Indonesia’s armed forces chief, General Endriartono Sutarto, has admitted that, “hundreds of thousands of Acehnese might be forced from their homes and interned in camps which local government officials are already preparing.” Is this forced relocation legal? Will these individuals be compensated for any material damage to their properties while the Indonesian forces and separtist groups fight against each other? Hardly likely.
Indonesia ‘forcing families to leave island’, John Aglionby
The Guardian, 23 May 2003
Separatists in the Indonesian province of Aceh have accused the military of forcibly relocating hundreds of families from an island off the northern tip of Sumatra as part of their new offensive to crush the rebels.
The allegation came as Indonesian forces continued yesterday to intensify their campaign across the province, claiming to have killed 14 rebels in six clashes while suffering no fatalities themselves. A Free Aceh Movement (Gam) spokesman said about 500 families from Breueh island were put on warships and taken to an undisclosed location on Wednesday, after Indonesian commanders realised they could not defeat the rebels without harming civilians. “They evacuated the people and then started shelling again,” the spokesman said. “It’s a small place with not many hiding places, so they think they can kill us.”
“Unfortunately for them our troops had already escaped.”
He said two rebels were killed on neighbouring Nasi island when they tried to repulse a marine landing. Indonesia’s military commander in Aceh, Major General Endang Suwarya, confirmed that planes and troops had attacked rebel positions on the islands for the last three days, but he denied that anyone had been forcibly moved.
“We know where the rebels are, so we can target them directly,” he said. “There has been no need for us to move people.”
He also said that no civilians were hurt in raids on four villages in Bireuen district on Wednesday, in which villagers said 18 people were massacred, including two 12-year-olds.
“Absolutely no civilians were killed,” he said. “We have a list of targets that we want killed or captured. We don’t miss or make mistakes.”
Indonesia’s armed forces chief, General Endriartono Sutarto, has admitted that hundreds of thousands of Acehnese might be forced from their homes and interned in camps which local government officials are already preparing.
“Our first priority is to separate Gam from the people, because we don’t want any people to get hurt,” he said. “If we have to move them to win this war, we will, but that’s a last resort. We will do it because Gam continues to hide amongst the people and we want to minimise the number of victims.”
He stressed that anyone moved would be well looked-after, but officials in Bireuen - named by the social affairs minister as one of the first districts where internment might occur - are unprepared.
Jamil, a social affairs official in the district, said he had just five large tents, 180 boxes of instant noodles and a few dozen parcels of toiletries. “We would like at least 60 tents so then we can cope with any emergencies,” he said. He said police and soldiers would guard the refugees. “It’s for their own protection,” he added.
When Jakarta launched its offensive on Monday, after the collapse of negotiations to salvage a five-month ceasefire, ministers and military commanders promised that civilians would be protected and life should continue as normal. But after just four days of the operation, involving 42,000 troops and paramilitary police against Gam’s estimated 5,000 fighters, many Acehnese have seen life grind to a virtual halt.
Residents of the village of Blang Kuyu, 750 metres up in the rugged hills of central Aceh, said no bus drivers had dared ply the routes to their village since Tuesday, and the number of trucks bringing supplies had dropped to a trickle. Hazna, a teacher at the village school, said: “We’ve probably got enough supplies for less than a week.”
Everyone said they were too afraid to go scavenging for food, even though there had been no clashes in the area. “Of course we’re afraid. We’re terrified,” said one woman. “The only people who are not afraid are the dead.”