Acehnese forced to celebrate Idul Fitri in camps

Teuku Agam Muzakkir, The Jakarta Post, Lhokseumawe, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam

As Idul Fitri approaches, there is little to look forward to for those Acehnese forced into refugee camps by the conflict between the government and the separatist Free Aceh Movement.

For the 53-year-old Rasyidah, Idul Fitri was a special time when she makes traditional snacks such as dodol (glutinous rice cooked with palm sugar) and Acehnese foods like keukarah, meuseukat and timphan.

The month before Idul Fitri -- when Muslims fast -- also used to be a time of joy for her, with children gathering in her house to learn to read the Koran.

"I miss those moments ... I also miss my village and there are things that I can't accept," the sobbing Rasyidah told The Jakarta Post from one of the numerous refugee camps in Aceh.

"Me and my husband, Ismail, were forced to flee from our home in Jambo Balee village in the middle of August because we did not have any other choice. We were living in fear since the military intensified its operation in our area.

"Clashes between soldiers and GAM members occurred almost every night, and we did not want to become victims of something that we don't even understand," Rasyidah said.

Along with hundreds of other residents of the village located in Indra Makmur subdistrict in East Aceh -- about 100 kilometers east of Lhokseumawe, Rasyidah is now taking refuge in the neighboring village of Alue le Mirah in Seuneubok Bayu, sharing a partitioned room in a mosque.

There are only pieces of mats made of pandanus leafs for the refugees, including infants, to lay on, while mosquitoes swarm all over them day and night.

Several children were playing when the Post visited the mosque. Despite their laughing faces, their painfully thin frames hint at malnutrition.

"How can I think about new dresses or snacks right now when I have to beg just to get rice each day?" asked Rasyidah, who wore a brown headscarf to cover her gray hair.

When the government launched its integrated operation in the province on May 19 to crush the rebels, the number of Acehnese who fled their homes increased to 81,671. Most of them were civilians who lived in areas known to be Free Aceh Movement (GAM) strongholds.

Despite claims that the government has distributed sufficient food, clean water and tents to accommodate the rising number of refugees, many Acehnese are suffering from illnesses and malnutrition.

As of September 2003, some 38,000 people were still living in makeshift refugee camps. At least 40 percent of the refugees are children.

In its integrated operation, the government has from the very beginning prioritized the military offensive, making it almost impossible for other operations -- humanitarian assistance, law enforcement and the reinstatement of civil governance -- to be implemented.

Six months into the operation, GAM members remain strong in spite of the deployment of about 35,000 soldiers and 14,000 police personnel, prompting the government to renew the operation for another six months.

GAM has been fighting for independence since the 1970s.

Rights activists are demanding the government focus on helping the refugees, providing education for the children and dealing with the increasing number of impoverished and unemployed people in the province.

"I was once working at a rubber plantation near our village, but the heightened security situation forced me to leave. Now it is difficult to earn money," Ismail said.

Ismail now rides his old bicycle to the nearest rubber plantation and works there, earning some Rp 15,000 per day. Indeed, the money is not enough for him and his wife.