Aceh Blackout Update... posted by Richard Seymour

Congratulations are due to The Guardian for finally covering the repression in Aceh - in a piece entitled Attacks by Indonesian rebels put aid workers on alert . Think about what is implied by the opening paragraphs:

The global effort to bring relief to countries devastated by the tsunami is under threat from the re-emergence of insurgencies in both Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
Indonesia's army stepped up security yesterday in Aceh following gunfire at the weekend in the provincial capital Banda Aceh, close to the UN's main compound. Nobody was hurt. Police blamed separatist rebels of Gam, or the Free Aceh Movement, which has been fighting for independence from Jakarta for 25 years.

The article's authors do not even cover their shame with a fig-leaf ('conflict' threatens aid is the usual line), instead repeating what the Indonesian military has claimed. Unmentioned is the fact that Indonesian human rights activists consider the presence and performance of the Indonesian military the main block to aid. They call on the government to suspend the status of 'civil emergency' and report that aid is being controlled by the military, who have rejected help with the distribution of food and medical supplies. The same is maintained by Human Rights Watch , who urge that aid distribution should be taken out of the hands of the military and put in the disposal of appropriate governmental and non-governmental bodies.

The Guardian article gives the impression that the Indonesian use of force ("stepped up security...") was reactive and not a continuation of their repression in the region. In fact, the GAM had proffered a unilateral ceasefire after the calamity that struck Aceh. But Indonesian military chiefs insisted that offensive operations would continue :

"Our security operations continue, the only difference is that it may be less in scale and intensity," Lieutenant-Colonel Nachrowi, of the military headquarters' general information department, said on Friday.

"The principle is that all our forces in Aceh are basically continuing their duty under the security operation. But they also have to accord a large portion of their time for the humanitarian relief efforts.

"We continue to launch raids into suspected GAM (Free Aceh Movement) areas and our vigilance remains high."

Of course, there may be some cause for confusion when, just days later, the Commander of Indonesian Armed Forces insists that they are not conducting operations against the GAM. (Indeed, to hear him tell it, the rebels are kidnapping aid workers and stealing food like there's no tomorrow. There is no proof of his claims on the former, and the latter would involve the GAM wresting food supplies from the Indonesian military).

But there has been shooting, and a UN observer who witnessed the event says it was an Indonesian military officer and not GAM rebels behind the trigger.

Naturally, The Guardian makes no mention of this or the fact that behind Indonesia's repression is the vigorous support and munificence of the United Kingdom (we will even give Indonesia the money to buy our weapons). The figure of the 'compassionate' liberal journalist (shirt-sleeves rolled up, a soft croak in the voice, a glint of moisture in the eye, and a fixed, determined expression), is belied by the simple refusal to report the facts. Here is a situation where Britain can easily help curtail a humanitarian crisis - by ceasing to contribute to it.