Aceh Darussalam
The founder of Aceh separatist movement (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka, GAM), Dr. Tengku (Prince) Hasan di Tiro 83, returned home from Sweden on October 13, 2008, after nearly 30 years in exile. He declared Aceh’s independence from Indonesia in 1976. After wounded in action in 1979, he went into exile. His return marks the begining of peace deal between Christian military dominated government in Jakarta and GAM. In return for the Acehnese giving up their struggle for a independent state like East Timor – the Jakarta government has agreed to grant Aceh greater autonomy and greater share of its natural resources.
Islam reached Aceh through Muslim traders during 16-17th century. Dr. Hasn’s ancestors established a powerful Muslim empire in the 17th century. Acehnese have ferociously resisted colonists such as Dutch, Japanese and fellow Indonesian Javan. Indonesia’s first president, Sukarno, merged Aceh with North Sumarta province and started de-Islamization campaign based on his government’s Pagan doctrine of ‘Pancasila’. Later military dictator, Gen. Suharto, kept the ‘Islamophobic’ activities to the great pleasure of his Christian generals. In 1953, Acehnese started military resistance under Daud Beureu’eh, which resulted in Jakarta giving them some rights.
Huge oil reserves were found in Aceh in 1970s. Among Indonesians, the Acehnese are most devout Muslims. However, Dr. Hasan di Tiro has never claimed that GAM is fighting an Islamic Jihad – but only a nationalistic quest for freedom. GAM’s leadership, like Palestinian Fatah – is western educated secularist – and is out of touch with the majority of Acehnese Muslims, who want to live under Islamic Shari’ah.
In 2000, GAM official took part for the first time in a secret negotiation with Jakarta in Geneva, which resulted in a so-called ‘ceasefire agreement’ on June 2, 2002. However, the mass killing by government forces, which followed demonstrated the futility of such ‘deals’ with Javanese Christian dominated Indonesian military. It’s high time for the GAM leadership to wake-up to western double standard – they came to help oil-rich Christian-majority East Timor province – but would carry on their support for Jakarta puppet regimes, who have been taking care of western interests. Irony is that even after getting their so-called ‘freedom’ from Muslim-majority (90%) Indonesia - majority of East Timor people have gained nothing from falling into lap of their former Dutch White colonialists.
Indonesia’s natural resources include petroleum, natural gas, tin, gold, silver, coal, timber, nickel, copper, and bauxite. Western companies such as Exxon-Mobil (reported to be making a profit of US$1200 per second), Gulf, Newmont Gold Mining Co., etc.
Tsunami that strucksoutheast Asia on December 26, 2004 – had its epicenter in Aceh-Sumarta. The island suffered great calamity. Hundreds of thousands of Aceheses were swallowed up by the Sea and region’s entire infrastructure was destroyed.
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