SOLIDARITY of PEOPLE MOVEMENT for ACHEH

Author: SEGERA
Category: Acheh Tsunami
Date: 01/08/05

SOLIDARITAS GERAKAN RAKYAT untuk ACHEH (SEGERA); Jl. Tebet Timur III D No. 17 Jakarta Selatan; Telp : +62-021-8309061; Email: segera_aceh@yahoo.com;

No : 02/SEGERA/Prop/I/05

Commentary

To Whom It May Concern;

Solidarity Greetings,

he earthquake and tsunami disaster that swept Acheh this past December 26th 2004 have caused death toll passed 101,318 dead, thousands missing, millions wounded while their houses and offices are destroyed, like other facilities that had existed in Acheh. Until the time of the writing, thousands of dead bodies are still lying on the streets and post-disaster diseases outbreak are starting to spread. Due to such very difficult situation, the effort to hand-in-hand help victims of the disaster needs both national and international support and aid.

By also attaching the latest update of the current and immediate needs of the Achenese people, we made this proposal as a request for aid in the form of necessary goods or money or anything that can help ease the burden of our sisters and brothers in Acheh.

Thus we offer you this proposal with the hope that any party can contribute aid of any form to ease the burden of our sisters and brothers, and for the lasting future of the Achenese people.

Jakarta, January 2^nd 2005

Regards,

EGERA is a Jakarta-based coalition of social-political organizations, mass-organizations, NGOs and individuals that concern with humanitarian questions, human rights, and democracy in Acheh.

SEGERA issued its founding declaration on April 15^th 2001 during a mass action to the National Commission of Human Rights (Komnas HAM). SEGERA was initially formed by the National Front of Indonesian Labour Struggle - Front Nasional Perjuangan Buruh Indonesia (FNPBI), Spirit of Unity - Semangat Persatuan (SP), Achenese People Democratic Struggle Front - Front Perjuangan Demokratik Rakyat Acheh (FPDRA), Acheh People Communication Post - Posko Rakyat Acheh (POSRA), People’s Democratic Party - Partai Rakyat Demokratik (PRD), People’s Legal Aid - Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Rakyat (LBHR), National League of Student for Democracy - Liga Mahasiswa Nasional untuk Demokrasi (LMND), Students’ Solidarity for the People - Solidaritas Mahasiswa untuk rakyat (SMUR-ACHEH), Cultural Network - Jaringan Kerja Kebudayaan (JAKER), Popular Youth Movement - Gerakan Pemuda Kerakyatan (GP-KERAKYATAN), Kereta Forum - Forum Kereta (FORKA), INCREASE, SEKAR, Save Emergency for Acheh (SEFA), Sue Support Group (SSG), Front of Acheh Peasant’s Struggle - Front Perjuangan Tani Acheh (FPTA). Its activity and struggle is to organize and to open itself to other civil society components, both individuals and organizations, so that they will join with a social and political movement that pushes for the upholding of human rights and for the peaceful and democratic resolution of Acheh conflict.

SEGERA was formed to respond to the need of a national organization that was in solidarity with the Acheh question, because the ongoing conflict in Acheh had brought about humanitarian crisis. Up to this point, the worse abuse of humanity and democracy still happens in Acheh. Therefore, all parties concerned with the future of human rights and democracy in Indonesia, particularly in Acheh, must act so that the Indonesian public has the awareness and the willingness to contribute to the resolution of conflict in Acheh. As a response to that need, the organizations mentioned above formed and declared the founding of a national coalition called SEGERA.

During the Martial Law in 2001, the Martial Law Regional Authority (PDMD) arrested some activists of ORPAD, SMUR, FPDRA, PDRM, FPTA who waged the struggle for democracy in Acheh, for peaceful and democratic conflict resolution in Acheh, and against any form of violence. Raihana Diani, the Chairperson of ORPAD, was under the detention for 6 months, and dozens of ORPAD members were arrested and tortured by the Martial Law Authority – the army. On the first day of the Martial Law, some Acheh-based member organizations of SEGERA such as FPDRA, ORPAD, and SMUR were designated as PDMD’s target of operation. Dozens of SMUR members, and some FPDRA and PDRM activists, were arrested during a hunger strike rejecting martial law in Acheh.

Those who were not arrested had to be evacuated from Acheh because their office, house, and rooms, as well as their university, were rampaged by the military. After Raihana Diani and dozens of other Achenese activists were released they were evacuated to Jakarta because the PDMD often kidnapped pro-democratic activists in Acheh.

When the earthquake disaster happened, Raihana Diani and dozens of ORPAD activists were in Jakarta while dozens other were in Acheh. Some SMUR activists like Mahmudal were outside Acheh while dozens other were struggling in Acheh. The situation is the same with the activists of PDRA, PDRM, FPTA: they were working from either inside or outside Acheh because the latter were not allowed to come back to Acheh. When the disaster struck the families of these activists were in Acheh.

Vision:

1. To struggle for democracy and social justice for the people of Acheh and Indonesia

2. To support a peaceful and democratic conflict resolution in Acheh

Mission:

1. To forge a national solidarity movement for the Acheh people within the framework of the resolution of political conflict in Acheh.

2. To uphold law supremacy by taking the human rights violators in Acheh to the court.

3. To stop any use of militaristic approach in resolving the conflict.

Presidium Working Body of SEGERA

1. Head of Presidium : Arie Aryanto

2. Secretary : Thamrin Ananda

3. Coord. of Material Division : Rahmat Zannety

4. Coord. of Mobilisation Division : Marlo Sitompul

5. Coord. of Advocacy Division : Agus SH. Habibuborokhman SH.

6. Coord. of Campaign Division : Raihana Diani

7. Coord. of International Relation : Erwanto, Zely Ariane

7. Coord. of Fund and Logistics : Yulia Evina Bhara

s a nation, Acheh has played a distinctive role in the birth of the State of Indonesia. Since the early phase of pre-independence anti-colonial/anti-imperialist struggle, Acheh had been the region where the resistance never surrendered and was waged very militantly, so that names like Cut Nyak Dien, Tengku Umar, Cut Mutia, Teuku Cik Ditiro and a long list of other great popular leaders are now respected as national heroes. This is just part of the story about Acheh and its role in the Indonesian independence. During the early years of independent Indonesia, Acheh contribute a lot for the new nation. In terms of material contribution, the Achenese people had contributed gold, airplane, money, as well as, obviously, lives since the beginning of the fight for Indonesian independence.

But the Acheh people only shortly rejoiced in becoming part of an independent nation-state. From 1989 to 1998, Achenese people’s economy, social, politics, culture, and all aspects of life were ruined because the province was designated as military operation region (DOM). A decade of experience under the status of military operation region had turned Acheh into a "showcase of violence" where there exist massacres, rapes, child-massacres, tortures and arrests of pro-democracy activists in the name of law and order - all were legitimized under several military operations of various code-names. Also for a decade, Acheh became a region so isolated from free information access that the Acheh people were seemingly happy to carry the status of Military Operation Region (DOM).

The 1998 reformation movement in Indonesia became a glimpse of hope for the Acheh people as the military operation (DOM) was ended. But those hopes were taken away 2 years later, when the military launched military operations of various code-name in 2001. "The showcase of violence" returned; mass graves were becoming common in Acheh; suspects of Free Acheh Movement (GAM)’s members were arrested and executed without trial. Refugees, murders, and rapes became the bitter reality daily faced by the Achenese people. The change of status of Acheh in May 2004 from Martial Law (DM) into Civil Emergency was only a formality. The change happened only within the administration, while substantial policies were still decided by the military, and the war still continued. Therefore the situation in Acheh is still repressive.

The status of Acheh was still under Civil Emergency when, In December 26^th 2004, the earthquake coming from the offshore of Western Acheh or Meulaboh set off Tsunami waves and shattered Asia and particularly Acheh, the nearest region to the quake’s epicenter. The sudden disaster killed 85,000 Achenese; thousands other were lost, while millions were wounded. No city in Acheh escaped the earthquake. In the city of Meulaboh, the nearest city to the quake’s epicenter, only 10-15% of its population survived. Dead bodies were lying on the streets; hunger threat terrorized the victims. Meulaboh could only be accessed 3 days after the earthquake. At the time of the writing, 9 days after the earthquake, dead bodies are still lying on the streets of Achenese cities. Cities other than Banda Acheh and Lhokseumawe (Meulaboh, Nagan Raya, Pidie, Acheh Jeumpa) are still isolated from logistic and medical aid so that at this time there is massive hunger and the outbreak of cholera, skin disease and psychological trauma.

The earthquake and tsunami disaster did not only hit Indonesia, but also struck India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Thailand, Malaysia and other Asian countries. However, based on the international news media such as the CNN and the BBC, the government of those countries could immediately solve the problem. Three days after the Tsunami disaster, dead victims were already being buried in Sri Lanka. At the same time, India, Maldives and the other countries had also reached the same stage of relief process, while in Acheh, where the Tsunami hit the hardest, the government could not yet access the city of Meulaboh.

Consequently, untreated dead bodies lying on the streets would cause the outbreak of cholera, skin disease, diarrhea, and other illness. Besides the slowness in reaction, the government also tightened up access to non-government organization such as the public, NGOs, mass-organizations, religious organizations, etc that wanted to give aid of food, clothing, medicines, medics. They were subjected to bureaucratic and complicated procedures with the reason that Acheh’s status was still under the Civil Emergency. As the result, aid mobilised by the people is stacked up and is undistributed in Medan, Batam, and Riau. It is uncertain as to when the aid can be sent to Acheh.

Based on the assessment above, we feel that it is very necessary and urgent to immediately establish humanitarian aid and recovery post-commands (posko) and to search for missing Achenese people and their families to make progress in the relief effort, because we realize that the future of Acheh lies in the hand of the Achenese people, however many of them who survive.

Current and future main activities are    

1. Providing instant/ready-to-eat food supply, medicines, communication means, clothing, masks, boots, and other immediate needs. To avoid stuck aid and to facilitate relief transportation to Acheh, the aid is transported by land (by trucks) and by water (by ships). Therefore the aid is to be purchased in Medan and Riau.

2. Sending volunteers who are activists of FPDRA and ORPAD; that is, victims of Martial Law and Civil Emergency that were evacuated out of Acheh a year ago. Priority is given to those activists whose families were killed or were missing due to the disaster. We also try to evacuate and send relief to Acheh-based FPDRA and ORPAD activists who were wounded, as well as to search those who were missing.

   3. To establish relief-posts (posko) in the cities in Indonesia that can directly send aid to Acheh. SEGERA volunteers in Acheh have established relief posts (posko) and have reached areas hit hardest by the earthquake and tsunami: downtown Banda Acheh, Blangbintang (airbase), Darussalam, Kaju, downtown Meulaboh, South-West Acheh and Nagan Raya. The relief-posts, especially the Acheh-based ones, must have adequate equipment (electricity, tent, kitchen, and other facilities) because the situation is worse than what is reported by the media.

   4. To establish an Acheh-based organization that specifically conducts search and makes records of victims and missing family members.

   C. Urgent Needs

   Our urgent needs are:

   1. Food and water supply like rice, bread, instant noodle, biscuit, milk, drinking water and other ready-made food.

3. Medicine supply; most urgently needed are: medicine for itch, anti-mosquito lotion, fever medicine, water purifying substance, antibiotics, alcohol, vitamin, malaria pills, diarrhea medicine, refanol, cotton, bandages, other kinds of medicine.

   3. Clothing for men, women and children and other kind of supporting wear like boots, masks, gloves, hats, as well as tampons, mattress, blankets, sleeping bags.

4. Equipment for relief-post such as: Tent, canvas, generator, bicycles to facilitate transportation and investigation work, oil and fuel, stove, plastic eating apparel and cooking apparel, 5 units of computer and office supply to make record of victims. Vehicles, such as truck or pick-up, to transport relief to remote and isolated areas.

5. Sending volunteers and providing their provision such as: communication means (handphone and satellite phone), phone-credit, food and drink.

We accept and distribute aid in the form of goods and/or money. Because aid is still currently stuck in Medan, it would be easier to purchase or to acquire aid in Medan and Riau to be distributed by land, by trucks and by water, by ships, from Medan and Riau.

Thus we offer you this proposal with the hope of acquiring aid from your organization as an effort to deal with the excesses of the earthquake and tsunami disaster, as well as to struggle for the continuity of Achenese people’s livelihood and future.

Nine SEGERA activists have heard news from their families.

1. Rahmat, SMUR Secretary, whose entire family and home village (in Ulee Lee) vanished, received information about one of his brother who was alive but badly wounded. Up to this point, his brother’s whereabouts is yet known and is still being searched, also by using the media.

2. Arief, FPDRA activists and chief editor of Acheh-based magazine Beudoh, was assigned to reach Meulaboh as well as to find out about his family and home village. One of his sister in Khaju, Acheh Besar, survives. She was reportedly took refuge at TVRI B relay station. She is being searched for by other SEGERA activists. Arif, who supposedly has reached Meulaboh, has not heard about this information because his handphone is unreachable.

3. Rahma, ORPAD activist, was reportedly informed that one of her younger sister survives. Her entire home village destroyed (in Lhok Nga, Banda Acheh) . However, her sister, who was reportedly taken to Sigli by a refugee, is still being tracked down by her.

4. Cut Agustina, ORPAD Secretary, no news from her, although, audio-visual record showed that her house in Meulaboh is completely destroyed.

5. Nursida Martulesi, ORPAD member, also lives in Meulaboh and no news from her. Her house and village are totally destroyed.

6. Muslim, FPDRA member, is missing, along with his family in Banda Acheh.

7. Taufik Hidayat, FPDRA, he and his family in Banda Acheh are missing.

8. Ira Weliya, ORPAD member, no news from her, and her parents in Banda Acheh were confirmed dead.

9. Amri Saldin, FPDRA member and Director of Sue Support Group (SSG), suffered serious injuries; his children and wife are dead.

SEGERA activists in Acheh faced difficulty because they do not only search for their families but also work as humanitarian volunteers. SEGERA activists who were sent to Acheh are mostly FPDRA and ORPAD activists who, since the Martial Law and Civil Emergency, were evacuated from Acheh so that they could do political work in Jakarta as democratic space in Acheh disappeared. They are:

1. Raihana Diani (Chairperson of ORPAD) – origin of Banda Acheh, deployed in Banda Acheh, in Darussalam

4. Jasman – B. Acheh

5. Yuli Rais – B. Acheh

6. David-Pidie

7. Fakri – B. Acheh

Current problems:

1. SEGERA activists have to do double task that require a lot of concentration. Besides doing humanitarian work for victims and refugees, they also need to find out the whereabouts of their families. Priority was given to fellow activists who lost almost all their family. The rest take up campaign work and relief-post.

2. It is necessary to do a campaign about the condition in the field because the status of Civil Emergency hampers the activists’ and relief-workers’ mobility. NGO coalition could not be hoped for much help due to the limited coordination and the distance of relief posts. Meanwhile, SEGERA activists prioritize in setting up relief-posts in areas untouched by the government structure because most of those areas are poor and conflict-ridden.

3. Government’s (the president, SBY) announcement to give priority to humanitarian operation was not carried out on the field. For instance, military operation is still carried out in East Acheh and in other areas untouched by the media. It seems that the TNI is afraid that this condition would be used by GAM to find sympathy among the hungry and desperate people.

4. Report from Tapak Tuan regarding fuel price and troops mobilization is evidence that in remote areas far from the coverage of national electronic media, intimidation and human right violation are still rampant.

5. Up to this point, there has been no policy made to mobilize the armed force at least in the same number as during the Martial Law mobilization – more than 20,000 troops – to do evacuation and relief-work. The number of troops sent to Acheh during the Martial Law is bigger than at this time of post-disaster.

6. More updates will follow…