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.