ACEHNESE VILLAGERS EXHUMING CONFLICT VICTIMS'

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 012660

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/18/2016
TAGS: PREL PHUM MASS MARR ID
SUBJECT: ACEHNESE VILLAGERS EXHUMING CONFLICT VICTIMS'
GRAVES

Classified By: Political Oficer Stanley J. Harsha for reasons 1.4 (b) a
nd (d).


1. (C) Summary. Acehnese villagers are exhuming the graves
of persons executed during the conflict between the Free Aceh
Movement (GAM) and the Indonesian government, Georges
Paclisanu (strictly protect),Head of Delegation,
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC),told us
recently. Based on ICRC observations, interviews and field
experience in Aceh, Paclisanu believes the executions were
most likely carried out by government security forces (not
GAM forces),who stripped the bodies of all clothing, jewelry
and any other identification. ICRC cannot estimate the
numbers exhumed so far but there are at least "tens" and
possibly hundreds, scattered in graves containing up to five
or six bodies each. But, when pressed, Paclisanu could not
say for certain that security forces carried out the
executions. ICRC is just finishing a report on the
exhumations. Once this development becomes public,
Indonesian civil society and international NGOs will press
for full accountability. The Indonesian military is likely
to remain stoic, not willing to admit abuses or to make
itself vulnerable to prosecution. Once the information
becomes public, we recommend that we add it to our
accountability agenda. On a separate note, Paclisanu said
the GOI has given the ICRC open access to conflict areas
since 2004, including complete access to police jails and
prisons. End Summary.


2. (C) An International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
staff person who recently spent a month investigating the
exhumation of bodies by villagers in Aceh is finishing a
report, George Paclisanu, ICRC Head of Delegation, told us on
October 3. "People are spontaneously digging up bodies," he
said, adding that villagers want to believe the bodies belong
to relatives, although this is very unlikely given the
pattern of the executions. There is evidence that the
victims were detained at one location, interrogated at a
second location, executed at another location, and finally
buried at yet a fourth location, distant from where they were
detained. All clothing, jewelry and other identifying
material evidence was stripped from the bodies. "You won,t
find any trace" of identification, he said. "It,s rare in
these cases to strip everything," said Paclisanu, based on
his 23 years with the ICRC in other conflict areas, the past
year in Indonesia.


3. (C) He said the number of bodies in the scattered graves
varies, "five or six bodies here, two or three there."
Sometimes only parts of bodies have been found. He said it
is impossible at this point to estimate the number of bodies
exhumed, saying at least "tens" and possibly "hundreds." "We
don,t have a data collection system to measure the scale."
ICRC also has never been able to measure the number of
missing in Aceh perhaps between 1,000 and 2,000, he
estimated. The graves are concentrated in former GAM
strongholds but near populated areas controlled by security
forces, Paclisanu said, pointing to Aceh Timur and Aceh
Meriah districts on a map.


4. (C) Paclisanu said the reliability of the findings,
including the assessment that security forces rather than GAM
were likely responsible, is based on ICRC eyewitness accounts
of exhumations, interviews with reliable eyewitnesses,
cross-checking villagers, stories with several sources, and
stories from prisoners and civilians over the years,
including those who escaped detention. Stories of persons
who say they escaped are consistent with stories of trusted
eyewitnesses, he added. There is evidence that some victims
were severely tortured before execution, he said. Paclisanu
added that ICRC does not totally rule out GAM.


5. (C) Concerned over the next step to take, the Swiss
Paclisanu said the ICRC wants to present this report in a
manner that will not cause the GOI to obstruct further
investigation and discovery, so that the missing can be found
and identified. He wants a "constructive" outcome. He
believes that the military would attempt to thwart government
actions to account for the bodies. "The government has
managed to cooperate with the army and is not keen to add
another issue, especially in an area likely to lead to
prosecution."


6. (C) Describing in general the level of destruction
inflicted by both GAM and the Indonesian military, Paclisanu
said the ICRC has observed that GAM typically flattened
entire villages, whereas the military would destroy only
about 10 or 15 percent of a village, choosing targets
selectively.


7. (C) Paclisanu said access to current and former conflict
areas has improved dramatically. "Our ability to work in

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this country has improved vastly since 2004." He said ICRC
has complete access to persons held in prisons and jails
nationwide, including former conflict areas, citing Aceh,
Papua, West Timor and Flores. ICRC has found no evidence of
torture or severe abuses of detainees in the past year, he
said.


8. (C) Comment: While reports of disappearances and
killings by the military in Aceh were widespread during the
more than 20 years of intense conflict that ended with the
peace agreement of August 15, 2005, this is the first report
we have heard that multiple graves are being exhumed. It is
only a matter of time before this becomes public, at which
point Indonesian civil society and the international
community can be expected to ask for complete accountability,
and the Indonesian government could clam up and impede
further access to the areas where the graves are located.
The military has historically kept a tight lid on human
rights atrocities committed by its forces. Extracting
information from those responsible for these killings would
require an investigation that the military would strongly
resist. How this matter is handled will be crucial to
ensuring cooperation in accounting for these bodies. We
recommend that, at the appropriate time, we add this to our
list of human rights accountability issues in our meetings
with GOI. However, we should not discuss this information
outside the USG until ICRC has released its report. End
comment.
PASCOE