News & Letters, June 2001

Struggle continues against bloodshed in Aceh

Bloodshed has increased in Aceh, a province in northwest Indonesia where the entire population has been demanding a referendum on independence for the past two years. The government's response is repression. Since ExxonMobil closed down natural gas production in March due to violence in the area, Indonesia has sent more troops and increased its killing, kidnapping, torture, rape and burning of homes, schools and community centers.

The largest organization leading the fight for a referendum--larger than GAM, the guerrilla movement--is the student organization SIRA, which has more than 100 member organizations and is growing. SIRA is the biggest challenge to the government, not only because we have such widespread support, but also because of the reasonableness of our demands.

The government cannot logically deny our demands, especially when we say that Aceh's problem is the Indonesian security forces in Aceh. We have talked many times with the government, we have an open door to continued talk, but the government still pretends it is not responsible for the violence, blaming it all on GAM and "persons unknown."

More than 600 people have been killed so far this year alone. Everyone knows the main perpetrators are the security forces, yet the government pressures journalists to say the killings are by "persons unknown."

Indonesia is trying to kill off our educators and even moderate political leaders, everyone who has a good mind and can challenge government policy. Many professors have been killed, like Safwan Idris, director of State Institute of Islamic Studies, who was killed in his home. They think that when they kill professors, then the students will have no one to guide us, no one to lead us besides the government. This is crude and stupid.

Recently they killed T. H. Djohan, a former vice-governor of Aceh who had criticized the government's policies of burning homes and sending more troops. It was a shock that he got killed because he had been high up in the military.

The government says they have a plausible proposal for peace and to bring the perpetrators of violence to justice, but no one can expect honest investigations to be done by it while it is killing people daily. They are even starting to kill and kidnap foreign journalists.

In Jakarta, an Acehnese students' hostel blew up May 10, killing three people and injuring others. The government said the residents were SIRA students making bombs. They detained and tortured other residents trying to get evidence. The students weren't even SIRA members; they just had some of our public documents in the house.

The government uses any excuse to blame SIRA. On May 13 in the capital of Aceh, army troops dismantled the giant permanent referendum billboard in front of Baiturrahman grand mosque, which had been approved by President Wahid. The billboard was a memorial sign of the Acehnese aspiration for a referendum, constructed after the huge referendum rally on Nov. 8, 1999.

There have been suppressive actions against SIRA activists by arrest, detention, intimidation, kidnapping and murder since SIRA organized a huge rally demanding a referendum in November 1999. About two million people gathered in Banda Aceh. It was peaceful; no casualties took place because no security forces were deployed.

On May 14 the SIRA office in Jakarta was attacked, and May 15 in Banda Aceh, police raided and destroyed SIRA headquarters. They ripped out our signs and wrote on the wall, "SIRA is a communist group," "SIRA is a traitor of the people," and "SIRA enjoys the people's money." I think the military only hurts itself by making wild accusations against SIRA.

The second rally, known as the ''Mass Rally for Peace'' took place on Nov. 12, 2000. At least 60 people, were killed by security forces that blocked convoys going to Banda Aceh to exercise their political views. Many people were brutally tortured.

I believe Indonesia will have to negotiate; they can't kill everyone in the whole country. If they keep killing so many, they will lose their credibility and good name in the world. As Isaac Asimov said, "Violence is the last resort of incompetents."

--SIRA member in the U.S.

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On May 22, the U.S. Congress, under intense pressure from human rights groups, passed a "finding" of human rights abuses in Aceh and West Papua, and a finding of escalating violence in Maluku and Central Kalimantan as well.

The Congressional resolution also calls for Indonesia to release Jafar Siddiq Hamzah's autopsy report so an investigation of his murder can be made. Hamzah was the founder and director of the International Forum on Aceh, which works for peace and human rights in Aceh. A New York resident, he was kidnapped, tortured and killed while visiting Indonesia last summer.

The resolution was brought about by the work of the Indonesia Human Rights Network, 1101 Pennsylvania Ave. SE Washington, DC 2000, TEL 202-544-1211, which urges everyone to pressure Congress not to restore military aid to Indonesia.
--Editor.