Handle Aceh with care

Handle Aceh with care

Some might have been shocked by news last week of clashes
between troops and armed rebels operating in the hinterland of
Aceh.

Many were not. They long knew such an incident was inevitable,
somewhere and sometime, in the northernmost province in Sumatra
because long-standing problems were never conclusively solved.

In August last year, Armed Forces (ABRI) Commander Gen.
Wiranto, in announcing the official end to the nine-year military
operation there, apologized to the Acehnese, saying the conduct
of military personnel "exceeded acceptable norms".

The terrible extent of the Acehnese people's suffering was
revealed in a report by the National Commission on Human Rights.
It said that at least 781 people were killed and thousands more
suffered various forms of abuse in the military endeavor to quash
the separatist movement.

The horrendous discovery not only staggered Indonesians, but
also sent shock waves through many corners of the globe. Wiranto
seemed not to understand -- or to care less -- that an apology
does not mean justice is done. Those who took part in the
atrocities for almost a decade are still free, but the wounds
within the hearts of the strictly Islamic people of the province
are still bleeding.

Aceh is not alone in this sprawling archipelago. In East
Timor, in the wake of the 1991 bloody clash between troops and
demonstrators in Dili, then ABRI commander Gen. Try Sutrisno, was
instructed by the government to seek the 115 people classified as
missing. He never appeared sincere in following up the order, and
nobody asked him why. Locals seemed reluctant to raise the issue;
they probably feared his response would only add insult to
injury.

Another stinging irony in our national history is that many of
those officers who failed to handle the Tanjung Priok tragedy
in 1984 and the bloody Dili incident were subsequently promoted,
with not so much as a word about shame.

Military leaders seemed to believe the dismissive way they
handled the barbarous acts in other provinces was applicable to
Aceh. They were wrong. Acehnese possess their own
characteristics, historical background and an ardent sense of
nationalism. People with healthy memories will remember that as
the only area the Dutch colonial troops were not able to conquer
after World War II, Aceh was at the vanguard in the defense of
the young Republic of Indonesia. It contributed much to the
nation. In the words of Sukarno, the country's first president,
Aceh's wealth was all the fledgling nation had at the outset.

The proud people were also quick to lose trust in the national
leader once they felt cheated. They took up arms against the
central government in 1953 after it failed to keep its promise to
grant autonomous status.

History is a good teacher. When the rebels last week saw no
place for justice in the ABRI system, they acted. Nobody can
condone the killings of the soldiers, but the clash was a long
time coming. With the populace behind them -- although the
authorities might claim the people are being used as tools --
they showed in no uncertain terms their disillusionment with what
they consider a false profession to equal justice.

With bloody incidents now affecting not only rural areas but
also urban centers like Jakarta, it is high time for ABRI to
decide the Aceh problem should be solved lawfully once and for
all by putting on trial all soldiers alleged to have committed
inhumane acts. In the age of globalization, it is a vital legal
measure lest a foreign party -- perhaps the International Court
of Justice -- indicts those military leaders, from Soeharto to
his subordinates, for crimes against humanity during their long
rule.

Wiranto told the House of Representatives on Thursday that he
would solve the problem through cultural and religious
approaches. We sincerely hope his statement will not be empty
words, and that he understands that a salient religious teaching
is justice for all.