Mysterious silence<\/p>\n
The situation in Lhokseumawe, Aceh, has returned to normal
\nfollowing unrest there earlier this week. The rioting and
\nlooting, which broke out shortly after a second batch of combat
\ntroops withdrew from the province on Monday, continued through
\nTuesday. Reports say that one person was killed and dozens
\ninjured as troops tried to contain the unrest. Although it is not
\nknown how much material damage was caused, officials say that
\nmore than 200 buildings were damaged during the two days.<\/p>\n
Why the people, witnesses of some of the most brutal military
\natrocities this country has seen, went berserk is perhaps not
\ndifficult to answer. What we are eager to know, however, is
\nwhether any group was behind the riots and what its motives were.
\nThe immediate result of the unrest, though, is clear: The
\nmilitary has postponed the withdrawal of its remaining combat
\ntroops from the province and even sent in 200 new troops to help
\nrestore order.<\/p>\n
To find out the complete truth, we may need to supplement a
\npolice or military investigation with a probe by the National
\nCommission on Human Rights. This is because Aceh, which had been
\na place of killing fields over the last nine years due to
\nmilitary operations against armed rebels, cannot afford another
\nmystery.<\/p>\n
What is difficult to understand is why the atrocities were
\nallowed to continue for nine years unabated. According to a
\nrecent investigation by the human rights commission, 781 people
\nwere killed during the military operations. Their report also
\nclaimed that 163 others went missing, 3,000 woman were made
\nwidows, between 15,000 and 20,000 children were left without
\ntheir parents and at least 102 women were raped.<\/p>\n
During those bloody years, which saw atrocities on par with
\nthe cruelty seen in the breakup of Bosnia, none of Aceh's leaders
\n-- official or unofficial -- came out to speak the truth. This is
\neven more baffling when we consider the fact that the leaders of
\nthe province, which locals call the Verandah of Mecca, must have
\nunderstood well enough that many of their fellow citizens were,
\nlike them, innocent devout Moslems and that the situation was far
\nfrom a conflict like the one in Bosnia.<\/p>\n
Before a courageous Acehnese woman came to Jakarta in June to
\nrecount some of the province's atrocities, Aceh's 3.5 million
\npeople seemed to have been gagged. The silence indicates that the
\nprovince lived under tremendous oppression, raising the question:
\nWhat kind of nation are we?<\/p>\n
Let's not forget that the Acehnese have well-placed leaders in
\nJakarta, one being the deputy speaker of the House of
\nRepresentatives who was born in Pidie regency, the site of most
\nof the province's turmoil. Did these leaders not know what was
\ngoing on in their home province?<\/p>\n
In Aceh itself, the silence over the atrocities looks even
\nmore unbelievable because Aceh Governor Syamsuddin Mahmud only
\nasked the central government to revoke the area's military
\noperation status after a House fact-finding team reported on the
\nmilitary atrocities.<\/p>\n
To make this belated reaction look even more awkward, the
\nchairman of the provincial council, a retired major general,
\njumped on the bandwagon by making the same belated demand.<\/p>\n
Common citizens in Aceh said that no sane person would have
\ndared to open their mouths because it would put them in jeopardy.
\nBut were their local leaders also so scared to speak out that
\nthey let thousands suffer without making any hint that they could
\nnot stand for such human rights abuses?<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mysterious-silence-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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