Rights group accuses TNI of Aceh abuses
Jakarta Post
05 August 1999
JAKARTA (JP): Amnesty International on Wednesday accused the Indonesian
Military (TNI) of rampant violence in Aceh and said that deploying more
troops in the province would only worsen the situation.
The London-based group said "the armed opposition also have a responsibility
to halt human rights abuses and to immediately instruct GAM (Free Aceh
movement) members to stop unlawful killings of soldiers and civilians".
Amnesty's strongest criticism however, was directed at the military. It said
that at least 40 -- possibly as many as 70 -- people were reportedly killed
by security forces during counter-insurgency operations in Beutong village,
West Aceh, on July 23.
The military said the victims were killed in a gunfight, but witnesses said
they were massacred.
Jakarta has sent about 1,200 reinforcement troops to Aceh after 41 civilian
protesters were killed in North Aceh in May. Some 7,000 more troops will be
dispatched to crush the ongoing rebel movement.
Amnesty however said: "in the current climate of impunity, increasing troop
numbers, rather than attempting to address the problems in Aceh, will only
worsen Aceh's already critical human rights situation."
Amnesty said it had warned in January that human rights violations could
escalate if troops were redeployed to Aceh.
"Since then dozens of people have been unlawfully killed, including by troops
sent to the province in recent months to resolve the violence," Amnesty said.
Violence has been on the rise in the province, claiming more than 200 lives,
including troops and police. The violence has also displaced nearly 100,000
people, who are now sheltering in mosques and school buildings.
"The recent escalation in human rights violations in Aceh, including dozens
of extrajudicial executions, disappearances and arbitrary arrests flies in
the face of the government's commitments to address human rights problems in
Indonesia," Amnesty said.
It also said: "President B.J. Habibie's government has so far failed to bring
to justice members of security forces who tortured, disappeared or unlawfully
killed thousands of Acehnese during counter-insurgency operations in Aceh
from 1989 to 1998.
"The government's failure to address human rights violations in the past
sends a message to the security forces that they can continue to kill ...
without being held to account."
>From Banda Aceh Teuku Umar military commander Col. Syarifuddin Tippe, in
response to Amnesty International's allegations, said Wednesday, "it is
impossible that TNI could be so cruel."
"What do you think we are, the enemy of the state?"
Regarding the incident in West Aceh, he reiterated the original report of
the military that 31 had died despite findings of new bodies.
There was a possibility that the additional victims were killed by the Free
Aceh Movement members themselves, Syarifuddin said, citing earlier incidents
in which civilians were found dead with severe wounds or were chopped up.
"The reason why people fear the GAM more than the military is that they are
more sadistic," he said.
On progress of TNI's efforts regarding the Aceh problem, including the
assignment of high ranking officers to the province, he said he had no
knowledge of results of the assignment of former Jakarta military commander
Sjafrie Sjamsuddin in Aceh.
The military has said Sjafrie, similar to Lt.Gen. Fachrul Razi, who is now
the secretary general to the Ministry of Defense and Security, had been
assigned to Aceh "to seek input" to solutions to the Aceh problem. A
spokesman had then denied rumors that Sjafrie had anything to do with recent
atrocities in Aceh. (byg/anr) (byg/anr/emf)
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