`Inong Balee' say they never touched guns

Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

A group of detained Acehnese women, whom the Indonesian Military (TNI) claims are members of the Free Aceh Movement's women's brigade (Inong Balee), say they know nothing about weapons or combat.

However, some of the 13 women arrested by the military since the military operation began more than one month ago admitted that they had been trained by GAM, or were married to GAM members or even leaders.

The 13 women, two of whom are pregnant, are currently being detained in the Keudah penitentiary in Banda Aceh.

Military Police officer Maj. Yusuf said on Saturday that many of the women came from Sabang and Aceh Besar regencies.

"They were arrested at different times. Some of these women have been here for 20 days," Yusuf said.

The Inong Balee have become well known since the Indonesian government entered into peace talks with GAM in 2000. Pictures of the Inong Balee carrying rifles were sometimes aired by local TV stations and carried by local print media.

However, when The Jakarta Post met these women in their two dark and dank cells, measuring nine square meters each, they looked just like any other Acehnese women. No indications from their looks that they could possibly be guerrillas.

Yana, 25, was one of them. She said she joined GAM because she was forced to do so and had participated in training with the separatist movement.

"But I never held a gun," Yana told The Jakarta Post from behind bars.

Supriyanti, 20, who is pregnant, said she had never participated in military training, let alone carried a weapon. However, she admitted that her husband was a GAM fighter.

"My husband ran away to the forest," Supriyati told the Post from behind bars.

She said that she was arrested on June 20. "I just hope I can have my baby outside of this prison."

There was also an old woman, Mak Sili, 59, and her daughter Nurlelawati, 21.

Mak Sili said she and her daughter were arrested last Friday when troops saw them trying to remove the body of a dead GAM member.

"GAM forced us to try to recover the body. They had a bomb and threatened to blow up our house if we refused to meet their demand," Mak Sili said.

She admitted that her two sons had been involved in the separatist movement, but she knew nothing about this until she found them both dead.

"I only found out that my sons were GAM after they were killed," she added.

Because of her arrest, Nurlelawati could not sit her final exams at college. She had planned to become an elementary school teacher.

According to official data from the martial law administration, 233 GAM members have been arrested by the military and another 248 have surrendered. Meanwhile, 174 are in police custody.