Indonesia: The status of the Aceh Merdeka group
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 May 1990 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | IDN5340 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Indonesia: The status of the Aceh Merdeka group, 1 May 1990, IDN5340, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad0a2c.html [accessed 31 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The Aceh Merdeka movement advocates separatism for Aceh, the northwest province of Sumatra. [ Henry W. Degenhardt, ed., Revolutionary and Dissident Movements (London: Longman UK, 1988), p. 161.] Aceh is Indonesia's most solidly Muslim region: the Aceh Merdeka movement is linked to the Muslim fundamentalist movement Abode of Islam (Dar-us-Islam) which was very active in anti-government activity in the 1950s. [ Ibid., p. 160.]
It was only in 1987 that the government party was successful in winning election in Aceh. [ Jeremy Clift, "Suharto Removes Islam as Political Challenge in Indonesia", Reuters, 26 April 1987.]
Activists in the Aceh Merdeka movement have been arrested periodically. [ Degenhardt, p. 161.] One report states that many leaders of Aceh Merdeka have been arrested for subversion and detained without trial. [ George Thomas Kurian, Encyclopedia of the Third World (New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1987), p. 915.]
In 1980, the government claimed that the Aceh Merdeka movement had been suppressed and reports circulated that its leader, Hasan Tiro, had been killed in October 1980. [Degenhardt, p. 161.] However, in 1982, reports circulated that the self-styled commander of the Hasan Tiro rebel movement had been captured; [ BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, "Rebel 'Commander' Captured in Aceh", 14 July 1982.] and later that year it was reported that three insurgents were killed and 13 others captured by security forces. [ BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, "Campaign Against Hasan Tiro Insurgents", 8 October 1982.] The most recent report of arrests of separatists is dated 20 December 1986; the report claims that the members of the Hasan Tiro movement "had been on the run and had received no public support since 1983". BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, "Indonesia: Arrest of Separatists in Aceh", 20 December 1986.]
ATTACHMENTS:
Henry W. Degenhardt, ed., Revolutionary and Dissident Movements (London: Longman UK, 1988), pp. 160-161.
Jeremy Clift, "Suharto Removes Islam as Political Challenge in Indonesia", Reuters, 26 April 1987.
George Thomas Kurian, Encyclopedia of the Third World (New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1987), pp. 914-917.
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, "Rebel 'Commander' Captured in Aceh", 14 July 1982.
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, "Campaign Against Hasan Tiro Insurgents", 8 October 1982.
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, "Indonesia: Arrest of Separatists in Aceh", 20 December 1986.
Barbara Crossette, "Rose of Islam and a Thorn for Indonesia's Rulers", The New York Times, 12 March 1986.
