BY MATTHEW RICH

MELBOURNE — On July 18, 60 people attended a public meeting on Indonesia's war on Aceh, organised by Action in Solidarity with Asia and the Pacific (ASAP).

The speakers were John Martinkus, a journalist recently returned from Aceh, Damien Kingsbury, an international studies teacher at Deakin University, and ASAP member Vannessa Hearman. The documentary Unforgotten World: Aceh was screened.

Martinkus spoke about the difficulties local and foreign journalists face in reporting what is happening in Aceh. When Jakarta launched its full-scale war against Aceh in May, the Indonesian military pressured journalists to leave by shooting at their cars, entering their hotels and sending threatening SMS messages.

“In the last three weeks, the Indonesian military has removed any legal basis for foreigners to be in Aceh. Foreign journalists can only stay if they toe the military line”, Martinkus said. “The Indonesian military has intimidated journalists and human rights workers to the extent that they can't do their job. That is why we are not hearing about it. It's as bad as what happened in East Timor in 1999.”

Kingsbury, who was last in Aceh in September and is now banned from Indonesia, spoke about the role of the Indonesian military in Indonesian politics. “After backing off in 1998 and 1999, there is a reimposition of the military's role in political life. Golkar [the ruling party under Suharto] has nominated General Wiranto as presidential candidate.”

Hearman called on Australians to provide as much support as possible to the people of Aceh and the Indonesian democracy movement. “One way to do this is to call on the Australian government and other Western governments to end military ties with Indonesia”, she said.

From Green Left Weekly, July 30, 2003.
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