Life far from normal as tensions rise in Aceh<\/p>\n
Edith Hartanto and Yogita Tahilramani, The Jakarta Post,
\nBanda Aceh, Aceh<\/p>\n
Banda Aceh is not a dead capital, but one could not call it
\nalive. Unlike major cities in Indonesia like Jakarta, Bandung,
\nSurabaya or even Medan, Banda Aceh has no mall.<\/p>\n
The only shopping center in Banda Aceh, Geunta Plaza, was shut
\ndown because nobody shopped there and its parking lot has now
\nbecome a parking lot for angkot or public minivans.<\/p>\n
One rarely sees a taxi on the road, unlike the ubiquitous
\nbecak (pedicabs) which are run by a motorcycle, and not pedaled
\nby a person as in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
There is only one cinema in Banda Aceh near the Simpang Lima
\ntraffic circle, and the last show each day, of the latest movie
\nrunning here currently -- an old flick called Forces of Nature
\nstarring Sandra Bullock -- is at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n
\"This is for security reasons. I like watching movies. but it
\nis safer to watch one at home on video compact disks (VCDs), than
\noutside,\" said Ida, a hairdresser in Banda Aceh.<\/p>\n
Hermanto of the People's Crisis Center, a non-governmental
\norganization which works on refugee problems, added that in
\ntroubled regencies of Aceh, as the prolonged conflict sharply
\nincreased suspicion among armed security forces, people were
\nunable to work in the fields freely.<\/p>\n
\"Just because they carry machetes or spades, their tools to
\nwork in the fields, they could be considered as the enemy by the
\nsecurity forces, in other words, a GAM member or a friend of GAM
\nmembers,\" Hermanto said, referring to the separatist Free Aceh
\nMovement (GAM).<\/p>\n
Razali, the driver who took The Jakarta Post reporters around
\nBanda Aceh and other parts of Aceh, said driving in Aceh could be
\nvery dangerous.<\/p>\n
\"Here you could get shot just because you drive in a car with
\ndark or tinted windows. Security forces think you're an enemy.
\nGAM will also suspect the car and think their enemies (security
\nofficers) might be inside,\" Razali said.<\/p>\n
\"So the safest way is to have transparent windows. Sometimes,
\nthis is not a guarantee. If they get suspicious and shoot, you
\nare gone.\"<\/p>\n
Local public figures spoke of the same fears.<\/p>\n
Aceh's Muhammadiyah leader Imam Suja' said that he and his
\ndriver were locked in a verbal clash with officers of the elite
\nPolice Mobile Brigade (Brimob) in the Matang area of North Aceh,
\nsimply because the driver did not slow down when passing a police
\nsecurity checkpoint.<\/p>\n
\"A small matter, could have fatal consequences. We could lose
\nour lives over a small incident,\" Imam said on Saturday from
\nLhokseumawe, the capital of North Aceh.<\/p>\n
People here fear the fact that a civilian emergency could rob
\nthem of their simple luxuries in Banda Aceh, like walking safely
\nto the only Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant here, for a quick
\nbite to eat.<\/p>\n
The government is scheduled to decide whether to impose a
\nstate of civil emergency, on Aug. 5, following frequent bloody
\nand fatal clashes in parts of Aceh on an almost daily basis.<\/p>\n
Iqbal Farabi of the National Commission on Human Rights in
\nAceh, said on Saturday that there would be curfews, and security
\nforces would do as they please under the \"legal blanket\" of this
\ncivil emergency.<\/p>\n
\"The military will control the social, economic and political
\nlife of civilians in Aceh with this civil emergency.<\/p>\n
\"We could be facing another crisis here,\" Iqbal said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/life-far-from-normal-as-tensions-rise-in-aceh-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }