Security forces at fault in Aceh<\/p>\n
Dozens have been killed in various spots in the troubled
\nprovince of Aceh during two days of pro-independence rallies in
\nthe capital Banda Aceh. The assembly ended peacefully last
\nSaturday. Lesley McCulloch, a researcher at the Bonn
\nInternational Center for Conversion and at the Australian
\nNational University in Canberra, was with the Acehnese who risked
\ntheir lives to attend the gathering.<\/p>\n
BANDA ACEH (JP): The people of the troubled northern
\nIndonesian province of Aceh were on the move.<\/p>\n
Thousands of them faced an uncertain fate at the hands of the
\nIndonesian security authorities as they made their way to Banda
\nAceh, the capital of the embattled province where a peaceful
\nrally in support of a UN monitored referendum on the subject of
\nindependence was due to take place on Saturday, November 11.<\/p>\n
I was at the Syiah Kuala University campus in Banda Aceh on
\nThursday as hundreds arrived from the Pidie regency, joining the
\nthousands who'd already gathered from around the province.<\/p>\n
They arrived bringing rice and other food stuffs, tarpaulins
\nto sleep under, cooking pots and stoves. These people have
\nuprooted themselves from their homes to show support for a
\nreferendum to vote for independence from Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Having been turned back on the main roads by the police's
\nelite Mobile Brigade (Brimob) unit and the Indonesian Military
\n(TNI), they had traveled in trucks, buses and cars on the little
\nknown back roads of this beautiful rainforested province.<\/p>\n
One man said: \"It took us seven hours to travel the 80km from
\nSaree. We tried to get through on the main road but Brimob turned
\nus away and even shot the tires of some of the vehicles.\"<\/p>\n
The vehicles they had just disembarked from were turning
\naround to go back to pick up more villagers.<\/p>\n
A woman, two young children clinging to her, told me: \"The
\nmilitary shot my husband in a rice field. Our convoy refused to
\ngo back and they (Brimob) started to shoot in the air. We all
\nran.<\/p>\n
\"Then they began to shoot at us. Several were injured and my
\nhusband died. We have no weapons, we are only farmers. They have
\nthe guns. I came with the convoy because my husband is already
\ndead, what could I do? He would have wished me to come.\"<\/p>\n
Reports have also come in claiming that two bridges, at Saree
\nand Seulawak, have been blown up.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday some 1,000 people, having been terrorized by the
\npolice and military on the road, had taken to the sea and arrived
\nin local fishing boats from Sigli, the capital of Pidie.<\/p>\n
These men, women, and children were fired upon by the
\nauthorities as they approached the small fish market port. The
\nofficial word is that the authorities shot into the water and
\nover the heads of the people.<\/p>\n
This was obviously not the case, as two civilians -- one an
\nelderly bystander -- were injured. Indeed, the death toll over
\nthe past five days has reached almost 200 according to reports
\nfrom the villages, with many more injured. The number of deaths
\nis difficult to verify due to the remoteness of many areas.<\/p>\n
Independent witnesses tell of Brimob taking away bodies to
\nunknown destinations.<\/p>\n
I myself witnessed people being shot at as they ran through
\nrice paddies for cover, being made to sit in the blistering sun
\nand ordered at gunpoint alternately to sing and pray, and tires
\nof vehicles being shot out. This is the reality of democracy
\nIndonesian style.<\/p>\n
Mohammed Nazar, leader of the Center for Information on a
\nReferendum for Aceh (SIRA), the organizers of the rally, said:
\n\"We feel so bad. We organized a peaceful rally and it is
\nresulting in the slaughter of innocent civilians.<\/p>\n
\"We have sent word to the villages. Please do not try to come
\nto Banda Aceh. We know you want to be here with us and we know
\nyou support the referendum but please do not risk the lives of
\nyourselves and your children. We cannot guarantee you safety as
\nyou travel here.\"<\/p>\n
A senior Free Aceh Movement (GAM) representative in the
\nhumanitarian pause monitoring team said: \"The 'pause' is not
\nworking. We are here to monitor its failure. We can see from the
\nactions of the police and the military over the past few days
\nthat the Indonesian government is not committed to the
\ninternationally brokered pause.\"<\/p>\n
In the past, the issues of independence for Aceh and support
\nfor GAM were often separate. Due to the actions of the Indonesian
\nsecurity forces over the past months, these two issues have been
\ngradually merging into one.<\/p>\n
Generally distrustful of the government in Jakarta, the
\nAcehnese want independence and many more of them believe that the
\nonly way to obtain this is by supporting GAM.<\/p>\n
It is difficult to see what progress could be made at the
\npeace talks due to be held in Geneva on Nov. 16 and 17. The
\nCoordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security Affairs
\nSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said that Indonesia will never grant
\nindependence to Aceh.<\/p>\n
The government is offering accelerated development for the
\nprovince or special autonomy.<\/p>\n
Nasrullah Dahlawy from the United Peoples of Aceh Movement and
\nchief GAM representative on the humanitarian pause monitoring
\ncommittee said in an interview earlier this week: \"We do not
\ntrust the Indonesian government. We will never agree to anything
\nless than full independence.<\/p>\n
\"The people of Aceh are willing to make a very generous offer
\nto the Indonesian people of sharing for a limited period the
\nbenefits of the wonderful natural resources that belong to the
\nfree people of Aceh.\"<\/p>\n
In the meantime, although the government has not banned the
\nreferendum rally from taking place, a local police spokesman
\nColonel Kusbini Imbar told this author in a telephone interview
\non Thursday that \"we will do all we can to prevent people
\nreaching Banda Aceh. This includes the use of force if
\nnecessary.\"<\/p>\n
I have been witness to this use of force.<\/p>\n
In an apparent turnaround, President Abdurrahman Wahid said on
\nFriday that the people of Aceh should be allowed to attend the
\nrally.<\/p>\n
Typical of Indonesian politics, while the President was making
\nconciliatory noises, Susilo, who was in Central Java, has been
\nquoted as saying that \"firm actions\" would be taken to prevent
\nthe mass rally from turning into a popular call for a referendum.<\/p>\n
The information I received from local organizers on the
\nSaturday morning certainly confirms that the crackdown has
\ncontinued overnight.<\/p>\n
Rahdi, one of the leaders of SIRA said: \"The situation has
\nbeen really terrible overnight. Despite the President's statement
\nthat the people should be allowed to attend the rally, there has
\nbeen another six confirmed deaths and many more as yet
\nunconfirmed. The numbers of those wounded is around 40.<\/p>\n
\"Please help us. Let the international community know what is
\nhappening to the people of Aceh.\"<\/p>",
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