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Greed: The Silent Force of the Conflict of Aceh
Author: McCulloch, Lesley
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Date: 01 Oct 2003
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Publication:
Not Entered
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Organization: McCulloch, Lesley
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To view the full text of this article, please click here.
Summary:
"Aceh is the scene of Indonesias worst internal conflict and poses the biggest challenge to the
territorial integrity of the state. To assume that the conflict in Aceh has triggered the collapse of
the local economic and political system would be quite wrong. The war in Aceh is not as the
Indonesian government would have us believe - due to the uncontrolled presence of the proindependence
Aceh Sumatra National Liberation Front (ASNLF - or Gerakan Aceh Merdeka
GAM). Nor can the increasingly brutal attacks on civilians be attributed simply to rogue
elements of the military: there has been no breakdown in the military chain of command in Aceh.
In fact, a system of profit, power and protection that benefits certain groups has emerged, and it is
this that largely explains the violent conflict. For example, the Indonesian government, the Aceh
political elite, and the military all stand to gain from the continuation of the conflict, even as other
sections of the community become increasingly impoverished."
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