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Aceh: Peace without justice
Indonesian Solidarity Media Release - November 6, 2006
Sydney – The democratic process has moved forward in Aceh province. The provincial election in Aceh will be held on 11 December 2006 after the Indonesian parliament endorsed the Law for the Aceh Government, on 12 July 2006.
This election was mandated in the peace agreement between the Indonesian government and Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in August 2005 in Helsinki.
In response to the situation above, on 23rd October 2006, Indonesian Solidarity sent a letter to the Minister Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Hon. Alexander Downer, that the Australian government should send a team to monitor the provincial election in Aceh (Please see below our letter to the Minister).
Although peace has prevailed until now in Aceh, Indonesian Solidarity is concerned about some critical points such as:
The Law for the Aceh Government fails to address human right abuses during three decades of conflict. The perpetrators of gross human rights abuses before peace agreement was signed on 15 August 2005 have not yet been brought to justice. Indonesian Solidarity argues that peace cannot last without justice, and justice is a basic foundation for the democratic process.
The Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) was formed to disarm members of government-trained militia in central Aceh. According to Indonesian Solidarity observations in March 2006 in Aceh, the activities of some militia members continue to threaten the peace process in Aceh. There is some indication that the AMM is also under strong pressure from the military, meanwhile the AMM will finish their mission on 15 December 2006.
The slow process of reconstruction post tsunami, the unemployment rate which reached 33% in 2005, and inflation which reached 41.11% in 2005, threaten social stability in the province. As a result of this situation in the last couple of months, there has been increased criminal activity by armed men.
The degree of effective autonomy that has been achieved is disappointing to general population in Aceh.
Australia needs to exercise its influence and use its post-tsunami aid to speed up reconstruction. It also needs to argue to the Indonesian government that it should bring to the justice any party who has committed human rights crime in Aceh.
Failure to address these issues could lead to social instability in Aceh, as has happened in the past.
Should you need further information, please contact Dr. John Rawson on (02)9217 3874 or indonesian_solidarity@yahoo.com.au.
Sydney, 23rd October 2006
The Hon Alexander Downer
MP
The Minister of Foreign
Affairs
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Dear Mr. Downer,
Indonesian Solidarity appreciates the generosity of the Australian public toward the natural disaster of tsunami in the Indian Ocean on 26 December 2004, especially towards the Aceh province of Indonesia. Since this time, the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement have signed a peace agreement in August 2005 to resolve the long conflict in the province in which more than 15,000 people have died. This is a milestone for prosperity and democratic process in Indonesia, especially the Aceh province.
As result of the peace agreement, the Indonesian parliament endorsed a law for Aceh province in July 2006 to pave the way for a provincial election and to give the province autonomy. This election in Aceh will be held on 11 December 2006. Indonesian Solidarity would like to propose that the Australian government send a team to monitor the election in Aceh, because it is critical that the election in Aceh be fair, free and without intimidation. When Indonesian Solidarity met with Senator Marise Payne and the Human Rights Sub committee last November in Canberra it was identified during this meeting that such monitoring should be considered at the time of the proposed election. Meanwhile Indonesian Solidarity is concerned that the new human rights court, which is part of the new law of Aceh, will not bring to justice the human rights abuses committed during the three decades of conflict, but rather only abuses committed since the August 2005 peace agreement was signed. A human rights court will be meaningless, unless the court can offer justice to all victims of the conflict in Aceh. There is strong evidence that the human rights abuses in Aceh during the conflict were serious and gross.
In addition Indonesian Solidarity is also deeply concerned about the process of investigation of shooting at the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) vehicle on Monday 3rd July 2006 at the front of military check point, Kompi E Battalion Infantry 111 in sub district of Paya Bakong, North Aceh. As a result one person died, two people were wounded and another one person was beaten. This incident seriously violated the peace agreement. The perpetrators must be bought to justice. According to Indonesian Solidarity sources in Aceh, there is strong evidence that the Indonesian National Army (TNI) was behind this accident. Meanwhile the slow process of reconstruction post tsunami in Aceh has created social problems.
As part of the response to the issues above, Indonesian Solidarity asks you as the Minister of Foreign Affairs raise these issues with the Indonesian government in order that the generosity of the Australian people towards Aceh become cemented in the future life of the Acehnese people.
Thank you very much for your attention of this matter.
Yours sincerely
Eko Waluyo
Program Coordinator
Cc: Mr Kevin Rudd MP, Shadow
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade
Cc: Senator Marise Payne,
the Chair of the Human Rights Sub-Committee
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