Khatijah -- portrait of violence against women in restive Aceh
Khatijah -- portrait of violence against women in restive Aceh
Nani Farida
The Jakarta Post
Lhokseumawe, Aceh
Similar to luck, misery can unexpectedly pop up when one least
expects it. In Aceh of late, luck is being overshadowed
mercilessly by misery. Khatijah, 31, never could have imagined
that in one instant her beloved husband and father of their
children would be gone forever.
Lying on her bed at the Cut Meutia General Hospital in the
city recently, Khatijah told The Jakarta Post in a recent
interview about her traumatic incident when a group of soldiers
fired ceaselessly at her, her husband M. Saleh and other
relatives while they were harvesting their rice on their farmland
in Lubuk Mane, North Aceh on June 8, 2002.
Looking pale and feeling powerless due to serious gunshot
wounds to her leg and back, Khatijah said she was suffering more
pain from a prolonged headache due to the depression of losing
her husband.
"I am suffering an acute headache, not because of these
serious wounds but for thinking of my husband, shot to death in
front of my eyes along with several other relatives," she said.
She said the incident occurred when a group of soldiers were
passing through her farmland on their way from Lubuk Pane to the
nearby village of Cot Tungku.
She said the soldiers suddenly began firing their automatic
rifles at them when she, along with her husband, nephew Safrida
and several other villagers were loading their harvest into sacks
to be brought home.
The soldiers continued shooting although all the farmers were
flat on the earth until they had successfully damaged a paddy
processing machine which she was hiding behind.
"I was trying to wake up my husband but all he could do was
say 'Allah Akbar (God is the greatest)' and he closed his eyes
forever.
"I then tried to stand up but a bullet ripped through my leg.
I knew I was dying when another bullet hit my back... Hours
later, I felt a serious pain as doctors at the Cut Meutia
Hospital in Lhokseumauwe were pulling the two bullets out of my
body," she said.
Safrida, who witnessed the incident, said three soldiers
brought the dying Khatijah to the nearby public health center in
Phanton subdistrict for medical treatment while Saleh's body was
handed over to villagers in Cot Tungku village for burial.
Khatijah expressed her deep concern and hatred of the military
for the senseless shooting spree and murders. "I don't know the
reasons why the soldiers attacked us and killed my husband. I
know nothing about the conflict and have no relation to the
separatist movement."
She said she had to shoulder all the sufferings caused by the
incident and to take care of her three young children -- M.
Jabir, 14, Indra Wardani, 6, and M. Khaidir, 2.
The director of the Aceh Flower Organization, Syamsidar, said
Khatijah was only one of dozens of Acehnese women who were shot
and tortured this month throughout the province.
He said there were at least 22 reported cases of women who
were tortured, abducted or shot in Aceh just last month.
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Female victims of violence in May, 2002
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Date names location incidents
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May 1 Banun, 40 SE Aceh torture
Yanti, 36 SE Aceh torture
Sumarni, 35 SE Aceh torture
May 3 Yuni, 21 North Aceh torture
May 6 Juwariyah North Aceh shot
May 13 Syamsu, 60 North Aceh torture
May 15 Khatijah East Aceh abduction
Halimah East Aceh abduction
Yusdiana East Aceh abduction
Ulidiana East Aceh abduction
Rosnidar East Aceh abduction
Marliah East Aceh abduction
Nursida East Aceh abduction
Halimatussakdiah East Aceh abduction
Yusnidar East Aceh abduction
Dek Nur East Aceh abduction
May 17 Martini, 22 West Aceh torture
Yuliani, 25 West Aceh torture
Radiah Latief Aceh Besar shot dead
May 23 Nursiah Abd North Aceh abduction
May 24 Suryati, 35, North Aceh abduction
May 31 Wani, 17 West Aceh abduction
Sources: local Aceh media