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VIOLENCE IN ACEH

Date Reported: Thursday, January 06, 2000
Incident Type: SECURITY
Country: BANDA ACEH, INDONESIA

Incident: The weekly Waspada (Medan, Sumatra) yesterday published the following report regarding the year-long violence in Aceh (northern Sumatra): According to the Police Chief of the Republic of Indonesia, Gen. Roesmanhadi, the conflict in Aceh from January to December 1999 resulted in 452 casualties and the destruction of 419 buildings.

Of the 452 casualties, 293 were killed and 159 wounded. These figures were further broken down as follows: Of the 293 persons killed, 43 were military members, 48 were police officers, and 202 were civilians. Of the 159 wounded, 43 were military members, 41 were police officers, and 75 were civilians. In addition to the above numbers, 62 persons were still carried as missing, with no resolution of their final status. These included 10 military personnel, 14 police officers, and 38 civilians.

Of the buildings destroyed, either by burning them down or trashing them, 29 were government offices, 1 was a police station, 2 were low echelon military headquarters, 274 were dwellings, 50 were stores, 62 were schools, and 1 was a place of worship. In addition, 63 vehicles were burnt or otherwise destroyed.

With regard to incidents perpetrated by the Aceh Merdeka Movement (AMM, aka GAM-Gerakan Aceh Merdeka - Free Aceh Movement), Gen. Roesmanhadi stated that in 1999, there had been 52 cases of flying the Acehnese flag, 181 cases of arson, 27 cases of attacks against military headquarters or command posts, 104 cases of assassination, 139 cases of weapons discharge, 32 ambushes, 9 bomb incidents, 16 firefights, 13 bank robberies, 26 cases of cattle-rustling, and 57 cases of intimidation of a local population to vacate a rural area, and flee as refugees to nearby cities.

With regard to security operations during 1999, Gen. Roesmanhadi gave the following figures. 150 AMM members were captured and 73 killed in combat actions. Materiel captured from the insurgents included 67 shoulder weapons, 1671 rounds of ammunition, 12 magazines, 2 homemade bamboo bombs, and 12,114 Free Aceh flags.

Gen. Roesmanhadi stated that unrest in the province of Aceh was concentrated in the following four districts: Aceh Pidie, Aceh Utara, Aceh Barat, and Aceh Timur. The remaining districts of Aceh were said to be "relatively secure."

(RISC Comment: AMM activity intensified in the spring of 1999 and was given new impetus by three massacres of civilians by the Indonesian security forces in February, May and July 1999. The first of these, in February, occurred at Idi Cut, Aceh Timur, when security forces opened fire on villagers suspected of abetting or hiding AMM members. Thirteen persons were killed, and scores wounded. The second incident occurred in late May at Kreung Geukuk near Llokseumawe, Aceh Utara. Some 45 civilians were killed, and more than 100 wounded when Indonesian security forces opened fire on protesters during a demonstration. The third occurred in late July, at Beutong, Aceh Barat, when the security forces raided an Islamic school suspected of concealing an arms cache for AMM insurgents. The school was run by a charismatic religious scholar, Teungku Bantaquiah. In the ensuing melee, the teungku, his wife and numerous followers were mowed down by indiscriminate gunfire. Over 50 bodies were recovered from the site. No security force members were injured.

The statistics disclosed above by Police General Roesmanhadi hint at a now solidly implanted insurgency, which the Indonesian security forces have achieved no more than mediocre results in suppressing.