The situation in Acheh is a war of national liberation in exercise of the right to self-determination.
Background:
In 1873, the Netherlands issued a formal declaration of war and began an invasion of the Kingdom of Acheh in the north of the island of Sumatra. The Achehnese resisted occupation and in 1942 the Dutch finally abandoned the attempt. In 1949 the Round Table Conference Agreements provided for a transfer of sovereignty between the Netherlands' territory of the "Dutch East Indies," and a United States of Indonesia. The Kingdom of Acheh was included in the Agreements despite the fact that it had never been incorporated into the Dutch colonial possession. Subsequently,through armed aggression by the Javanese dominated Indonesian government, Acheh was forcibly annexed.
Since annexation, the Achehnese have consistently rebelled against their occupation. In 1976 the Acheh-Sumatra National Liberation Front, also known as Acheh Merdeka or "Free Acheh," was founded as an armed resistance group and a re-declaration of independence was issued. It is headed by Tengku Hasan M. di Tiro, sometimes referred to as Prince Hasan Mohamad Tiro. In the late 1970's mass arrests shut down Acheh Merdeka's activities until 1989 when they conducted a series of attacks on police and military installations. At that time the Indonesian security forces began a counter-insurgency campaign resulting in the death and disappearance of civilians. Mr. di Tiro has been in exile for many years.
Although civilian killings have been attributed to both sides, human rights workers accuse the government of committing the most serious Geneva Convention abuses. Houses of villagers suspected to support or aid the rebels have been burned to the ground and the occupants have been subject to arbitrary arrest, detention, torture, disappearance and summary execution. Villagers have also been used in "sweeps" for rebels where they are forced to walk ahead of the security forces, point out insurgents, and provide a buffer against possible attack. In 1991, hundreds of refugees fled to Malaysia.
Additional support for independence comes from discriminatory economic conditions. Workers are prevented from forming free trade unions and labor for foreign companies at below subsistence wages. Villages remain poor despite the fact that Acheh is rich in natural resources, providing 15 percent of Indonesia's exports.
Current Situation:
In recent years the Acheh war has resulted in may casualties: some sources indicate as many as 50,000 deaths and 100,000 wounded in the last six years. In 1991 it was reported that some 5000 people had been killed or had disappeared in the previous 14 months. Amnesty International accuses the Indonesian military of 2000 civilian deaths between 1989 and 1993. In 1991 the first delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross was allowed to visit four detention centers. Western diplomats and others estimate 5,000 deaths or disappearances in 1993. The European Parliament passed a resolution on the conflict in February 1996 with an appeal to member states to prohibit arms sales to Indonesia.
U.N. Action:
The Round Table Conference Agreements: 69 U.N.T.S. 3 (1950).
Sub-Comm'n Decision 1993/108
Sub-Comm'n Doc. E/CN.4/Sub.2/1994/L.25
Sub-Comm'n Doc. E/CN.4/Sub.2/1995/L.7
(For citations on Indonesia, see East Timor).