The Lhokseumawe tragedy

The Lhokseumawe tragedy

The television newscasts and newspaper photographs we have
seen raise the question whether the security measures taken to
quell the most recent unrest (in Aceh) were not excessive. Aren't
there any other, more elegant, measures available besides using
live bullets? We are afraid the wounds such methods leave will be
extremely deep and take a long time to heal.

The continuing unrest will most unfavorably affect Indonesia's
image in the eyes of the rest of world. Tourists, businesspeople
and investors will be even more afraid than they already are to
visit or do business in Indonesia. In the final analysis, the
bloody incident will subtract from the points which the
government's measures to restore the economy have so far scored.

Several people have mentioned the role provocateurs are
presumed to have played in the Lhokseumawe unrest. The same kind
of claim was made regarding similar incidents which have occurred
in other provinces of this country. Up to this day, however, the
identities of these provocateurs have never been revealed to the
public.

We call on everyone to be more sensitive and to participate in
trying to detect any signs of impending unrest. The military and
the police need the public's help so they can join hands in
trying to improve the situation. First of all, though, (the
authorities') credibility must be restored.

-- Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta