Extortion of motorists still rampant in troubled Aceh

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Idi, East Aceh

Yasdi, 40, has abandoned his job as a truck driver because he can no longer endure the rife extortion by security personnel on the streets in the province of Aceh.

Sitting relaxed in his coffee shop in Idi, East Aceh, Yasdi, of Acehnese descent, recalled how local policemen and soldiers treat motorists and travelers.

"No one on the main roads in the province can avoid the document check by either police officers or soldiers.

"They check not only our personal and vehicle documents but also the contents of our pockets and our wallet. We can't refuse them when they ask for money," he told The Jakarta Post.

Many security personnel are apparently taking advantage of the tense situation in the restive province by reportedly imposing illegal levies on motorists and, sometimes, passengers on public buses.

Security personnel, nevertheless, have denied extorting motorists and bus passengers, saying that they would only accept money if drivers and motorists offered it voluntarily for security reasons.

"We have only asked for a little to buy cigars and (alcohol) drinks," a police officer, identified as Sgt. Krm, told the Post at a police checkpoint in Perlak.

However, a number of drivers met by the Post all confirmed there was widespread extortion by security forces.

Rusli, a pickup driver who supplies fruit to Banda Aceh and Medan, for instance, revealed that policemen, especially from the elite Police Mobile Brigade, always demanded a large illegal levy from motorists.

"Servicemen from the Army and the Navy won't reject being given between Rp 2,000 (about 20 U.S. cents) and Rp 5,000 or a pack of cigarettes, but those from the Mobile Brigade frequently tell off drivers while holding a gun to our head to pay them what they want.

"Drivers are slapped or beaten with their gun if they pay less than what they ask for," he told the Post from his residence near PT Exxonmobil Indonesia's gas field in Lhoksukon, North Aceh.

Policemen at one checkpoint normally ask pickup drivers like Rusli for about Rp 50,000, he said. They will allegedly charge higher levies for drivers of bigger vehicles or for vehicles carrying valuable goods.

"Vans carrying fish or fruit are commonly asked to pay between Rp 50,000 and Rp 100,000, while trucks and trailers containing expensive items are asked to pay between Rp 150,000 and Rp 300,000," he said.

Unlike Yasdi who quit his profession, Rusli continues to stick with his job as a driver although he has had to accept a lower monthly income.

Before heightened military operations, Rusli said he could earn about Rp 1.5 million per month, but now he gets about Rp 500,000 per month because a large part of his income goes to security personnel.

"I don't have any land and I don't have any skills to do something else. But I must thank God because my wife and children and I can survive during this difficult time," he said.

He noted that because of the practice, he said he could not trust any policemen. He said that the police's image had been ruined in the eyes of the Acehnese.

Razali, a driver in Banda Aceh, concurred and said most locals hated to come across security personnel when driving anywhere in the province because of their behavior.

"They come here not to maintain security and order but to get additional income from the local people's decades of pain."

He said most people's hatred of security personnel did not stem from the separatist movement but was mainly because of their behavior.

He said it was irrational and strange for drivers to be charged between Rp 50,000 and Rp 100,000 if their cars are stopped at the checkpoint areas along the street.

He said the central government should replace all security personnel known for bad behavior with those who are dedicated in seeking local people's trust by guaranteeing their security and safety.