February 7, 2005
The Complexity of Aceh
Delivering the billions of dollars of aid to the tsunami-ravaged Indonesian province of Aceh is a complex challenge, not only logistically but politically, as Jonathan Holmes made clear tonight in an excellent Four Corners report.
In typical Four Corners fashion the programme went behind the news headlines and posed the difficult questions. In this case the answers are far from clear.
Only time will tell how successful the rebuilding process is and how transparently and accountably the donor countries and NGOs can assist. In their way is the ongoing war between the Indonesian military and Aceh separatists, a battle which is already 30 years old, as well as the notorious corruption within official ranks.
Clearly the rebuilding process will take years but very senior spokesmen within the Indonesian government and military insist that there will be no need for foreign assistance three months after the tsunami. And peace talks between the warring factions show no signs of success.
As Holmes concluded, the hopes of a generation of Aceh children could be jeopardised for the want of men with guns finding a way to peace.
Update (10th Feb): Alas, the war continues as TNI kills five more separatists.
Posted to Peace, People, Politics, Social Justice by Keith Pitty