Fear has two faces for survivors

This is the last of three articles about Lampuuk, which was once a popular weekend spot for Banda Aceh residents but has been left virtually deserted as its surviving residents shelter in camps at Lham Lhom following the tsunami. The Jakarta Post's Nani Afrida toured the area, interviewed the displaced people and prepared these articles.

Surviving Lampuuk villagers currently staying in Lham Lhom camp have undergone more suffering than most people will ever have to bear. First, from the disaster and the slow arrival of aid and second, from the continuing armed conflict between the military and the separatist movement in Aceh.

Unlike other refugee camps, the location of Lham Lhom camp is quite difficult to reach, and thus only a handful of volunteer groups could deliver food, water and other emergency assistance to them. Consequently, they have often run out of supplies.

"We did not choose to stay at this place. We were brought here by the tsunami itself," Zul, 35, told The Jakarta Post. The distance between Lampuuk and Lham Lhom is about five kilometers.

Though they have already endured the unimaginable, the Lampuuk people continue to live in fear as gunshots sound and some of their fellow survivors have allegedly been murdered.

When The Jakarta Post, escorted by the displaced people, visited Lampuuk village, where Lampuuk mosque still stands amid ruins, a number of gunshots were heard.

"Only three days after the tsunami, five of our fellow refugees were shot dead by security forces," said Odi, not his real name.

No one at the camp was willing to talk about the incident. They only confirmed that five of their fellow displaced people had been shot dead.

According to sources, the five victims were Andri, Abubakar, Basyir, Ridwan and Ardi.

The sources said that the five had traveled to their destroyed village of Lampuuk to save whatever they could, including a motorcycle. On their way, they met security forces, who allegedly killed them all.

"Lampuuk refugees were even asked to bury the five victims, who were accused to be (by the security forces) GAM members, but they were not, they were just refugees like us," Odi said.

The Indonesian Military (TNI) confirmed the incident, but said that only two people were shot dead, and both were members of the separatist Free Aceh Movement, which had tried to intervene against TNI's humanitarian operation in the area.

The military is now tightening security in the area, reportedly for fear that GAM members could infiltrate camps and divert the influx of assistance into their cause.

Since that incident, no Lampuuk people have dared to return to their home village to see what remains of their houses and to try to retrieve the corpses still buried under the debris.

"They (the TNI and GAM) have no feelings. We are suffering from this disaster and still mourning our dead relatives, but they continue with their armed conflict," said one displaced person who refused to be identified.