Aceh craves justice

Aceh, and Lhokseumawe in particular, which enjoyed a period of peace after the Military Operations Region (DOM) status was lifted from the province, is once again in the grip of tension. The region resembles a land at war. Roads are closed, helicopters buzz overhead and soldiers with suspicion in their eyes stand on guard at road corners.

It had looked as if the reconciliation between the people of Aceh and the Armed Forces (ABRI) would go smoothly after the lifting of the DOM status and the withdrawal of nonindigenous troops. It also seemed that the exposure of the heinous human rights abuses that had been committed during that period of military operations was being received (by the military) in a spirit of apology after ABRI chose not to deny the incidents.

As it turned out, however, the horrific aspects of the DOM period that had been so dramatically exposed -- including the discovery of mass graves, orphaned children and widowed women -- continued to fester as humanitarian problems that could explode at any time. Sadly, these dark aspects are up to the present still being kept from full view.

The kidnapping and killing of a number of off-duty military personnel is, in our view, an expression of the frustration with the fact that these humanitarian issues are not being addressed. We all tend to bury our problems. In this era of reform, these problems have been breaking open like ripened blisters, and practically none of the problems have been earnestly resolved.

The people of Aceh are an integral part of our struggle to build a unified Republic of Indonesia. The past New Order regime never responded adequately and honestly to the wishes of the people of Aceh. Instead, they responded with guns.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta