Vaudine England, Banda Aceh – Contrary to official claims yesterday that the death toll in Monday's massacre in the Aceh province town of Lhokseumawe was 31, human rights groups said the toll was at least 63 and could easily reach 100.
"The army reports are based on hospital sources," said Ahmad Humam Hamid, of the Forum Peduli Hak Asasi Manusia (Care Human Rights Forum) in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh.
"But many of those killed never reached the hospitals. Some bodies were taken by the families and some by the military."
On Monday, witnesses said soldiers opened fire on more than 2,000 protesters blocking a main junction in Krueng Geukueh. They were trying to march to a military headquarters in Lhokseumawe to protest at military violence in another village.
Officials argue rising violence is due to heightened agitation by the Free Aceh Movement, but observers say recent violence does not fit the pattern of separatist activity.
"Right now, the trouble is not only on the east coast, it has also started on the west," Mr Humam Hamid said. "Last night two local government offices were burned. And on Tuesday there was an armed robbery of a bank in Kota Fajar, South Aceh."
People on Aceh's east coast report that unidentified armed men have recently approached village heads, demanding millions of rupiah in "donations".
While some blame separatists, others note that the armed forces have often used this method of fund-raising in the past. "It is not impossible that the military wants to portray Aceh as a very stubborn province," said one academic in Banda Aceh.
The precise cause of soldiers opening fire on Monday remains unclear. Two soldiers discovered attending a meeting on Sunday were taken hostage by the crowd, but "there was already an agreement with the local Government for the two to be released", executive director of the forum Saifuddin Bantasyam said.
"By Sunday night, people heard that the army planned to take the soldiers back by force and the people could not accept this. So on Monday morning, they went to the military camp. Then there was shouting, then shooting."
Human rights officials agree that taking soldiers hostage is provocative, but say it was indicative of popular hatred of the military.
This is rooted in Aceh's decade-long experience as a Daerah Operasi Militer (DOM), or Area of Military Operation, as the armed forces aimed to wipe out alleged separatism.
This tragic past – during which human rights groups say 7,900 cases of torture, rape and murder by the military occurred – was supposed to end last August when President Bacharuddin Habibie lifted Aceh's DOM status. At first, Aceh enjoyed relative peace. But since the end of January, "villagers say it's worse than ever", Mr Humam Hamid said.
Another casualty of Monday's massacre is Mr Habibie's advisory team on Aceh matters. Just as the team was gaining local trust, its members are now in danger and can no longer go into the field.