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Plight of Javanese refugees from Aceh


The Helsinki peace agreement made on Aug. 15, 2005, between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) left some "homework" for elected Aceh Governor Irwandy Yusuf and his North Sumatra counterpart Rudolf Pardede.This homework involves the lot of thousands of Javanese transmigrants stranded in North Sumatra and Riau in the late 1990s and early 2000s after fleeing violent attacks by armed groups. Unfortunately, Governor Pardede perhaps forgets his province harbors thousands of Javanese refugee families from Aceh living in very poor conditions. Aceh Governor Irwandy, a former GAM leader, also may not realize the Javanese transmigrants were evicted by units of armed men, who they believed were GAM combatants. This is especially relevant now as Irwandy is focussing on rehabilitating thousands of indigenous Acehnese villages and inviting foreign investors to help reconstruct Aceh. Irwandy presumably also doesn't realize under the Helsinki agreement, the Javanese transmigrants who fled Aceh fall into the category of "civilians who have suffered a demonstrable loss due to the conflict". According to the Helsinki agreement, this means they are entitled to "an allocation of suitable farming land, employment or, in the case of incapacity to work, adequate social security from the authorities of Aceh". The phrase "from the authorities of Aceh" should be highlighted. And how do these internally displaced persons live in North Sumatra, and what is in store for them in the future? I recently visited a community of 72 families of Javanese refugees from Aceh who had settled in the Sibatuloting mountain range. They sought safety there coming from different parts of Aceh. Now only 10 of these families remain in the Jati Mulia hamlet of Bosar Nauli Village. Why? Their entire hamlet was destroyed allegedly by bulldozers and excavators from pulp producer Toba Pulp Lestari (TPL) in the neighboring district of Toba Samosir.
\n\u003cbr\>\nThe incident occurred while 29 of the refugees and 24 other Bosar Nauli villagers, accused of being "forest plunderers" by local authorities, were imprisoned in Pematang Siantar, the district capital. \u003cbr\>\n\u003cbr\>\nIronically, this was after they were officially settled in the village by the same authorities, who had gave them IDs and had collected land and property taxes from them for the past seven years. \u003cbr\>\n\u003cbr\>\nBut no local politicians complained against TPL's land acquisition, even though the residents were helpless Javanese transmigrants who had previously fled powerful and armed groups. \u003cbr\>\n\u003cbr\>\nThe Sibatuloting case is merely the tip of the iceberg. Nobody seems to care about the tens of thousands of Javanese transmigrants who were moved to Aceh by the national administration during the armed conflict between GAM and the Indonesian Military, and who, against their will, often became the "meat in the sandwich" between these two groups. \u003cbr\>\n\u003cbr\>\nNeither the government agencies of North Sumatra or Aceh, or Jakarta for that matter, seem to care about these people, most of whom have not been able to return to their houses and farms in Aceh. \u003cbr\>\n\u003cbr\>\nSo, it is high time for Governor Irwandy to visit and discuss this matter with Governor Pardede. \u003cbr\>\n\u003cbr\>\nOn a higher level, Irwandy must bring this case to the attention of the central government. \u003cbr\>\n\u003cbr\>\nIf the Indonesian government and former Aceh rebel group GAM are to honor the Helsinki agreement they need to enable the Javanese transmigrants to return to their former homes in Aceh. \u003cbr\>\n\u003cbr\>\nSimilarly, if the Finnish government wants to maintain its reputation as peace broker in armed conflicts worldwide it must talk to Indonesia and help these poor folks who were expelled to remote areas in North Sumatra to return to their sweet Aceh home. \u003cbr\>\n\u003cbr\>\nThe writer, a guest lecturer at the Sanata Dharma University postgraduate program in Religious and Cultural Studies, is currently researching the political economy of post-Helsinki reconstruction in Aceh. He can be reached at: ",1]
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The incident occurred while 29 of the refugees and 24 other Bosar Nauli villagers, accused of being "forest plunderers" by local authorities, were imprisoned in Pematang Siantar, the district capital. Ironically, this was after they were officially settled in the village by the same authorities, who had gave them IDs and had collected land and property taxes from them for the past seven years. But no local politicians complained against TPL's land acquisition, even though the residents were helpless Javanese transmigrants who had previously fled powerful and armed groups. The Sibatuloting case is merely the tip of the iceberg. Nobody seems to care about the tens of thousands of Javanese transmigrants who were moved to Aceh by the national administration during the armed conflict between GAM and the Indonesian Military, and who, against their will, often became the "meat in the sandwich" between these two groups. Neither the government agencies of North Sumatra or Aceh, or Jakarta for that matter, seem to care about these people, most of whom have not been able to return to their houses and farms in Aceh. So, it is high time for Governor Irwandy to visit and discuss this matter with Governor Pardede. On a higher level, Irwandy must bring this case to the attention of the central government. If the Indonesian government and former Aceh rebel group GAM are to honor the Helsinki agreement they need to enable the Javanese transmigrants to return to their former homes in Aceh. Similarly, if the Finnish government wants to maintain its reputation as peace broker in armed conflicts worldwide it must talk to Indonesia and help these poor folks who were expelled to remote areas in North Sumatra to return to their sweet Aceh home. The writer, a guest lecturer at the Sanata Dharma University postgraduate program in Religious and Cultural Studies, is currently researching the political economy of post-Helsinki reconstruction in Aceh. He can be reached at:
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