Acehnese learn to live with fear

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

This is a special report of The Jakarta Post's reporter Ridwan Max Sijabat and photographer R. Berto Wedhatama, on their recent journalistic trip to Aceh.

Their look says it all. It may not seem obvious to those already living in the province that has been racked by violence. But to outsiders or visitors, it is noticeable that fear is written all over the face of ordinary people in Aceh.

Many Acehnese have learned to live with fear. It has been part of their lives for the last decade or so. But the situation has become worse, particularly in the last three years.

The sound of gunshots has become an all-too-familiar noise, at night or day.

Few people dare to venture into the streets after dusk.

They are afraid of both the Indonesian Military, whose strong presence was supposed to protect them, as well as the armed separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

Both have been blamed for killing innocent civilians, and for burning their houses or entire villages.

There is simply no telling who their real enemies are.

Shops and traditional markets in urban areas close early (between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.) and intercity bus stations look abnormally quiet. Traffic too looks too light for comfort.

On a recent night, this reporter and his photographer colleague found no civilians in the streets. We met only armed security officers patrolling the town.

Tension has been mounting in recent weeks.

The speech by President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Aug. 16, in which she apologized to the people of Aceh for the past mistakes of the government in Jakarta, and her visit to the province on Sept. 10, apparently did not change anything.

If anything, things have turned for the worse.

Fear is so pervasive that it has taken its toll on the daily activities of the people, including small traders.

Djamin, a manggo seller, said business had been particularly slack at the Peunayeuh market these past few weeks.

"The market used to be crowded until 4 p.m. Today, we'll be lucky to find buyers after midday," Djamin told The Jakarta Post.

If in the past his daily sales had averaged Rp 1.5 million, today he could only manage Rp 200,000.

Djamin, who lives in Melayu Kampong near the Iskandar Muda Airport, said most people in his village were too afraid to go out at night because of the presence of security officers.

Freedom of speech is another major casualty of fear.

Imam Syuja, an influential ulema, said he had not only reduced his sermon-giving activities, but had also voluntarily toned down their content.

Syuja said he took his cue from last month's murder of Dayan Dawood, rector of Syiah Kuala University in Banda Aceh.

He confirmed that the heavy presence of security forces in Banda Aceh and other towns had not made Aceh people feel any safer.

"In fact, they have scared the people off. People are feeling more repressed," he said.

Traveling through the province can also become a horrible experience, with checkpoints at irregular intervals where passengers have to show their IDs and are subject to body checks.

As a result, the journey becomes that much longer.

A trip between the hill town of Takengon in Central Aceh and Bireun in North Aceh, a mere 100 km distance, took six hours thanks to the police and military checks.

The military defended its presence and operations, saying that security had been tightened in response to the brutalities committed by GAM rebels.

Army First Sgt. Hery, commandant of a group from the Siliwangi Military Command in West Java, said many people of the Gayo subethnic group in Takengon had been killed or abducted by the rebels because they did not support the separatist cause.

But people in Timang Gajah Village in the Central Aceh regency said they were afraid of both the military and GAM, and could not tell who was responsible for the killings and the burning of their houses.

They had no idea what were the motives behind the killing, kidnapping and burning.

"Last night, we found bags containing the bodies of seven unidentified people," said Abdul Karim, a Gayo descendant.

Nyak Dien, 80 years old from Lammi Village, Aceh Besar, gave a big thumbs-down to the police and the military for their failure to win the hearts and minds of the people.

Nyak Dien, who remembered how she and her friends fought alongside Indonesian soldiers during the independence struggle in the 1940s, said the Indonesian Military was no longer highly regarded there.

"The situation has changed dramatically. Soldiers are scaring the villagers. There have been reports of intimidation and extortion (by soldiers)," she said.

Qomariyah, who owns a coffee stall in Simpang Mamplam, Pidie, said hundreds of people had fled the town after the main market had been burned down by the police in August, apparently, she said, because many people here supported GAM.

Fear caused by the prolonged conflict has also displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

Some native Acehnese have even taken refuge in GAM stronghold areas like Payabakung in North Aceh. Migrants, mostly from Java, fled further south to North Sumatra, or simply gave up and returned to their hometowns in Java.

Those sheltering in Takengon, Central Aceh, fully realized they were still not out of danger completely and that they might have to move on pretty soon.

Journalists too found they are not welcome in Payabakung.

When we tried to verify a report that some 250 refugees from Takengon had been sheltered in the town, we were given our marching orders by a company of soldiers.

"You intruding journalists! Go back if you don't want to be shot!," their commandant bellowed at us.