Chapter Fifteen Azizi Three

  At the end of January 1958, all Acehnese student organizations launched a rally demanding a referendum on the political status of Aceh.

  The Free Aceh Movement revived, members of the Free Aceh Movement who were in exile overseas returned to Aceh and replaced student organizations to begin a mass mobilization, attempting to replace national self-determination with demands for independence.

  A so-called mercenary force has emerged in its armed forces, causing the conflict with the Indonesian central government army to escalate continuously, making the situation in Aceh gradually deteriorate.

  Before, the guerrilla movement was concentrated in East Aceh, but now the Free Aceh Movement's activities have spread throughout the province.

  The organization currently has 17 bases, each with 7 military commands, and has its own army, police and even marines, totaling 17,000 personnel.

  In addition, the Free Aceh Movement claims to have representatives in 60 countries.

  It should be noted that, apart from the Free Aceh Movement's separatist claims, there are differing opinions in the region regarding the direction of Aceh, with student movements advocating for a referendum and local government pushing for special autonomy.

  The expansion of Aceh's separatist movement, combined with East Timor's independence, has triggered a negative chain reaction in some other regions of Indonesia, putting the Republic of Indonesia, which comprises 17,000 islands, at risk of disintegration.

  Indonesian elites are even worried that if mishandled, Indonesia as a whole will be in a state of disintegration.

  In the face of Aceh's chaotic situation, successive Indonesian governments have tried to control Aceh's separatist tendencies by granting more regional autonomy to the province under the premise of national unity.

  For the armed independent forces represented by the Free Aceh Movement, the Indonesian central government has taken measures to control them through peaceful negotiations and signing of ceasefire agreements, but it has not fundamentally solved the problem.

  Notably, the investigation into human rights abuses by the military in Aceh was one of the sparks that reignited the Acehnese independence movement. However, the Indonesian central government has largely adopted a policy of avoidance on this issue, which is closely related to Indonesia's political characteristics.

  However, as some moderate Acehnese organizations have said, if the government had investigated and prosecuted some military abuses from the beginning, perhaps things would not have developed from demanding a referendum to an independence movement.

  An Acehnese lawyer also pointed out that prosecuting military and police personnel who have committed human rights abuses in Aceh is the right way to win hearts.

  In general, the root cause of separatist tendencies in Aceh is economic interests. As a representative of this tendency, the Free Aceh Movement took armed struggle as its main approach, and the gradual expansion of its local influence in Aceh, and the factor that prompted the popularization of the Aceh separatist movement was the government's policy mistakes.

  Investigating military atrocities in Aceh is one of the prerequisites for resolving the Aceh problem, but if investigating the Aceh issue would directly harm the interests of the military group.

  For the current government of Indonesia, the military has always occupied an important position in Indonesian political life. Therefore, the solution to the Aceh problem not only involves the relationship between the central and local governments but also involves handling the relationship between the main ethnic group and minority ethnic groups, more importantly, it is closely related to the political characteristics and system characteristics of Indonesia as a whole.

  Looking at the struggle of the Free Aceh Movement, it can be seen that economic interests are the root cause of the separatist movement and the establishment of an independent government is the organization's goal.

  In the course of its development, the Free Aceh Movement shifted from merely attempting to rely on foreign aid and support from the upper echelons of Acehnese society to mobilizing support across various strata of Acehnese society, with regional economic interests being an important motivating factor.

  In addition, as one of the representatives of nationalist separatism that tries to establish an independent nation on the basis of a single ethnic group in today's world, Hassan-Diablo vigorously promoted Aceh's historical sense of honor and distinct national character, also playing a catalytic role.

  It can be understood that although the central government of Indonesia implements the same economic tilt policy in various regions outside Java, why only Aceh's separatist movement is the most severe.

  So, does the separatist movement represented by the Free Aceh Movement have rationality and legitimacy? Is it only possible for Aceh to develop if it gains independence? This is an issue that cannot be avoided when observing the Aceh problem.

  Aceh shares a common historical experience with other Indonesian ethnic groups of opposing colonial rule and fighting for national independence, making significant contributions.

  After 1945, Aceh voluntarily joined the unified Republic of Indonesia, accepted the leadership of the central government and participated in Indonesian political life, all of which are undisputed historical facts.

  In the contemporary world, within each nation-state, any ethnic group, whether it is a large or small one, an ethnic group that has historically established its own state or an ethnic group that has always been ruled by other ethnic groups, and even in situations where they have relatively concentrated populations and territories but have already formed a shared and eternal historical destiny with other ethnic groups, have structurally lost the rationality of establishing their own independent states.

  The important reason for the emergence and continuous escalation of the Aceh issue is the mistake made by the Indonesian government in handling the policy between the central government and the Aceh region.

  First and foremost, there is a serious imbalance in terms of development policies. In multi-ethnic countries, the uneven distribution of values among different ethnic groups is a common phenomenon. Among them, the structural distribution imbalance is objectively existing and relatively difficult to change, while policy-based distribution between ethnic groups, mainly focusing on power and interest allocation, plays a crucial regulatory role, directly related to the stability and development of multi-ethnic countries.

  In Indonesia, the Javanese as the dominant ethnic group hold a dominant position in politics and culture, while the country's natural resources are mainly concentrated in the outer islands where minority ethnic groups live, and their policy distribution can be said to be an unbalanced allocation under high centralization.

  In the process of redistribution, the central government politically deprived Aceh and other outer island regions of their management rights, economically transferring a large amount of natural resource wealth to a few areas such as Java through taxation, causing Aceh to be in a state of backwardness for a long time, which is an important reason for the emergence of the Acehnese separatist movement.

  Secondly, the Indonesian central government's policy on handling the Aceh separatist movement was wrong.

  Although Aceh has been neglected by the Indonesian central government in terms of politics and economy for a long time, it is not an overnight thing that leads to the demand for independence.

  Regarding the Aceh issue, the Indonesian military regime has always adopted a high-pressure policy, attempting to solve it by force rather than emphasizing the development of the local economy and resolving social and ethnic inequalities, gradually eliminating the root causes of Acehnese separatism.

  Especially from the military occupation of Aceh, the massive slaughter, arrest and kidnapping of civilians by the army sparked a far more intense and unerasable ethnic hatred than political and economic inequality, which is an important turning point for the entire Acehnese separatist movement.

  If the root cause of the emergence of the Aceh separatist movement is the oppression and exploitation of regional politics and economy, then the mistake of the Indonesian central government's policy is the key reason for the high demand for Aceh independence. Therefore, it is necessary for the government to adjust its own policies.

  In a multi-ethnic country, due to the diversity of politics, economy, culture and religion among ethnic groups, the central government should grant regional autonomy rights to minority nationalities. Preventing political discrimination, economic exploitation and forced cultural assimilation is crucial.

  It has been proven that for the Aceh separatist movement, relying on force to suppress it will not solve the problem. The way out is through peaceful negotiations and political consultations, which is an important lesson for the Indonesian government.

  At this time, a 10,000-ton Victory-class cargo ship carrying weapons arrived at the Malacca Strait as scheduled and stopped in the deep sea.

  It is not difficult to transport equipment from a ship down here.

  The Hai Shark gang used small fishing boats, adopting the method of the Ant Gang's home, slowly unloading the goods, but this could only be done for light-weight firearms and ammunition. When faced with tens of tons of light amphibious tanks and armored vehicles, even if they used all their strength, they couldn't transport a single vehicle.

  It is necessary to use large-scale lifting equipment at the port in order to safely unload, and currently only Pontianak in West Kalimantan has such conditions.

  Are you kidding me? With a troop of three thousand people, how easy is it to take down a heavily guarded big city?

  The Hai Xun Bang's people have yet to make a move.

  It was a gloomy day on the fifth day that the roll-on/roll-off ship anchored in the deep sea, with thick clouds blocking out the sun.

  At a little past six in the morning, a large landing ship of unknown nationality suddenly appeared.

  The people of Hai Shark Gang were shocked and were about to escape when they suddenly received a voice from the walkie-talkie.

  "King of the Old Generation?"

  "Haha, Duan Daibangzhu, have you run into a bit of trouble?"

  "Your gift is too heavy, my boat is small, can't move it."

  "Did you see that warship? It's a 40,000-ton amphibious assault ship! What to do next doesn't need to be said. Time is only one day, hurry up! Please keep it confidential."

  "King Lao Da, where did this warship come from?"

  "What do you think?"

  "Could it be..."

  Dong Mingyuan suddenly understood that, as far as he knew, among the neighboring countries, only the Navy of the Nan Hua Federation Republic had landing ships of this tonnage. Could it be...

  "Dou Bangzhuzi, it's all right as long as you and I understand each other!"

  "Boss Wang, I have an impertinent request!"

  A cloud of doubt rose in Wang Hui's heart, this Hai Xun Bang really knew how to find the right time to discuss conditions. In order to receive these weapons, Wang Hui agreed to give him 500 assault rifles as compensation for Hai Xun Gang.

  Now that the delivery has reached its final stage, he actually had an unreasonable request! No matter what kind of unreasonable request it was, the lifeblood of the mercenary army was in the hands of the Hai Shark Gang, and they could only agree. He said gruffly: "Speak!"

  Dòu Míng Yuǎn heard that Wáng Huī was somewhat dissatisfied with him, hesitated for a few seconds, and his breathing became heavier: "Wáng Lǎo Dà, the first time I saw you, I knew you were a man who could do great things. We've been cooperating for quite some time now, does Wáng Lǎo Dà trust me or not?"

  "Does this still need to be said? You and I, both our families are people on the same boat. Last time in Malacca, if it weren't for your brothers' help, sacrificing their lives, those two ships would have been destroyed by now. The trust between us is tied with blood and life, unbreakable."

  "Alright! Since Brother Wang has said so, I'll speak directly. Wu Mingyuan plans to lead the entire Hai Shark Gang to surrender to Boss Wang."