Raids give Acehnese the jitters
Raids give Acehnese the jitters
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The raids conducted by the city police and city officials against
alleged members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in the capital
have caused anxiety among the Acehnese here.
A number of Acehnese people who live in the capital expressed
fear and concern about the raids and most of them refused to be
interviewed as they were afraid that their comments could get
them in trouble.
The police said on Wednesday they had started to raid rented
houses that may be used as hideouts by GAM members. But the
Acehnese warned that the policy should be cautiously implemented,
otherwise it would instill fear in the Acehnese community in
Jakarta.
"What fears me most is that security officers may carry out
their task indiscriminately, that they may not distinguish
between GAM members and other people in the Acehnese community.
If that is the case, the Acehnese people will be terrorized,"
Lukman Nanda, an Acehnese who works as a street vendor in Blok M,
South Jakarta, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
Lukman, who left his hometown in South Aceh in 1996, said that
he did not mind the policy as long as the target was only GAM
members.
Lukman was among the few Acehnese people who were willing to
comment on the issue. Many others preferred to remain tightlipped
on any issues in connection with the military operation, saying
that any comment might land them in trouble.
If they commented, they stressed that their names should not
appear in the newspapers as they fear that something may befall
them or their families.
An Acehnese businessman, who was also speaking on the
condition of anonymity, said that the danger for Acehnese who
make "wrong comments" may come both from the security officers
and from GAM members here.
"Therefore, it is better not to make any comment," said the
businessman who also stressed that the location of his office
should not be mentioned. Similar comments came from another
Acehnese vendor in Blok M and a parking attendant in Kota.
Governor Sutiyoso said on Wednesday that in anticipation of
possible terror attacks in the city, he had instructed his
subordinates, from mayors to subdistrict officials, and even
heads of the neighborhood units to observe rented houses which
may be used as hideouts for terrorists.
Sutiyoso also said people should not just report suspected
terrorists in their area, but encouraged people to apprehend them
and take the suspects to the police.
Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Patmanagara claimed
that the police had identified a number of places which were
hideouts of GAM members in the city, But he refused to elaborate.
Ade Rostina, an independent volunteer who used to raise funds
for Aceh, also confirmed the fear of the Acehnese.
"I have contacted several Acehnese here, but they did not want
to make any comment, so I cannot recommend any name for you," Ade
told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
She also expressed concern over Sutiyoso's statement saying
that it could spark serious problems in society.
"People could name anyone who they don't like as a GAM member.
If the masses are provoked, the person may become a victim of
mass violence," Ade added.
Tubagus Haryokarbianto, a public lawyer from the Jakarta Legal
Aid Institute, also expressed concern and questioned the legal
basis of a policy that encouraged people to arrest alleged
terrorists and the instruction to subdistrict officials to sweep
rented housed to look for terrorists.