Vadline England – While politicians jockey for position in Jakarta and peace talks open and close in Geneva, the death toll on the killing grounds of Aceh continues to rise. More than 900 people have been killed so far this year in the province where an independence movement is battling Indonesian security forces. At least 66 were killed at the weekend, hospitals and aid organisations said. At least 348 people have been killed and more than 1,000 homes torched since May 2, when Abdurrahman Wahid increased the military presence in Aceh while stepping up the search for a peaceful solution. The increased military role came as Mr Wahid, who is fighting for his political survival, received constant warnings from local and foreign analysts that military force alone could not solve the problem.
As for the peace efforts, the talks held outside Geneva at the weekend, under the auspices of the Henri Dunant Humanitarian Dialogue Centre, produced only a commitment to meet again in September. The pace of killing is now higher than that seen during the nine years of "special military operations" imposed by former president Suharto between 1989 and 1998.
Although Mr Wahid tried to appear conciliatory early in his reign, he is now thought by rights activists to have sacrificed lives in Aceh by giving the military the green light for regular and special forces operations in the oil-rich province in return for possible political support in Jakarta.
Whatever the cause, the brutality is shocking. Indonesian Red Cross officials found 27 decomposing bodies with slash wounds on the outskirts of Pondok Gede village in central Aceh district on Sunday, said aid volunteer Wien Rahmadsyah. In a separate incident, troops shot and killed a rebel in West Aceh. Four bodies were also found nearby. On Friday, police killed 20 guerillas during an attack on a rebel stronghold.
Lists compiled by rights groups in Aceh – who themselves face increased military intimidation, sometimes resulting in death – show a large majority of the victims are civilians. The military insists everyone killed is a rebel of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).
An "urgent action" note from Amnesty International highlights two new arrests – of a street hawker and her brother-in-law. Idawati Binti Hanafiah and M. Jafar Ibrahim are believed to be held at Pidie police station. Their relatives have not been allowed to see them and Amnesty is concerned they may be at serious risk of torture. "According to locals, shouts or screams could be heard coming from the truck as it drove away," Amnesty said.
The executive director of the NGO Coalition for Human Rights in Aceh, Maimul Fidar, said serious peace talks were urgently needed. "People must not be sacrificed any longer. Both Indonesia and GAM must reduce the role of the armed forces and give civilians more chance to settle their problems in a democratic manner," he said.
Amnesty said: "Despite a succession of previous agreements, violence has escalated over the past year and civilians continue to suffer grave human rights abuses at the hands of both the Indonesian security forces and the Free Aceh Movement."
Vice-President Megawati Sukarnoputri and President Wahid have both suggested that the Aceh problem would be solved by August 17, Indonesia's independence day. As for Parliament, its job of approving a law to implement special autonomy in Aceh, which could eventually lessen the killing, has been delayed by efforts to topple Mr Wahid.