A fatal misunderstanding

The Indonesian Military (TNI) has too easily, if not conveniently, dismissed the latest bloody clashes in the troubled northern province of Aceh as a "misunderstanding" on the part of villagers regarding the military's intentions. That must go down as a very costly, if not ridiculous, misunderstanding. According to one account, at least 28 civilian lives were lost, and dozens were injured in Monday's shooting of civilians at Cot Murong near the industrial town of Lhokseumawe.

That explanation, provided by TNI chief spokesman Maj. Gen. Syamsul Ma'arif, reflects the military's absolute insensitivity to the feelings of people in Aceh. The killing has been treated as simply another operation in the name of security and order. For TNI to dismiss this incident as a misunderstanding is tantamount to saying "what's another 28 lives or so?" Disturbing as it is, it fits the pattern of the military's long record of human rights abuses in the province dating back to 1989.

Killing in Aceh, it appears, is still the order of the day for security forces some 10 months after a military operation was formally terminated. We have seen this happen time and again in recent months, even as TNI leaders and the government in Jakarta, including President B.J. Habibie himself, took pains to apologize for past atrocities committed against the people of Aceh.

To the nation, and especially to the people of Aceh, the killing is simply unacceptable, on whatever pretext, whether as a "misunderstanding" as claimed by the military in Jakarta, or as "self-defense" as claimed by the local military. If the shooting was in self-defense against an armed mob, it begs the question why were there no casualties among soldiers? And why were women and children among the casualties? Did the villagers misunderstand the soldiers, or was it the other way round?

The promise of a full investigation from TNI chief/Minister of Defense and Security Gen. Wiranto somehow rings hollow, since previous fatal incidents have never been explained satisfactorily. One would be tempted to call on the National Commission of Human Rights (Komnas Ham) to launch an investigation, but the commission is overstretched with its limited resources. Already, it has a huge backlog of unresolved cases from Aceh and other provinces, and with its power limited to conducting investigations, little can be expected from another Komnas Ham mission to Aceh. While the commission has come up with some credible reports in the past, the government has rarely acted on these findings, raising questions about the commission's political clout.

With all due respect to Komnas-Ham, the latest killing in Aceh is too large and too important for it to handle by itself. A separate independent commission should be established, at the behest of President B.J. Habibie, to investigate the incident. This commission should comprise people of high integrity who can confront the military and recommend the dismissal of top military leaders responsible for the incident.

Anything less than this could undermine all the goodwill gestures, including apologies made by Wiranto and Habibie, to placate the angry people in Aceh. This is assuming that these gestures were indeed genuine and honest in the first place. Acehnese have every right to doubt the seriousness of the government and the military if the killings continue.

Before this incident, Aceh university students and youths were campaigning for a referendum to review the province's status in the republic. Some Aceh leaders, including the province's governor, even proposed the idea of federalism for Indonesia. They said federalism could appease Aceh and other provinces discontented with the concentration of power in the hands of people in Jakarta.

Until the killing on Monday, few people in Aceh endorsed the idea of a total independent state; a referendum was the more popular option. But one should not take the Acehnese for granted. Their patience and perseverance have limits too. The killing has already given more ground for the separatists' cause. The government's failure to resolve this incident quickly and satisfactorily will make full separation with Indonesia an increasingly attractive option for many Acehnese.