Sufferings of Aceh children

It makes us sad to imagine the sufferings of children affected by violence in some parts of Aceh. I was moved when reading the statement of Seto Mulyadi, chairman of the National Convention for Children's Rights. He said the military operations and rioting in the province have traumatized children there. Without intervention, the affected children will continue to bear a grudge. Rioting and wars generally affect children the most due to the resultant troubles in their social environment.

It is true that international institutions have paid attention to children victimized by violent actions and wars, including those affected by the military operation in Aceh. The government, including the Indonesian military (TNI), has also paid attention to this matter seriously and is still considering new steps to overcome it -- by helping children pursue higher education and providing jobs for their parents. Instead of merely introducing such tactical measures, the government should also take the strategic measure of introducing comprehensive guidelines on military operations.

But the problem is that some members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) have also intimidated and provoked local residents in Aceh while wearing TNI uniforms, to make the residents believe the violence has been conducted by TNI members.

This means that the troubles in Aceh are not merely the problems of TNI. All of us must assume responsibility to solve the problems properly. We cannot arbitrarily accuse TNI personnel of violence. If the violence is conducted by GAM members, who will then take responsibility?

All of us, as a nation, should realize that violent actions and bearing grudges are bad. Parents, religious leaders and social figures, therefore, should be fair and balanced in discussing Indonesian history and all social events. But describing the truth is sometimes very difficult and time- consuming.

TONI PONIMAN

Jakarta