Sickening echoes of East Timor

By KATHY MARKS in Seunade

The handsome young Army captain with the elegant moustache lit another cigarette and placed it between his perfect white teeth.

"You must understand," he said, languidly blowing a smoke ring into the air. "We want to protect human rights. We don't want to kill the wrong people."

Three kilometres down the road, the village of Seunade has just experienced the Indonesian military's interpretation of protecting human rights. Three men were gunned down on a bridge as they walked home after harvesting rice in the paddy fields. The following day soldiers returned and dragged two men out of their houses, shooting them dead in front of their terrified families.

It was not supposed to be this way. When Indonesia launched an offensive against separatist guerrillas in the remote province of Aceh, it insisted it had learned from the mistakes of the past. There would be none of the military abuses witnessed in East Timor, in restive Papua province or in Aceh itself. The welfare of civilians would be given the highest priority. Excesses would not be tolerated.

One week later, it is clear little has changed. Summary executions of men - and, in some cases, boys as young as 12 - have become routine as the military moves from village to village, searching for members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

The international community has already given its blessing to the crackdown, with the US, Japan, Australia and the EU all declaring that Indonesia's territorial integrity is paramount. Their fear is that if Aceh breaks away, Papua and other regions may follow - and the world's largest Muslim country could collapse like a house of cards.

The last thing they want is an unstable Indonesia - particularly in the current global climate, when they need Jakarta's cooperation in the war on terror. Last year's bomb in Bali served as a reminder that the country is a breeding-ground for Islamic extremists.

At an Army post outside Seunade, a platoon of young soldiers offered iced tea and thinly veiled threats as they questioned us about our reasons for visiting the village. Had we been to meet GAM members, did we support the rebels' cause? Lieutenant Djoyono, in checked shorts and designer stubble, stroked his semi-automatic rifle as he gently pointed out the error of our ways.

Both the military and GAM are feared by the Acehnese. Both are involved in extortion rackets and drug-running, and both harass and intimidate civilians. But there is little doubt the Indonesian military (TNI) excites greater dread.

Minibuses, the main public transport, are not running, and the truck drivers who deliver staple goods are also afraid to ply the route.

The people of Seunade are petrified after the recent killings. They dare not venture out to work in the fields - crops have been left to rot.

Every home, every food stall has a flag tied to its gatepost. Pidie elder Sulaiman said: "We do it because they force us. The military will kill us if we don't raise the flag."

- INDEPENDENT