TNI RAPES INHABITANTS OF NORTH ACEH Matangkuli (TNI Watch!, 29.3.00). On Wednesday 7 March, twenty-two inhabitants of two villages in the hinterland of Matangkuli sub-district were subjected to rape, sexual assault and torture as well as plunder of their homes. The victims testified that the perpetrators were wearing military uniforms and were armed. The victims are certain that the perpetrators were members of the Indonesian armed forces and the police who had been sleeping at the Alue Lhok village mosque for three days while they were carrying out stop and search operations in the surrounding villages. Seuenubok Aceh is another village where sexual assaults and plunder took place. The North Aceh subdistrict commander, Lt.Col. Suyatno denied that there had been sexual and physical violence. �That is slander. These accusations have been orchestrated in order to distance the people from the TNI. This is because recently the people have begun to accept military presence in this area,� he said. Whether the denials are true or not, Alue Lhok and Seuneubok Aceh are adjacent villages in an isolated area. According to a number of the inhabitants of the two villages which are home to only 110 families, the area represents the most isolated point of Matangkuli, and the villages are surrounded by dense forest. The incidents began at 01.00 and lasted until 04.00. Eye-witnesses say that majority of the perpetrators spoke Indonesian with an accent that indicated that they were not from Sumatra. It is not clear how many perpetrators there were, as the number who went from house to house varied, with between two to six visiting each house. The rapes and plunder which took place in nine homes followed a similar pattern. The perpetrators knocked on the door, shut off the electricity supply, asked the men to leave the house and tied them up and beat them. Then the contents of the house were ransacked and the wife and children raped. Mrs Lt (32) a woman from Central Aceh, and her husband, R (34), who live in Alue Lhok, could not have imagined what they would face that night. The mother of two young children was raped by two members of the armed forces who were in uniform after the husband was dragged outside the house; his hands tied up, a gun was aimed at his head and he was maltreated. Mrs Lt told a delegation from the ICRC in Lhokseumawe that the rape took place as the perpetrators were searching for valuables in the house and the husband was being beaten outside. �If you want your husband to be saved, hand over all your money and your gold. And take off all your clothes,� they told her. �I was afraid and I love my husband. Whilst crying I took off my clothes and I was raped,� she added in tears. After the rape, the perpetrators asked for money and gold. �They said that if I didn�t hand it over to them, they would take my husband to their post in Cot Girek. I gave them savings of around Rp.3.5 million and six grams of gold. After around another half an hour, they left the house,� she said. Another victim at the hands of that group was Mrs Nah (35), an inhabitant of Alue Lhok who was raped at around 01.00. Six men in uniform and wearing masks and who were armed, came to the house and banged on the door. After the door was opened, the electricity was switched off. Then they asked who owned the house and took her husband outside. There were five women in the house when the incident took place. Aside from Mrs Nah, there was An (18), Ah (13) and Mar (20) as well as the grandmother. Three perpetrators entered the house and three others remained outside. They searched the house for valuables and asked for gold and money. �They said it was to pay for operational costs. If we didn�t hand our valuables over we would be taken to their post in Cot Girek. Because we were very afraid of them, we gave them Rp. 3 million in savings, three watches and a pair of shoes,� said Nah. After taking the valuables, Nah testified that three men in uniform who were inside the house ordered all the women to take off their clothes. Nah was taken into another room and then raped by one man. Apart from the grandmother, the other three women were sexually assaulted. An who is still a young girl was also violated. �We didn�t know what to do. They were armed and threatened to shoot us if we did not comply. When it was over, they warned us not to tell anyone about what had happened,� said Mrs Nah Mrs Aiy (45) of Alue Lhoksaid that one of her daughters fainted when four armed and uniformed men wearing masks banged on the door, searched the house and ordered that the daughters, R (17), As (15) and B (13) to strip naked. The three victims were sexually assaulted by the three armed men. �They held their guns in one hand whilst groping and molesting us with the other,� they stated. The perpetrators got away with Rp.1.5 million and some gold jewellery. Nd was also a victim to this inhumane behaviour. The father of four, one of his children, MF and his son-in-law, AR, had their hands tied behind their backs and were beaten by two of the four uniformed men. Two others searched the house. They asked for valuables. �After beating us for a while, they found Rp.2.5 million.' Nine houses were targeted, which resulted in 16 women and six men suffering physical and psychological violence. Other victims of plunder and violence are Mrs Hh (35) and her husband Mus (37) of Alue Lhok who lost Rp. 1.2 million; Mrs Ham of Seuneubok Aceh; Mar (30) of Seuneubok Aceh; Yusma (35) who lost Rp. 1 million and gold and her husband Yus was beaten; Mah (37) and her husband Ishak who were robbed of Rp 1 million; Mrs Aisyah who lost Rp. 1.5 million and N Fat who lost Rp. 3 million as well as five grams of gold +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign 111 Northwood Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey CR7 8HW, UK Phone: 0181 771-2904 Fax: 0181 653-0322 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Internet: www.gn.apc.org/tapol Campaigning to expose human rights violations in Indonesia, East Timor, West Papua and Aceh 26 years - and still going strong ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/
