed no
\nsign of life, or at least a friendly reception for the soldiers.<\/p>\n
Most of West Jamuan population make a living from farming.<\/p>\n
Siti held her two-year-old son tightly. Her eldest son, Fauzi,
\nsat near his mother, but no words came out of his mouth to
\nexpress his feelings about events which he might only understand
\nin the coming decade.<\/p>\n
"I feel afraid when they come here, because their presence
\nusually brings armed conflict," she said.<\/p>\n
She recalled a few days back when troops first entered the
\nvillage, a gunfight between them and Free Aceh Movement (GAM)
\nrebels followed. The clash took place near her home.<\/p>\n
Siti said she was traumatized by the presence of the military,
\nwho were there to hunt down rebels they suspected were hiding in
\nthe area.<\/p>\n
No GAM rebels were captured that day, but Siti's husband,
\nNurdin Yunus, who is only a farmer, was interrogated by soldiers
\nafterwards. Siti said her thin husband was hit across the face
\nseveral times by some soldiers.<\/p>\n
Later on Nurdin showed The Jakarta Post cigarette burns
\ninflicted by one of the soldiers on his face.<\/p>\n
Many other Acehnese may have experienced what Siti and Nurdin
\ndid but it may remain undisclosed if no control is exercised over
\nthe military operation. Under martial law, which was imposed in
\nAceh on Monday, the military enjoys extensive powers, including a
\nnews blackout.<\/p>\n
Human rights activists have cautioned the government against a
\nrepeat of the rampant crimes against humanity during the military
\noperation between 1989 and 1998 in Aceh.<\/p>\n
Rights activists estimated over 10,000 civilians have been
\nkilled and many others tortured during the conflict in Aceh,
\nwhich has lasted 27 years.<\/p>\n
Learning from past mistakes, the military has promised to
\nprevent as many civilian casualties as possible and to take stiff
\nmeasures against soldiers who violate human rights.<\/p>\n
When the Post asked the soldiers' unit commander as to why his
\ncolleagues tortured a farmer like Nurdin, he simply replied: "We
\nnever wish for something like that to happen, but during a state
\nof war, it is difficult to think of humanity. We think of killing
\nor being killed".<\/p>\n
The commander then turned to Siti and said: "Sorry about that,
\nBu (Mam)."<\/p>\n
Another soldier tried to appease Siti and her family.<\/p>\n
"No need to worry about us because we are here to free all
\npeople from GAM who commit banditry. Do they take Nanggroe taxes
\nfrom you or threaten you?" the soldier asked.<\/p>\n
Siti nodded. "Yes, they (GAM) ask for between Rp 2,000 to Rp
\n3,000 a month." After a moment of silence she continued, "but
\nthey never beat us."<\/p>\n
Since martial law came into effect, the Indonesian Military
\n(TNI) has been chasing rebels believed to be hiding among
\nvillagers.<\/p>\n
As of Saturday, 54 GAM rebels have been shot dead, mostly in
\nBireun and North Aceh regencies which are GAM strongholds, while
\nanother 14 have been arrested and being detained by the Aceh
\nMilitary Police.<\/p>\n
Law No. 23\/1959 on emergencies says that under martial law,
\nthe military has the authority to arrest and question suspected
\npeople for 20 days before they are handed over to the police.<\/p>\n
Aisyah, one of Siti's neighbors, said people, in spite of
\ntheir anxiety, were prepared for the war. Local children have
\nalready been trained how to lay low on the floor once the sound
\nof shooting or explosions is heard.<\/p>\n
Another resident took the intensifying conflict lightly.<\/p>\n
"It doesn't make any difference to me whether or not martial
\nlaw is imposed here because I'm not involved in the conflict. But
\nsince several places in Aceh are safe, why should the government
\nimpose martial law across the province?" Abdul Hamis Bim said.<\/p>\n
He said over the past week both the military and the rebels
\nhad checked his identity.<\/p>\n
The military has said such a check is required. Those who fail
\nto show their ID cards could risk being considered GAM members
\nbecause the rebels have collected people's ID cards for various
\nreasons, including recruitment of new members.<\/p>\n
In the same vein, a military soldier said it was possible for
\nhim to arrest or shoot somebody who resisted an ID inspection.<\/p>\n
Anywhere in the world, a war always brings the maximum
\nsuffering to civilians, even though they are unarmed and not a
\nparty to it.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/civilians-suffer-most-in-aceh-1447893297",
"image": ""
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