Start your day with intelligence. Get The OODA Daily Pulse.
At first she refused to be interviewed but then relented on the condition that she be quoted under a false name, Hanafiah. “I am afraid that I’ll be killed after an interview,” said the 50-year old women, a resident of Krueng Dhoe hamlet in Pidie regency. Pidie is one of several regencies that were once controlled by Free Aceh Movement (GAM) separatists before Indonesian troops regained much of the area. For Hanafiah it does not really matter who is in charge. She is one of many Acehnese who do not take sides in the war, they are afraid of both the Indonesian Military (TNI) and GAM. Since the war began on May 19, soldiers often search Hanafiah’s house for rebels. They come almost every day, sometimes at night or early in the morning. Their behavior is rough, she said. Her story is a common one here and elsewhere across the province. Full Story