There are fears that both Cut Sari and M Hasyim, who have recently "disappeared", are being held in secret military custody in Aceh province and that their safety could be at grave risk.

Cut Sari – whose full name may be Cut Sariwati Mahmud – has not been seen since her arrest from her home in Dayah Lampoh Awe village, Simpang Tiga Sub-district in Pidie, Aceh, on 12 April 1998. Attempts by her family to trace her in several major military detention facilities, including a Detention Centre of the Indonesian Special Forces (Kopassus) called Rumoh Gedong in Glumpang Tiga, and Rancung Detention Centre in Lhokseumawe, have so far failed. She is believed to have been arrested for her alleged links to Acehnese secessionists.

M. Hasyim was abducted from his home in Tumpok Teungoh, Banda Sakti, Lhokseumawe, North Aceh, on 27 March by four men. The men apparently claimed that they were police from Police Resort in North Aceh and that they needed him to come to the police station to see a relative there who had been in a traffic accident. There has been no news of his whereabouts since.

It is believed that M. Hasyim's family have reported his "disappearance" to the police in North Aceh but that they have denied he is in their custody. There are fears that he is being held in secret military custody. The reason for M. Hasyim's arrest is not clear.