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New York-Nazaruddin Abdul Gani, a humanitarian worker in Aceh, escaped
death last December by the barest chance. He and three friends were
kidnapped by the Indonesia military and his friends were shot; he managed
to run away (See his story in the March 2001 N&L). After he told what
happened, his life was in danger again. Human Rights Watch got him out of
Aceh and he has been living in New York.
He said, "On Sept. 11, I was attending a language school on Rector
Street,
across from the World Trade Center. When the airplane hit, we ran outside
to see what the noise had been. Debris was falling from the sky all around
us. First I grabbed my camera and took pictures. Then I ran for my life-for
the second time in nine months."
Radhi Darmansyah, a leader in the student movement that spearheaded the
Acehnese demand for a referendum on independence, currently heads the SIRA
International Affairs office in Washington (See his statement in the
October 2001 N&L). He was near the Pentagon when it was attacked. He also
reached for his camera before leaving the scene. Why? Both young men are so
committed to documenting atrocities in Aceh, that they instinctively took
pictures before thinking of their own safety.
Nazar and Radhi thanked N&L for its continuous coverage of the Aceh
liberation struggle, and said: "In Aceh, we live in fear all the time. The
Indonesian military slaughters people who have done nothing, just like the
attack on the World Trade Center. We are so sad for all the innocent people
killed. Jihad and crusade only mean more war and death. We have to break
from this violence and bring freedom and peace to everyone." They added
that it had felt good to attend an anti-war rally in New York.
The killing and repression in Aceh has worsened recently. With all eyes on
the terrorists, the new president of Indonesia has sent more troops and
given the green light to the military to pursue her policy of terrorism in
Aceh. No one is talking about the 10 to 20 Acehnese killed by the security
forces every day. The U.S., anxious for allies in Muslim countries, is
throwing human rights concerns to the wind and increasing aid to Indonesia.
Moreover, the Indonesian people now fear Osama-type terrorists will kill
innocent civilians there, to punish the government for not supporting them.
All this makes Aceh's struggle for independence even more difficult.
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