Reality bites for soldiers on front line in Aceh

Reality bites for soldiers on front line in Aceh

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Lhokseumawe, Aceh

A soldier from the military strike force unit ran laughing
toward a group of his colleagues.

"You've got mail, you've got mail," he teased one of them, who
was put through a series of push-ups before he could get his
hands on the letter.

The soldier then stole away to a quiet spot to read the letter
from his girlfriend.

Letters from home are a cause for celebration for soldiers
serving in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, some of them already on
assignment for more than seven months.

With the military operation now in full swing, hopes of
returning home anytime soon have vanished. Soldiers are now
making long treks through remote areas in search of members of
the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

It's a tough campaign, including facing guerrilla fighters who
are much more familiar with the terrain. The military also
confronts a not entirely supportive populace, some of whom
suffered during overzealous military campaigns of the past.

It may all be in the line of duty, but the soldiers also have
to deal with problems in meeting the most basic of needs.

"Sometimes we have to delay taking lunch or dinner if
headquarters faces difficulties in sending supplies due to
various reasons, but mostly because of the location of my troops
in the remote area or due to an ambush by GAM rebels," a unit
commander told The Jakarta Post at a hamlet in North Aceh.

The unit had just received a new delivery, including noodles,
cigarettes, military food rations and personal letters.

Getting supplies to the soldiers is fraught with its own
difficulties because GAM is likely to attack the convoys,
believing they may also be carrying ammunition and other military
equipment.

"Before we send trucks loaded with supplies for soldiers on
the front line, we have to dispatch a surveillance team to clear
the road leading to the position of our troops so that the road
will be free from bomb threats or possible ambush by GAM," Lt.
Col. Rimbo Karyono, commander of the military's strike force
unit, told the Post at his camp stationed in Simpang KKA area.

It can take weeks or longer for soldiers to get back to
barracks when they are replaced in the field by another unit.

Water is one of the biggest luxuries when on duty. They may
not bathe for days, preferring to make sure that precious water
resources are available for drinking and cooking.

"Look over there, that is one of our posts in a hilly area
where the only water source is from the river at the foot of the
hill. We have to walk down some two kilometers to bathe and hike
back up to return to the post," one of the soldiers said.

"So we're drenched in sweat when we get back," he added,
laughing.

While the campaign in Aceh may have gained popular support
back in Jakarta, with many fearing national disintegration if
Aceh is lost to separatism, soldiers in the province come up
against fear and suspicion from many Acehnese.

Rights activists estimate that at least 10,000 Acehnese
civilian were killed, tortured and raped during the New Order's
notorious 10-year-long military operation in the province..

Villagers living close to GAM locations have been caught in
the crossfire, sometimes losing relatives or friends who were
accused of being guerrillas.

The military counters that it is difficult to distinguish
ordinary citizens from GAM, who are believed to have discarded
their military uniforms and tried to blend in with the civilian
population.

"Days ago we were involved in an armed conflict with GAM
rebels around this location. One of these rebels was believed to
have supernatural powers because he didn't die even though we
shot him six times. We chased after him and stripped him, and
finally he died," a soldier stationed on the front line said as
he took a break.

For soldiers in the line of fire, most of whom are from
limited educational backgrounds and barely out of their teens,
their assignment in Aceh consists of an unquestioning acceptance
of orders.

"Actually, it is not that easy for us to kill other humans,
but this is war and we do not have any options except to kill or
be killed," another soldier said.

"And we are doing that for the sake of the red and white
national flag."

But even for the soldiers and their commanders, the reality
that they may lose their lives can be sobering. In more
reflective moments, they let down their guard and stop parroting
the standard military doctrine.

"This war is just like a game, but the death is real," Rimbo
Karyono said.