THE PRICEOF FREEDOM:

the unf inÏ8hod d i a r y

of Tengku Hasan dl Tiro

P r e s i d e n t

NATIONAL LIBERATION FRONT OF ACHEH SÜMATRA

P u b l i s h e d B y :

NATIONAL LIBERATION FRONT OF ACHEH SÜMATRA

1984

THE PRICE OF FREEDOM the unfinlshed d ia ry

of Tengku Hasan dl Tlro

P r e s i d e n t

NATIONAL LIBERATION FRONT OF ACHEH SÜMATRA

P u b l i s h e d By :

NATIONAL LIBERATION FRONT OF ACHEH SÜMATRA 1984

IXLV.-LEIDEN CRESCENT INTERNATIONAL, TOROBTO, DECEMBER 16, 1984

' .BOOK REVIlEW-An Islamic guerrilla leader 's unique record of a liberation struggle By Asaf Hussain

As early as the I5th cctuury, Ibn Kbaldun, the great Arob hisiorian reported that a strong Muslim State of Acheh Sumatra existed in Bast South Eau Aula. Sitice then the Achehnese have been gi ving ihcir live» for the frecdom or their State praving themsclves worthy warriors of Islam.

When the alien Dutch intruded into the arca colonizing Java and its ncighbouring tslands, thcy wert intern on annexing Acheh Sumatra to their Dutch East Indics. Bul when they attempted to conquer Acheh Sumatra. its Islamic fervour was rouscd: the rulers and wnrriors put up a (lerce ' résistance. The Dutch army suffcred a humitiuting defeat at the Battle of Bandor Acheh when they declared war in 1873.

In those days of European cotoniat invincibility, this rcvcrsal of Fortune was a devastating blow to European prestige. The Times {London) and the Ne*- York Times noted the 'decisive victory and the 'great slaughter' in which the Dutch general was killed and hts army 'put to disastrous flight'.

AltKough the Dutch consOlidated their colonial rule over the vast sprawt-tng archipeiago — Indonesia — for more than 350 years, the Acheh ma e jeaiously guarded their identity and fought tenaclousiy for an independent tslamk .State. Si net soverejgnty was handed over to the Javanese-dominat- • «1 regime in Jakarta ön December 27, 1949, continous conflict has beeome a .permanent feature of the regton. The Achehnese have been pitted against the Javanese regime

THE PRICE OF FREEDOM: THE UNFINISHED DIARY by Tengku Hasan dl Tiro. Banda Acheh. irtformation Department National Liberation Front of Acheh Sumatra, 1984. pp.225. Pb:$25.00.

and its US-tnjined forecs who attempt­ed a virtual genocide in Acheh Sumatra. Indonesia has' a vcstcd interest in its rich resources of petrole­um and natural gas.

Hardly any books — sympathetic to the Achehnese cause — exist on the stark reatilies of this btoody war that has raged at regular intervals. The sacrificè in btood and sweat of the Achehnese reached its peak after the declaration of independenee of Sumatra on December 4.1976 by the National Liberation Front (NLO. Membcrs of the Darul Islam move-ment in Sumatra had regrouped ünder the leadership of Tengku Hasan di Tiro to fight the neo-eolonial Indo-nesians in order to set up an Islamic State.

The diary of NLF President Hasan di Tiro gives a vivid account of the war fought in the snake and leech infested jungle and mountainous terrein. He moved through the enlire region wkh 'a smalt force to dedare the indepen­dence of Acheh Sumatra as an Islamic State. The date wtts letected for its symbolic importancc. The Dutch had killed the last head of the independent State on December 4, 1911.

Hasan di Tiro often ca me undcr fire from the Javanese forecs sometimes iosjng many of his men. Their food supplies were so low that they lived

on porridge and boiled water sweetcn-cd with saccnarin. Spies inriltrated their camp. Every viilagc they passed through, thcy found villagers living under a reigr) or terror.

In raid after raid peóple were arrested. tortured and shot in front or their families. Men and women were strip-ped in public. High voltageelectricity was applied to gcnitals. Salt and acid were rubbed ort open wounds. The victims' hands and feet were tied and pulled in different diréetions. Burning whh lighted cigarettes. foreing into baths of human excrement, burying alive, inserting. needies under fingcr-nails, beating wkh iron bars and break-ing ribt and boncs were other forms of torture. The alm of the lndonesian rorces was to search and destroy the NLF-and its supporters.

The military is armed with modern riflcs, armoured vehicles, aircraft and helicopters which spo< N L F camps. But tyranny, no matter how well-cquipped. has never triumphed over Islam. The people's faith is strong and they have capable Islamic leaders under the di Tiro family. most of whose stalwarts died in battle against the Dutch.

Hasan di Tiro recatls that during his trek his party got an overwhclming response wherevcr they went. 'The most important thing is to know that

CRESCENT, TORONTO, D&oembev 15, 1984

your peopte «re wkh you'. (p.215) 'tf the people are with you and their islam is intact', Hasan observcs, 'our organization in the country can no longcr be shaken whatever happens in the hills' (p.216). and 'our politica! strength is such that with o few thousand modern rifles wc can have our country bock', (p.216).

The diary is np ordinary record. It is an Islamic fighter's observalions which sum up the principics of guer­rilla warfare. Without the peopte. organization, leadership, gun» and ideology, no tiberation movemem can be successful. Che Guevera also wrote hls diary while fighting in the jungles of Latin America. But hb group tacked peasant support and above all there was no common ideology bet ween him and the peasants. Hasan di Tiro's record in Acheh Sumatra shows that strong Islamic brother-bood exists bet ween the people and the NLF. The Indonesian regime may rute the area by force, but Hasan gets complete respect from fellow-Muslims. Neediess to say that th» diary is a unique record as few, if any, Islamic fighters have written down their memoirs for posterity. It is not only insptring for the Achehnese but also Tor other Muslims. Those who read it will realize that tiberation from secutar forces is not needed in Acheh alone but in other Muslim States as welt. Such a publieation shouid be in it pocket size paperback edition for wide circulation. this intimate record wifh its profound observalions trans-ports the reader into the jungles of Acheh Sumatra and makes Hasan di Tiro's struggte every Muslim's struggle. • D

Shorter notices

ECONOMIC ORIQINS OF T H E iRAHIAN («VOLUTK5N by Robert E. Looney. Pargamon Press Inc., Maxwell House. Fairvtew Perk, Elmaford. New York 10523, USA, 1982. pp.303, Hb: $38.00 .

The origine and impftcatior» of Iran'e major economie pottcies ere traced from the early poet-war pertod. II also analyzes pre-revolution convte-tton that neither the peóple nor Islam, but only Ine army. coutd overthrow the monarchy. The crux of the author's argument ie that latent socio-economie lensions caused the authorities lo over-raact which in turn embokiened opposttton to the regime.

POLITICAL PERSPECt tVES O N THE MUSLIM WORLD by Aeef Hussain. The Macmitlan Press Ltd., 4 Littte Esaex Street. London. UK. 1984, pp.220, Hb: £20.00

Conceptuai tools are often used in poiiftcat science to explain the comc-lexlties of the Muslim wortd. Politic al and sociotogica! analysls often project a peittcutar atandpoint that depends on the author's own persua-siort. This study. by contrast, avotds such one-sided Indoctrlnatlon and offers the reader different compara-tive political Irameworks, Assf Hussain focusés on the political leadership and forces of change In Muslim socteties, ekjddating political concepts. The Ideologies of natlonal-lam. rjernocracy, sodaham, commun-Ism and Islamic perspectlves have also been Inctuded.

i

A MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND INFORMATION

STATE OF ACHEH SUMATRA

This i s part I of The Pviae of Freedom: The Unfinished Diary of Tengku Hasan M. di Tiro3 President of the National Liberation Front of Acheh Sumatra or the Free Acheh Movement, and Head of State of A-cheh Sumatra, containing the Tengku*s d a i l y a c t i v i t i e s from Septem­ber 4, 1976, to March 29, 1979. I t covered the period of formation, organization, and consolidation of the NLFAS. We published t h i s book as part of educational program to put i n front of our future genera-tions the knowledge of how we have been able to execute the task for national resurrection and renaissance of our people under the points of the enemy's bayonets; the sufferings and r i s k s that had been vo-l u n t a r i l y accepted by those pioneering Achehnese i n the process of achieving our objectives. Most of those mentioned i n The Price of Freedom are already dead, martyred to our cause at the hands of the barbaric Javanese Indonesian c o l o n i a l i s t s .

The Free Acheh Movement or the NLFAS i s e s s e n t i a l l y a peaceful, educational movement. I t was the Javanese Indonesian c o l o n i a l i s t s who used violence to suppress us. Anything that happened there-after was the necessary reaction from us i n self-defence.

Each entry i n The Price of Freedom w i l l not f a i l to demonstrate the intimate relationship between the leadership • of the NLFAS and the people. The enemy has used every t r i c k of h i s "counter-insur-gency"strategy or rather the i m p e r i a l i s t ' s art of repression against us to no a v a i l . Each day demonstrates the growing strength of our independence movement. The enemy "body counts" have meant nothing i n the people"s march to v i c t o r y . I t i s axiomatic that no indepen­dence movement can be stopped by m i l i t a r y means. The h i s t o r i c a l process of independence of peoples and the eradication of c o l o n i a l -isra cannot be stopped by raere Javamen - even i f they are backed by Western democracies, as i t were. That merely gives a bad name for the Western democracies.

In 1980 the Javanese Indonesian regime had announced the "death" of Tengku Hasan d i Tiro o f f i c i a l l y i n the b a t t l e f i e l d i n Acheh Sumatra. And ever since there has been world-wide speculation as to whether the Tengku i s r e a l l y dead or s t i l l a l i v e . Such speculations have been printed i n major world newspapers and carr i e d out by news-agencies such as Reuter, AFP, UPI, AP, etc. The s t o r i e s have been confirmed and denied as the mystery thickens. The Far Eastern Econo­mie Review had published at least seven a r t i c l e s about Tengku Hasan d i T i r o : "Rebel With A Pedigree" (July 17, 1981); "The Mystery Man S t i r s the Embers" (June 24, 1977); "Islam's Troubled Verandah" (Au­gust 25, 1978); "Jakarta"s Most Sensitive Spots" (August 4, 1978); "The Cause Without A Rebel" (October 31, 1980); "One Man's Fading V i sion" (October 31, 1980); "Hasan d i Tiro Is A l i v e and Well" (Decem -ber 12, 1980). Speculations as to whether the Tengku i s s t i l l a l i v e or not have been printed on the pages of Le Monde ( A p r i l 1, 1981), Zelfbeschikking (I>ecember, 1980), and others. We s h a l l not comment on these speculations. Let h i s t o r y be the judge.

i i

The Price of Freedom also gives glimpses into the saga of the d i T iro family, the f i r s t and historie family of Acheh Sumatra:Teng­ku Hasan i s the latter of the d i T i r o . The Dutch his tor ian, H.C. Zentgraaff had written: "Too much bloed of the d i Tiro family has been sp i l l ed . . . .There was no Achehnese family who had exercised so much influence on the war (between Holland and Acheh) l ike the d i Tiro family, and there was none who had sustained the struggle to the b i t ter end. They were the objectives of a series of mi l i tary movements and warfare which belong to the most interesting parts of the history of this war that can provide materials for heroic epic." Writing about the death of Tengku Hasan d i Tiro 's grand-father, Tengku Tjhik Mahyeddin d i T i r o , in 1910, Zentgraaff stated: "The history of the f a l l of the last Tengku d i Tiro l e f t such ma-t e r i a l for a novel, and so buried i n the history of Acheh War the stuffs for an heroic epic, the greatest, the most overpowering, and so formidable, as has not been seen elsewhere that make for the pride and the glory of a people." H. C . Zentgraaff, Atjeh, 1925).

The Dutch legendary mi l i tary figure, Colonel H. J . Schmidt, had written: "From the beginning of the war (between Holland and Acheh) the members of the family of the Tengku d i Tiro played the greatest role and the most important on the Achehnese side. For them and their men, there were no other pos s ib i l i t i e s acceptable than to win this war or to die heroes deaths. Victory was c learly impossi-ble , and un-obtainable. And yet, despite everything, they stood fast and fought l ike heroes. Despite the odds against him, a Teng­ku d i Tiro recognized no other poss ib i l i ty for him except death. Thus, i n this war everything became simple, short, and matter of fact: the lat ter of the surviving Tengku d i Tiro died in the bat-t l e f i e l d s . . . a n d these s c è n e s have become the inevitable last acts of the continuing Achehnese Drama, that by now can no longer be played i n any other way." (H J Schmidt, Marechaussee in Atjèh, 1947)

A l l these show that history i s repeating i t s e l f i n Acheh Sumatra i n such extraordinary f i d e l i t y . It demonstrates also the s t a b i l i t y of our p o l i t i c a l leadership that deeply rooted i n our history that i s unique in the annals of na1:ions.

=9^ - \U^J^~^T -'B^s**-** Dr. Husaini M. Hasan, M. D. Min:.ster of Eduaation and Information State of Acheh Sumatra

December 10, 1981

STATE OF ACHEH SUMATRA

INTRODUCTION

I w r i t e t h i s book i n p r e p a r a t i o n f o r my d e a t h , shaheed - a w i t n e a s

t o a n i d e a t h a t had e a r l i e r b e e n made a a c r e d b y t h e s p i l t b l o e d o f

my a n c e s t o r s and r e c e n t l y b y t h e s p i l t b l o o d o f my l o y a l f o l l o w e r s .

The v a l u e o f a t h i n g i s n o t d e t e r m i n e d by wha t y o u c a n d o w i t h i t ,

b u t b y wha t p r i c e y o u a r e w i l l i n g t o p a y f o r i t .

Freedom means t h a t we t a k e f u l l r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r o u r s e l v e s , o u r

p e o p l e , and o u r c o u n t r y } f r e e d o m means t h a t we m a i n t a i n t h e d i s t a n c e

t h a t s e p a r a t e s us f r o m o t h e r s ; f r eedom means t h a t we a r e no l o n g e r

a f r a i d o f h a r d s h i p , d i f f i c u l t i e s , p r i v a t i o n o r d e a t h : he who h a s

l e a r n e d how t o d i e c a n no l o n g e r become a s l a v e o r a c o l o n i a l s u b ­

j e c t .

He who wan t s t o be f r e e mus t a l w a y s be e v e r r e a d y t o go t b war a n d

t o d i e f o r h i s f r e e d o m . "The f r e e man i s a w a r r i o r " .

To p r e s e r v e o u r f r e e d o m , o u r f o r e f a t h e r s had s u f f e r e d a l l , s a c r i -

f i c e d a l l , d a r e d a l l , and d i e d . Now i s o u r t u r n t o do no l e s s .

Hudép heus avé Maté beusadjan,

December 4 , 1981

1

P R E F A C E

I have f i n a l l y decided to do what I have believed a l l along to be my destiny in l i f e : to lead my people and my country to free­dom. That i s my l i f e mission. I w i l l be a failure i f I f a i l to do so. Acquisition of wealth and power has never been my goal i n l i f e because I have both in my country. Nor do I want to do i t be-cause I look to i t as an achievement or a career: I have to do i t as a duty, an obligation put on my shoulders by my ancestors on account of future generations, a duty received and a debt that must be paid because of the past and the future of my people. I have been brought up by my family to think so, and I have seen confirmation and expectation from my people to be so. For I have been born to the d i Tiro family of Acheh, Sumatra, the family that had ruled my country and had provided leadership to i t through war and peace for so many generations and for centuries i n the long history of our country. (*)

However, to be i n that position my family had paid dearly in blood and treasures. "Too much blood of the di Tiro family has been spilled," as H. C. Zentgraaff had observed i n his book, Atjèh . Many national heroes of Acheh therefore have come from my bloodline. Because of this long history, my people have come to expect their leaders to come from the family. As i t was with my ancestors i n the past, i t i s s t i l l so with my generation now as I expect to be so with the future generations. The bond of loyalty • between my peo­ple and my family that has been f e r t i l i z e d by so much blood and sac-r i f i c e s shall never perish.

As I said, my conviction about my duty i n l i f e came from my country*s long history, from my education and breeding, and these being confirmed by the reaction of my people i n my daily l i f e i n Acheh Sumatra. That i s I have been made to feel what my family and my people expected from me. To get to the point quickly and to confine the matter to my personal history, may I t e i l you that since I can remember, my hand i s always kissed by my people - ne­ver shaken - even when I was a l i t t l e boy. I t e i l this not for self-indulgence but to explain my self-less actions, to give you a case history of my early experience and upbringing which are the genesis of my future actions that w i l l explain what I do and why I do i t . There were times in my l i f e when I envied to be like o-ther boys, to be able to run around without being bothered by at-tention - which unfortunately I had never succeeded. I remembered once I came to complain to my mother tearfully why the people did not leave me alone because I was very annoyed that when I walked to school, everybody I met along the road, especially old people, would stand up, i f they were s i t t i n g , or would step down i f they were on bicycles, to rush to kiss my hand. And having to do that

(*) The Dutch historian, H. C. Zentgraaff had written: "The family of the Tengku d i Tiro i s the holiest family that Acheh has ever recognized." Sumatraantjee, p. 162.

2

I had never arrived on time to school. Why not everybody j u s t leave me alone. My mother explained to me that the people d i d not mean to bother me, but to honor me, and to demonstrate their love and respect to us. She f i r m l y added that I must show every respect and consideration for them.

I s t i l l v i v i d l y r e c a l l one day when I was already i n Secondary School, acje about 12, a distinguished old Achehnese gentleman came to our school i n S i g l i , and he interrupted a lecture by asking the teacher to bring him to where I was seated i n the c l a s s . When he arrived at my desk and as I stood up to shake h i s hand to ho­nor him for h i s age, the old gentleman, whom I did not know, held my hand fir m l y and delivered h i s speech:"O Tengku, I come to f i n d you, to remireï you never to forget your heritage, and to prepare yourself to lead our people and our country to greatness again, l i k e your ancestors had done before you." So no one l e t me forget about i t . That l i t t l e speech of h i s made me so embarrassed with my school mates at the time but I have never forgotten the incident or the message. I come to appreciate i t l a t e r i n l i f e . C l e a r l y my peo­ple had chipped-in i n the endeavor to give me a proper education. I found out l a t e r that he was Tengku Hadji Muhammad Tahir, an Ulama - Muslim s p i r i t u a l leader from Teupin Raya, North Acheh.

I t i s important to mention that the people do not honor me and my family because they are a f r a i d of us or because they want to curry favor with us. We have no m i l i t a r y power then because the country was already under Dutch c o l o n i a l occupation. The point i s that although the Dutch have guns, that i s the m i l i t a r y power, but the p o l i t i c a l power, as far as the people are concern-ed was always i n the hands of my family. The people always expect-ing and waiting to receive p o l i t i c a l d i r e c t i o n from us. This t r a ­d i t i o n a l voluntary and grass roots r e l a t i o n s h i p between my people and my family, and presently with myself, i s an important reason for what I decided to do and why I think I can and must do i t while I am s t i l l a l i v e . I would consider myself to be delinquent of my duty i f I d i d not do i t . In f a c t , I have kept postponing action on the matter for long enough that I myself have become suspect i n my own eyes as probably have no courage to act upon t h i s urgent matter. I decided to do i t now also for consideration that i f I f a i l e d i n my f i r s t attempt I am s t i l l able to t r y for a second time, or i f I f a i l e d to achleve my goal immediately I am s t i l l strong enough to f i g h t i t out and to carry on the struggle for a long time u n t i l I win! So my decision i s now or never. I w i l l be too old i f I did not do i t now. And I w i l l f e e l my l i f e i s u t t e r l y useless without doing i t - as i f I had not l i v e d . A l ­though my mind has already been made up, occasional self-doubts s t i l l creeping i n the back of my mind, because i t i s p l a i n l y not easy to leave your l i f e i n Riverdale, New York, with a beautiful wife and c h i l d , to go to l i v e i n the black forests of Acheh, Suma­t r a , as a g u e r i l l a leader.The break between the present and the f u ­ture i s simply too glaring to contemplate. I was lucky that a few days before my departure, I stumbled over Nietzsche's work, Thll8 Spoke Zarathustra, while browsing i n a book store on F i f t h Avenue New York. When I opened the book, i t was r i g h t on the chapter heading: "The Wanderer". I read:

3

"I am a wanderer and a mountain climber.... And whatever may yet come to me as destiny and experience w i l l include some wandering and mountain climbing: i n the end one experiences only oneself. The time i s gone when mere accidents could s t i l l happen to me; and what could s t i l l come to me now that was not mine already? What returns, what f i n a l l y comes home to me, i s my own self and what of myself has long been in strange lands and scattered among a l l things and accidents. And one further thing I know: I stand before my f i n a l peak now and before that which has been saved up for me the longest. Alas, now I must face my hardest path! Alas, I have begun my loneliest walk! But whoever i s of my kind cannot escape such an hour - the hour which says to him:"Only now are you going your way to greatnessl Peak and abyss - they are now joined together."

"You are going your way to greatness: now that which has hitherto been your ultimate danger has become your ultimate refuge."

"You are going your way to greatness: now this must give you the greatest courage that there i s no longer any path be-hind you."

"You are going your way to greatness: here nobody shall sneak after you. Your own foot has effaced the path behind you, and over i t there i s written: impossibility."

"And i f you now lacked a l l ladders, then you must know how to climb on your own head: how else would you want to climb upward? On your own head and away over your own heart! Now what was gentlest i n you must s t i l l become the hardest. He who has always spared himself much w i l l i n the end become sickly of so much consideration. Praised be to what hardensl I do not praise the land where butter and honey flow."

"One must learn to look away from oneself i n order to see much:this hardness i s necessary to every climber of mountains. But you wanted to see the ground and background of a l l things; hence you must climb over yourself - upward, up u n t i l even your stars are under you!"

"Indeed, to look down upon myself and even upon my stars, that alone I should c a l l my peak; that has remained for me as my ultimate peakl"

"I recognize my l o t . . . . We11, I am ready. Now my ultimate loneliness has begun."

"Alas, this black sorrowful sea below me! Alas, this preg­nant nocturnal dismay! Alas, destiny and sea! To you I must now go down! Before my highest mountain I stand and before my longest wandering;to that end I must f i r s t go down deeper than ever I descended - deeper into pain than ever I descended,down into i t s blackest flood. Thus my destiny wants i t . Well, I am ready."

"You I advise not to work, but to fight. You I advise not to peace, but to victory. Let your work be fight, l e t your peace be a vic t o r y l "

I was seized, as i t were, by these strong words, forgetting where I was. It was like lightening that swept away a l l my doubts and clearing my path. Suddenly I can see everything clearer. I f e i t every word was addressed to me. I couldnot have described my own feeling more accurately. I did not choose to do what I want to do gladlyl I choose i t with grief and agony. It was a heavy h i s t o r i -c a l burden that I must shoulder. It i s my turn to carry i t . My time has come. I couldnot walk away from i t .

Since then I have not parted company with Nietzsche. Strange that a l l these times I spent at various universities I should have missed understanding real Nietzsche. I am sure I have read about him i n so many p o l i t i c a l theory and p o l i t i c a l philosophy courses that I have gone through - but must have been through i n terpretations and conclusions of second rate minds. Now a l l my self-doubts are swept away. I have been on the right path a l l a-long.

(SEPTEMBER 4, 1976)

After boarding the plane from New York for the f l i g h t to Seat-t l e , Tokyo, Hong Kong and other points South on my way to Acheh, I have plenty of time to r e f l e c t and to reminisce.

I have had a modicum of success i n the business world because I had entree to the highest business and governmental circles i n many countries: the United States, Europe, Middle East,Africa and not least Southeast Asia, except "Indonesia" of course, which I avoided. As a result, I have close business relationship with top 50 US corporations i n the fields of petrochemicals, shipping, construction, aviation, manufacturing and food processing indus­t r i e s . My own company had join-venture agreements with many of them which I affected, and myself retain a status of consultant to some of them. As chairman of consortia of these corporations I had led many American corporate delegations to negotiate large scale business transactions in many countries i n the Middle East, Europe and Asia. It was on my v i s i t to Riyad as the head of one of these consortia that I was received, i n 1973, by His Majesty King Feisal. I presented to King Feisal two g i f t s : his portrait done by a famous a r t i s t with the background of industrialized Sa-udi Arabia, and an album of postage stamps with the picture of my great grandfather, Al-Malik Tengku Tjhik d i Tiro, to remind him that although I came at the head of an American consortium I was s t i l l an Achehnese Sumatran, and never an "indonesian". And there were many such business missions that I led to other countries.

I had enjoyed my business a c t i v i t i e s , and appreciated the com­pany of my business colleagues, some of them men of great culture and erudition. But I never mixed my business with my p o l i t i c s . So very few of them knew what I had i n mind to do i n Acheh Sumatra.

5

This i s my private affairs with my people only. I did not s o l i c i t anybody else's advice, sympathy, or support. As much as I would like to give compliments to some of them, I w i l l refrain from do-ing so in this book, and I w i l l keep them nameless, also their companies, i n this Diary.

As the aeroplane races the sun to the West I look down to what has become my familiar stamping ground on this long stretch of North America. This ground i s so familiar to me. I used to f l y from New York to Michigan in my company's a f f i l i a t e private j e t to inspect the cattle farms and the meat processing plant there.I also used to f l y to Detroit to v i s i t the headquarters of a fiber-glass company there.I have an eerie feeling when I begin to think how difference i s this overflight from what I used to do. This i s an overflight to end a l l my f l i g h t s . Will I ever be able to f l y over here again in my l i f e time? For a l l intents and purposes this may be my last time. Only a miracle can change that.

In a few hours I can see the snow-covered peak of Mount Rai-n i e r . l t looks aajestic even from on high. I have my own private meaning of that peak. I almost got k i l l e d there a year ago or so. That peak has become a milestone i n my l i f e , not because I almost got k i l l e d there, but because of the profound regret that I had at that time there about the probability of dying before doing what I have to do i n Acheh.It was not fear of death but remorse at not having done what I should for my country and my people be-

• fore I die. I do not care much i f I died but I care very much i f I died before doing what I considered to be the purpose of my l i f e . I was sure that my friend DC, the president of the biggest airplane company i n the world, who had made such a gracious ges-ture to in s i s t on flying me by himself with his own private jet to go to inspect a desert station in Oregon,did not know what was on my mind when we were on the South side of the peak of Mount Rainier, on the same height, when suddenly his engines went dead. I quietly pray to Allah to save us and I swore that i f saved, I would at once proceed to Acheh to do my duty.I asked for the last chance. There were four of us in the four-seater j e t : DC and me in the front seats, and two colleagues, VDL and MP, i n the back seats, both were such admirable characters to be with. DC was a former dare-devil test p i l o t . So there was no lack of courage on his part. He calmly tried to get the engines start but nothing happened. He deftly manipulated the plane to glide down, to reach as far as possible. Luckily, we were already i n the vi c i n i t y of the d i r t a i r f i e l d of the project, our destination. DC managed to bring the plane down hovering over that d i r t f i e l d and landed. After i t touched down the plane couldnot move one inch, even when the four of us tried to push i t . That was the day I made my dead­line: I must return to Acheh to do my duty not later than today J September 4, 1976, my birthday: the 46.

Because of the incident, we missed a huge banquet at a fashio-nable hotel i n Seattle that had been prepared i n my honor. We had to send in for a special plane to piek us up toroorrow, and we had to stay for the night at a desert inn. This was a real de­sert area of Oregon where the biggest airplane company i n the

6

world was doing experimentation to make agriculture i n the desert to plant grass and corns for animal feeds, with the idea of doing i t i n Saudi Arabia, i f the p i l o t project here was successful. You see, the big company today i s doing everything where there i s bu­siness to make money. The name of the companies nowadays are no longer relevant to what they are doing. This big airplane compa -ny for example, i s not only doing agribusiness, housing, construct­ion but also snip-building! You can also see that I had come to l i k e my business l i f e that i t was d i f f i c u l t to put an end to i t .

But the most d i f f i c u l t of a l l , and the most heartbreaking and inhuman was the f a c t that to do my p a t r i o t i c duty I had to disrupt my happy family l i f e : I had to leave my wife and young son i n the US. My wife had agreed to my going because she r e a l i z e d how strongly I f e i t about i t . L i t t l e d i d she r e a l i z e how p a i n f u l i t would be. My wife i s the one who suffered the most. I had s a c r i f i c e d her too.

Another matter that seared my heart i s that I had to leave my only son, Karim, who i s only s i x years o l d . As a l l fathers know, that i s the best year of a c h i l d ' s l i f e . To make my son fatherless at s i x years old i s not a very kindly thing to do to him, especi» a l l y when the act was d e l i b e r a t e l y done - for whatever adult's reasons - but c e r t a i n l y not acceptable from the c h i l d ' s point of view. This i s hurting somebody who i s dearest and helpless and completely dependent on you and cannot even protest! I acted against a l l my best emotions. Only a Wilhelm T e i l could share my g r i e f #

I f you allowed a father"s pride, and since I am writing what i s important to me that crosses my mind during t h i s c r u c i a l journey, I w i l l write something about my son as I am remembering him now. Karim has the g i f t of goodlook that he was admired so much every-where he went. We were rather proud of him. When he was aboufc four or f i v e he had shown a very d e f i n i t e " i n charge" character. I d i s -t i n c t l y remembered when we were having a summer vacation i n Cape Cod he forbade h i s father going to swim i n the sea when he saw the waves were bigger than usual. I remembered t r y i n g to go to the water when he was not seeing, but the moment he r e a l i z e d that h i s father was i n the water with the waves roaring, he came running f r a n t i c a l l y crying to p u l l h i s father from danger. Such determination on h i s part c a l l -ed for respect. Another incident that I v i v i d l y r e c a l l e d was t h i s : one day we were shopping and went i n t o a candy store to buy a box of candy when suddenly a group of teenage boys came to t e r r o r i z e the old woman shop-owner. The boys were attempting to s t e a l some candies over the protestations of the old lady.I knew I had to do something, but before I could make up my mind about what to do, I heard a whis-t l e being blown from somewhere i n the store, and the boys scrambled out of the shop i n a hurry. When I turned my head to the corner of the store from where the whistle sound came from, I saw Karim stand­ing s t i f f l y with the whistle i n h i s hand.He must havebeen f i v e years old at the time. The old shop-owner thanked him profusedly. The boys could have beaten him up and we would have gotten involved i n some fracas. But, before I made up my mind about what to do, my son had acted on his own, and did the r i g h t thing although at -considerahle personal r i s k . I was too sic** to r-eact -as usual.

7

I remember I used to take my son to do the Muslim Friday Prayer at the United Nations" building i n New York, i n order to make him fa m i l i a r with t h i s aspect of h i s r e l i g i o u s heritage. He was always sought after and hugged by diplomats attending the services. When walking with my son on F i f t h Avenue we always got following, a group of men and women who came to t a l k to Karim and to touch him. When walking with my son I always f e i t l i k e escorting somebody very impor­tant because the attention passersby paid to him. One day I l e f t my son for a moment i n the lobby of Hotel Plaza to make a telephone c a l l . Before I finished my c a l l , I saw Senator Eugene McCarthy, then a ma­jor p r e s i d e n t i a l candidate, t a l k i n g to Karim. The Senator came to me to give compliments about Karim. He said:"I had to come to shake the hand of your son because he looks so handsome L" So much for reminis-cence of a sad father. I t seems that the i n s t i n c t for the s u r v i v a l of the herd, the group, i s more ancient than the i n s t i n c t for the s u r v i ­v a l of the i n d i v i d u a l .

(OCTOBER 28, 1976)

On Thursday, October 28, 1976, at 2 PM, I boarded the boat that w i l l take me to Acheh Sumatra from a mainland port of Asia with a dozen crew and about 15 guards. The boat i s a 250 tonner, j u s t a com-fortable size to cross the Malacca Straits.The weather has been rough i n the Andaman Sea for the l a s t two weeks as the monsoon season i s due to begin, but we are lucky to have a break of a f a i r weather just at the beginning of that day. As we begin s a i l i n g Southward we have a spectacular view of the mountain ranges and the green h i l l y islands emerging from the sea. When the sky i s cloudy, the sea water here looked emerald green, and when the sky i s blue, the water i s also blue. When the n i g h t f a l l , the dark t r o p i c a l sky are strewn with countless bright stars, big and small, and as i t was the beginning of the lunar month, the crescent has also appeared j u s t above the horizon surrounded by other twinkling stars. The view i s breath-takingly dramatic and peaceful. I t i s the calm before the storm. The purpose of my voyage has nothing to do with my surroundings. I t i s the a n t ithesis of a l l appearances.

Many thoughts cross my mind. I think of Ceasar's crossing of the Rubicon that led to the c i v i l war i n Rome. My Rubicon i s v a s t l y l a r -ger and my crossing w i l l not r e s u l t i n a c i v i l war but i n a national unity and i n a war of national l i b e r a t i o n to free my people from fo-reign domination, from the yoke of Javanese colonialism. I thought of Ceasar"s landing i n Spain, i n Lerida, where he conquered the country i n 40 days. But Ceasar had a legion with him. I have nothing. I come back alone - un-armed. I have no instrument of power.I brought only a message: that of national salvation and s u r v i v a l of the people of Acheh Sumatra as a Nation, and a reputation of a Tiro-man. No one inside the country knew of my coming or the implication of i t . I face the Javanese Indonesian c o l o n i a l i s t troops, h a l f - a - m i l l i o n men strong, equipped with most modern weapons, experienced i n g u e r i l l a -warfare, and had j u s t massacred 2-million people who dared to oppose i t . Yes, here I come. There i s no turning back.

I thought of Napoleon's landing from Egypt under a v a s t l y d i f f e -

8

r e n t circumstance. And of h i s l a n d i n g a t the G u l f of Juan from E l b a . T h i s l a s t one must have been the most s p e c t a c u l a r f e a t o f p e r s o n a l h i s t o r y . I thought of F i d e l Castro's l a n d i n g i n Cuba w i t h h i s two-hundred comrades. I search f o r precedence, f o r guidance. I found none. Because I must face the f a c t t h a t I come alone: without f r i e n d , w ithout arms - none of my guards w i l l be l a n d i n g w i t h me, - and w i ­thout f o r e i g n backing: I do not come home t o r e p l a c e one c o l o n i a l i s m w i t h another. And y e t my m i s s i o n i s t o save my people from o b l i v i o n , t o f r e e my country from f o r e i g n domination which means t o wage war of n a t i o n a l l i b e r a t i o n ; i n short t o redeem the p a s t and t o j u s t i f y the f u t u r e of the Achehnese as a n a t i o n . Obviously the odds a g a i n s t me are overwhelming. But t h a t d i d not stop me. I must do what I have t o do.

I thought of what H. J . Schmidt had w r i t t e n about my f a m i l y h i s ­t o r y i n h i s book, Marechaussee in Atjeh, p u b l i s h e d long ago t h a t "no matter what was the odd a g a i n s t him, a Tengku d i T i r o would stand up and f i g h t l i k e a hero. A Tengku d i T i r o w i l l not accept d e f e a t ; he deerns o n l y two t h i n g s acceptable f o r him: e i t h e r v i c t o r y , o r e l s e death. These are men, who i n the f r e e choice between l i f e and death, would choose the l a t t e r . The l a s t s u r v i v i n g Tengku d i T i r o w i l l d i e i n the b a t t l e f i e l d , and sooner or l a t e r w i l l be f o l l o w e d by another, and another. T h i s i s going t o be the l a s t scène of every A c t of a c o n t i n u i n g Achehnese Drama t h a t by now can no longer be played i n any other way." The poignancy of t h i s h i s t o r i c a l precedence and i t s r e l e v a n c y to my present s i t u a t i o n - I being the l a t t e r of the d i T i ­r o , and the next chapter of Achehnese H i s t o r y i s s e l f - e v i d e n t . And y e t I d i d not do what I am doing i n order t o keep a r e c o r d , but I d i d what came n a t u r a l l y t o me, what I f e i t I must do.

(OCTOBER 30, 1976)

My boat reached the l a n d i n g area on the North coast of Acheh on Saturday morning, October 30, 1976, about 8:30 i n the morning i n the fishermen v i l l a g e of P a s i Lhok. My boat h i t s the shore i n broad day-l i g h t , witnessed by the e n t i r e p o p u l a t i o n of the v i l l a g e . Fortunate-l y t h e re was no Javanese Indonesian p o l i c e i n the p l a c e a t the time. I asked the people on shore to c a l l my man, Muhammad Daud Husin (who was a l s o known as Daud Paneuk) t o come on board. A f t e r an hour of w a i t i n g , the messenger r e t u r n s t o say t h a t Muhammad Daud Husin was not home but had gone to S i g l i , a Javanese Indonesian g a r r i s o n town, about ten k i l o m e t e r s away. I leave order t o f e t c h him and I ask the c a p t a i n of my boat t o go away from the shore as f a r as p o s s i b l e , and I leave a message t o the men on shore where they can f i n d our boat on h i g h seas.

A t about f i v e o'clock i n the afternoon we see a boat approaching us. F i r s t i t l o o k s l i k e a l i t t l e b l a ck dot. Slowly i t grows b i g -ger and bigger. We hope t h a t i t i s our boat coming t o f e t c h me. But, i t can a l s o be an Indonesian p o l i c e p a t r o l boat. So my guards are ready f o r any e v e n t u a l i t y . They are well-armed and i n good s p i r i t . No one i s a f r a i d of the Indonesians. L e t them come. As the boat approaches we know i t i s not the Indonesian p o l i c e but our men. However, i t was not Muhamnad Daud who comes but h i s deputy. He has

9

not returned home yet from S i g l i .

I then step down into that small boat, and my suit case i s transfered to i t . The captain of my guards offers to accompanyme to go on shore to assure my safety. I appreciate his gesture, but I t e i l him i t i s not neeessary.There we part company and say good-bye to one another. We are loyal friends. The captain said to me as we parted:"Your Highness, I can see that your people love you!"

At about 6 PM my small boat enters Kuala Tari (Impeccable Bay) to the East of the village of Pasi Lhok. There a group of a dozen men, headed by M. Daud Husin, has been waiting to escort me to the moun­tain region, that very night - my f i r s t night i n my homeland after being in exile for 25 years in the United States. No one else know in the country of my a r r i v a l . Kuala Tari i s surroundëd by swampy marshes and f i s h pounds that one can get lost very easily. I am i n -vited to come to a small and secluded hut on a f i s h pound where I have my dinner together with the men. They are a l l strong young men from the village of Pasi Lhok who have strong traditional ties with my family. At about midnight we proceed to march to the mountain fo-rest of Panton Keng, about six hours walking distance from the sea shore. We have to walk i n the dark quietly without using flashlight to avoid detection by the Javanese Indonesian agents. We decided to begin the march after midnight in order to avoid meeting people on the road. Inspite of a l l that precaution, however, we s t i l l encoun-ter people on the road, and our midnight march was observed by some people.

(OCTOBER 31, 1976)

After about three hours march in the dark, we make a short rest in the village of Langgien, South of the town of Teupin Raya. Al -though tired, I have a sensational feeling being able to walk again on my own land, the land of my birth, after 25 years un-able to set my foot on it,because the Javanese occupiers of my country would not allow me to return. I can never consent to asking foreigners' per-mission for me to come back to my own land. After a rest of one-half hour, we proceed again toward the South, the mountain region. We be­gin climbing h i l l s and descending them. Because there was rain du­ring the day, the paths are very slippery. I f a l l f l a t on my back several times. By the time of day break we s t i l l have not reach our destination. After twice crossing the Panté Radja river, we f i n a l l y reach our destination, the forest of Panton Wéng, at about 7 A. M. This i s a traditional guerilla hide-out, both during the war against the Dutch and during the last resistance against the Javanese Indo-nesians. The terrain i s so h i l l y and covered with incredibly thick forests. One cannot see through within 15 meters, and there are many small brooks criss-crossing the forests. Everyone i s so exhausted and i n need to l i e down. But there i s no place to l i e down unless one makes a clearing on the forest floor f i r s t . So the men begin to cut some trees to clear the ground just enough to lay a mat for me to l i e down. In no time I f a l l asleep. For the f i r s t time on my own homeland in twenty-five years.

While I was asleep the men cut the trees to make clearance to es-tablish our f i r s t camp. They picked up a place adjacent to a clear

10

spring where they established two houses, one long, for themselves, and adjacent to i t a "special" one, smaller, for my "residence". For the roofs and walls they used black or green heavy and thick plastic tissues which come very handy. In the old time our fathers had to work several days just to make roofs for their guerilla camps out of cut grass. In two days we have functional houses i n the midst of the forests complete with running water! We named this Camp Panton Wéng. So I begin my new l i f e as a guerilla warrior - picking up a long family tradition!

(NOVEMBER 1-29, 1976)

Although our camp i s only about 4 kilometers from the enemy (Javanese Indonesian) police post, on the other side of the Panté Radja river, and we can hear the enemy trucks passing the road near-by, our camp cannot be seen by land or from the a i r . In that sense i t i s very safe. This i s then my f i r s t headquarters and the f i r s t patch of Achehnese liberated territory!

I stayed here from November 1, 1976 to November 29, 1976. I found the process of adjustment came naturally, although occasionally the memory of my old world came i n strong such as when I heard the sound of Europe-bound international ai r l i n e s flying high overhead reminded me of the amenities of the l i f e i n the f i r s t class cabin that I used to partake. But soon a l l that i s forgotten, replaced by the true joy of revolutionary fulfilment, true joy of discovering oneself f u l f i l -ling a great and sacred task, surrounded by the comrades-in-arms who give their a l l for the great and historie destiny of our people. There are plenty of laughter and even tears of joy may be more often than tears of sorrow. When Dr. Muchtar Hasbi came to the camp to v i -s i t me for the f i r s t time during the month of November, he wept un-ashamedly like a l i t t l e boy for hours. It was the shock of recogni-tion. The last time he saw me was in my luxurious residence abroad. Muchtar was a great character, an irreplaceable son of the people of Acheh, a great hero, second to none,of whom I w i l l write more later.

Now to work. It was i n Panton Wéng that I formulated my strategy that was primarily imposed by my situation.First,I would c a l l care-f u l l y selected Achehnese leaders to come to meet me i n Panton Wéng. The f i r s t order of thing i s to make the Achehnese opinion leaders understand i n what p o l i t i c a l process our people and our country are involved: we are i n the process of being swallowed by Javanese colo­n i a l i s t s and being put to death as a nation,so that the Javanese can inherit our land.We shall not survive as a people much longer unless we r e s i s t and mobilize now. The way to our national salvation i s the recreation of Achehnese historie consciousness.1 have written enough books on this subject. What we have to do now i s to make our people study these books. Thus the paper works had already been done by me during my long exile i n the United States. The only thing they have to do now i s read!

This approach succeeds like wild f i r e . We reprinted th-2 book that I had written to revive Achehnese patriotism in our guerilla print­ing shops and distributed the books free of charge to the people. My

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book Acheh in World History (Atjêh Bak Mata Donja) p u b l i s h e d i n New York i n 1968j One-Hundred Years Anniversary of the Battle of Bandar Acheh ( S i r e u t o i h Thon Mideuen Prang Bandar A t j e h ) , New York, 1973} The Political Future of the Malay Archipelago (Masa ukeue Politék Donja Meulaju), New York, 1965; The Struggle for Free Acheh (Perdju-angan Atjêh Meurdéhka), 1976; a l l proved t o be very e f f e c t i v e eye-openers t o the people of Acheh. In matter of a few months a f t e r my landing,the h i s t o r y of Acheh w i l l become a u n i v e r s a l knowledge a g a i n among the people. Many Achehnese teachers i n Javanese Indonesian school system resigned t h e i r posts because of t h e i r new conscious-ness. They s a i d : " I have been teaching the wrong t h i n g t o the c h i l -dren." They a l l j o i n e d the Free Acheh Movement, t h a t i s , the N a t i o ­n a l L i b e r a t i o n Front of Acheh Sumatra. we have no money t o buy the papers t o p r i n t our books and i n f o r m a t i o n m a t e r i a l s , but how d i d we manage t o p r i n t them? Soon those who became our sympathisers but s t i l l working i n the Indonesian Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t o f f i c e s r e l e a s -ed the papers t o us t o p r i n t our i n f o r m a t i o n m a t e r i a l s f o r f r e e d i s -t r i b u t i o n to the people. By November 29, 1976, t h i r t y days a f t e r my l a n d i n g , our adherents have become la r g e enough and the formal orga­n i z a t i o n of the N a t i o n a l L i b e r a t i o n Front of Acheh Sumatra has be­come a r e a l i t y .

E m i ssaries came t o Panton Wéng from a l l over Acheh Sumatra. And a f t e r they returned t o t h e i r p laces they begin to organize the NLF i n t h e i r t e r r i t o r i e s . Soon the o r g a n i z a t i o n had spread a l l over the country.The people a l r e a d y knew i t but no one r e p o r t e d the matter t o the Indonesian Javanese regime t h a t was detested by a l l . T h i s shows the s e p a r a t i o n between the people of Acheh Sumatra and the Indonesi­an Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t regime.

By t h i s time the mountains and the f o r e s t s have assumed the new meaning and the new s i g n i f i c a n c e t o the people of Acheh Sumatra. The mountains and the f o r e s t s have become the new centre of l e a r n i n g and the new seat of l e a d e r s h i p . when the people looked a t the mountains which are v i s i b l e everywhere i n Acheh Sumatra they reminded them where the leaders are, where the c e n t r e of guidance i s . When they need f o r guidance they say they have t o go t o the mountains. Someone who had been t o the mountains became an a u t h o r i t y who are looked up t o by h i s neighbors. People are t a l k i n g about sending t h e i r money, r i c e , t h e i r sons t o the mountains.Suddenly the mountains - which are ever present and ever v i s i b l e - have become symbols of the R e v o l u t i -on and the mighty f o r t r e s s of Achehnese l i b e r t y .

On November 29, I decided t o move my headquarters from Panton Wéng t o T i r o Region, a f t e r s t a v i n g one month. I t was the most c r i -t i c a l one month. I t i s not an easy move. In the f o r e s t one becomes attached t o the f a m i l i a r surrounding very e a s i l y . I f e e l a c e r t a i n sadness t o leav e . Besides, Panton Wéng i s q u i t e a h i s t o r i e p l a c e . I t was a l s o a g u e r i l l a headquarters some 100 years ago d u r i n g our peo­p l e 's f i g h t a g a i n s t Dutch c o l o n i a l i s m . There are t o be found t h a t war's heroes graveyards on the top of the h i l l , j u s t t o the West of my present camp. The people here b e l i e v e d t h ere are two t i g e r s guard i n g t h a t graves now. And anyone doubting t h i s - thus I was t o l d -may come t o the graveyards a t 3 AM on r a i n y n i g h t s t o see the honor guards! The o l d w a r r i o r s had taken care t o p l a n t durian t r e e s a l l

12

around the place with the idea that t h e i r children's children might eat the f r u i t s some day. Durian trees take very long time to bear f r u i t s . Those who think only for t h e i r immediate advantages are not the ones who planted the durian trees.

Besides there i s a man i n Panton Wéng by the name of Pawang Baka. Pawang i s Achehnese for expert of mountains and f o r e s t s . Pawang Ba-ka, who looked much older than h i s 45 years, i s a p i H a r of strength of my Panton Wéng headquarters. When you are i n the forest of Acheh, you must always have at least one Pawang with you at a l l time.Other-wise when you have to move, planned or forced, you are c e r t a i n to get l o s t . That i s one of the great mysteries of Achehnese Sumatran forests. Pawang Baka i s a man with very few words. During the Acheh­nese armed resistance against the Javanese Indonesian regime i n the 1950s, Pawang Baka was one among hundreds of people who had been l i n e up by the Javanese soldiers and machine-gunned to death en mass i n front of a mass grave. Pawang Baka fainted dead and l e t himself f e i l among the dead e a r l i e r . Although bathed with others"bloed, he l u c k i l y escaped death and walked out of the mass grave at n i g h t f a l l . When he knew that I had come back to Acheh he came to e n r o l l h i s son to be asong the f i r s t revolutionary cadres of Pree Acheh Movement, and he himself has never l e f t my sight ever since. He had contracted tubercuioais but the young M. Ü. "s of Free Acheh are treating him now. Everything w i l l be a l l r i g h t for Pawang Baka.

The move to Tiro Region was f i n a l l y decided upon several conside-rations: first,we have i n t e l l i g e n c e reports that the increasing num-bers of people coming and going to Panton Wéng from far-away places have begun a t t r a c t i n g attention of the enemy security forces and i t was impossible to cover that up because there i s only one route lead ing to Panton Wéng. Secondly, i f the enemy decided to take action we w i l l have a d i f f i c u l t time to r e t r e a t , while i f we were i n the Tiro Region we w i l l be unbeatable come what may.Thirdly, my beloved Uncle Tengku Tjhik Umar d i T i r o , who i s the Head of my House, and whom I looked upon as my father, has sent his trusted Commander,Geutjhik ü-ma, to fetch me, and to bring me back to the home ground i n T i r o Re­gion, where he f e e l s I w i l l be safer.

(NOVEMBER 30, 1976)

In the morning of November 30, 1976, we leave the camp of Panton Wéng for T i r o , taking Southwestern d i r e c t i o n . The order of the march i a as follow: f i r s t the Pawang party (the guides), then the advanced security guards, then my party, then the rear guards.We march single f i l e . Even then i t i s d i f f i c u l t to avoid entanglement with forest shrubs and occasional rattan traps.Cutting of any trees, even a leaf i s s t r i c t l y forbidden as that can leave traces for the enemy to f o l ­low. We march i n silence. This i s the f i r s t long march through the forest that we have taken since my return.Even the Pawangs are a b i t hesitant i n leading the way after they had not been i n t h i s part of the forests for so many years. One does not go here for pleasure. I t turned out that i t takes us four days of exhausting march to arrivé to our new place i n the mountains of T i r o . For me i t was my f i r s t taste of what i s more to come.lt i s to be the t r i a l of body and soul.

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During the march l i k e t h a t we are f o r c e d to s l e e p on the ground. We would stop marching a t about 5 PM i n order t o be able t o use the remaining day l i g h t hours t o prepare f o r the n i g h t s i n c e f i r e i s not to be used a t n i g h t , f o r s e c u r i t y reason. The men have t o c l e a r the ground over which a p l a s t i c t i s s u e would be l a i d t o prevent any see-page of water from below. Then a b l a n k e t would be l a i d down over the p l a s t i c t i s s u e . I f there i s no r a i n , nothing f u r t h e r need t o be done for one n i g h t s t a y . I f there i s r a i n then a make-shift r o o f must be c o n t r i v e d . Those who are i n charge of cooking are the ones who have t o work h a r d e s t , e s p e c i a l l y on r a i n y days when i t i s hardest t o l i g h t the f i r e . But i t i s a s t o n i s h i n g t o see t h a t my men, being mountain people, most of them, know e x a c t l y what t r e e s they can l i g h t up w i ­thout having t o p i e k up the d r y ones. So they have no problem s t a r t ­ing the f i r e even i n the r a i n . They know how to s t a r t the f i r e w i t h a f r e s h l y c u t green t r e e s ! I have read Dutch m i l i t a r y r e p o r t s d u r i n g t h e i r war a g a i n s t us t h a t when they came t o the mountains t o engage our g u e r i l l a s , they had t o go hungry f o r days i n the r a i n y seasons because they d i d not know how t o s t a r t the f i r e without u s i n g d r y firewoods!

The hardest t h i n g t o do d u r i n g the march when you have t o climb high mountains i s the c a r r y i n g o f r i c e and other food supply.You can never c a r r y enough food sufficiënt f o r a long time.You have t o break the journey f o r a new supply along the way. U s u a l l y our men see t o i t t h a t everyone h e l p each other and do t h e i r equal shares f o r hard works.

I t took us four days t o reach T i r o . On the t h i r d day we thought we had go t t e n l o s t and had a r r i v e d i n Geumpang i n s t e a d ! In f a c t we d i d not get l o s t but everyone simply had no f a m i l i a r i t y w i t h the t e r r a i n s anymore, even the Pawangs. I t was a mistake because we did n o t take Pawang Baka w i t h us whose t e r r i t o r y t h i s i s . That every one ag-reed.

During t h i s t r i p I had my f i r s t u n f o r g e t t a b l e h a r d s h i p . I t was when we were descending a very steep h i l l w i t h the path a l l cover-ed by s l i p p e r y mud of such depth t h a t i t sometime reached up t o my knees t h a t I had t o take my boots o f f , only t o d i s c o v e r t h a t the mud was i n f e s t e d w i t h r a t t a n thorns, two inches long on the average and the sharpness of which surpassed those of the r o s e s . I had my bare f e e t plunged i n t o s e v e r a l of these thorns. I thought the enemy must have p l a n t e d them t h e r e . That was when I r e c a l l e d w i t h great n o s t a l -g i a my many pl e a s a n t walks on F i f t h Avenue. I r e a l l y s a i d t o myself "What am I doing here?" I t was a t 2 AM and r a i n i n g and we are a l l soaking wet, and exhausted. During these descends, G e u t j h i k üma had to hold on my s h o u l d e r s ' blades from behind i n order t o prevent me from f a l l i n g forward down h i l l . I t was on Thursday, December 2,1976.

We reached T i r o Region a t about 4 PM the next day, F r i d a y , Decem­ber 3, 1976. A t t h a t time, I r e c a l l e d , I was so exhausted t h a t when we crossed the r i v e r I had t o be c a r r i e d by G e u t j h i k Uma and G e u t j i k Amin who came t o f e t c h me. {Geutjhik i s the t i t l e of the head of a v i l l a g e ) . Both of these d i s t i n g u i s h e d G e u t j h i k s are s t a l w a r t s of the T i r o people. And y e t i t takes another near a l l n i g h t c l i m b i n g s and descending before we reach our new place a t about 4 AM,where I get

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the impression that I must have arrived inthe darkest bottom of this earth, where the scenery composed of gloomy darkness, black rocks, wet dirty grounds, and with so l i t t l e room to move around, one man l i t e r a l l y standing on top of the head of another, because of the es-calator-like formation of the rocks around us. Only the occasional blinks of a hunter's flash-light on someone's head gave occasional li g h t . But the stamina of my men was to be admired. No one complaint although everyone i s carrying heavy loads over his head. I was so exhausted - although carrying nothing - and f e i l asleep right away and I did not care anymore where I was. Only tomorrow at day break I know where we were. It was a place impossible to find even during the day time.

The name of the place i s the Tjokkan H i l l . It was also an old historie guerilla camping ground with the reputation of having never been discovered by the enemy, Dutch or Javanese Indonesians, u n t i l this day. My uncle once lived there. The camp was established near the Southern precipice of the high h i l l but not v i s i b l e from any d i -rections because i t was protected by the cone-shaped rock formation of the ground a l l around. In the middle of the camping ground there runs a beautiful winding spring passing though several miniature waterfalls before f i n a l l y f a l l i n g at the height of 200 meters down-h i l l and then disappeared in the ground. Thus, this i s a spring wi­thout a mouth - a very rare occurrence. The "counter-insurgency" ex­perts would usually start their search for a possible guerilla hide-outs by following through every mouth of the spring that can easily be spotted along the bigger rivers. This, however, i s a spring wi­thout a tracé! It turned out to be the place where I stayed the lon­gest and from where I would make the Declaration of Independence of Acheh Sumatra, on December 4, 1976.

(DECEMBER 4, 1976)

I have long decided that the new Declaration of Independence of Acheh Sumatra should be made on December 4, for symbolical and his-t o r i c a l reasons because i t was the day after the Dutch had shot and k i l l e d the last Head of State of independent Acheh Sumatra, Tengku Tjhik Maat d i Tiro, i n the bat t l e f i e l d of Alue Bhot, Tangsê, on De­cember 3, 1911. The Dutch had, therefore, counted December 4, 1911, as the day of the ending of the Achehnese State as a Sovereign enti-ty, and the day of the Dutch f i n a l "victory" over the Kingdom of A-cheh Sumatra, as has been asserted by Colonel H. J . Schmidt,theDutch commander who led the attack at Alue Bhot. However,that was not true at a l l because the Achehnese war of resistance did not end with the f a l l of Tengku Tjhik Maat d i Tiro at the Battle of Alue Bhot since the struggle was continued by the survivors of 1911. The State of A-cheh Sumatra had never surrendered to Holland! The struggle continu-es. The flag of Acheh w i l l always be flown at half-staff to honor the memory of the heroic young last Achehnese Head of State, Tengku Tjhik Maat d i Tiro. But henceforth, u n t i l the end of time, that flag of Acheh w i l l be raised again the next day, on December 4, in the most solemn and dramatic way to signify the Renaissance and the con-tinuity of the people of Acheh Sumatra and the State of Acheh Suma­tra forever and ever. Tengku Tjhik Maat d i Tiro was my uncle.

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Here i s the Declaration of Independence of Acheh Sumatra which I penned down at Tjokkan H i l l , and declared to the world on December 4, 1976:

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE OF ACHEH SUMATRA

"To the peoples of the world:

"We, the people of Acheh,Sumatra, exer-c i s i n g our r i g h t of self-determination, and protecting our h i s t o r i e r i g h t of eminent domain to our fatherland, do hereby declare oursel-ves free and independent from a l l p o l i t i c a l control of the foreigr regime of Jakarta and the a l i e n people of the island of Java.

"Our fatherland, Acheh,Sumatra, had a l ­ways been a free and independent Sovereign State since the world be­gun. Holland was the f i r s t foreign power to attempt to colonize us when i t declared war against the Sovereign State of Acheh, on March 26, 1873, and on the same day invaded our t e r r i t o r y , aided by Java -nese mercenaries. The aftermath of t h i s invasion was duly recorded on the front pages of contemporary newspapers a l l over the world. The London Times, on A p r i l 22, 1873, wrote:"A remarkable incident i r modern c o l o n i a l history i s reported from the East Indian Archipelagc A considerable force of Europeans has been defeated and held i r check by the Army of a native State...the State of Acheh. The Acheh­nese have gained a decisive v i c t o r y . Their enemy i s not only defeat­ed, but compelled to withdraw." The New York Times, on March 6th, 1873, wrote:"A sanguinary battle has taken place i n Acheh, a native Kingdom occupying the Northern portion of the is l a n d of Sumatra. Th€ Dutch delivered a general assault and now we have d e t a i l s of the re-s u l t . The attack was repulsed with great slaughter. The Dutch gene­r a l was k i l l e d , and his army put to disastrous f l i g h t . I t appears, indeed, to have been l i t e r a l l y deciraated." This event had attractec powerful world-wide attention. President Ulysses S. Grant of the U-nited States issued his famous Froclamation of Impartial Neutrality i n t h i s war between Holland and Acheh.

"On Christmas Day, 1873,the Dutch inva­ded Acheh for the seoond time, and thus begun what Harper's Magazine had c a l l e d "A Hundred Years War of Today", one of the bloodiest anc longest c o l o n i a l war i n human histo r y , during which one-half of our people had l a i d down th e i r l i v e s defending our Sovereign State. It was being fought r i g h t up to the beginning of Wörld War I I . Eight immediate forefathers of the signer of t h i s Declaration died i n the b a t t l e f i e l d s of that long war,defending our Sovereign Nation, a l l as successive r u l e r s and suprème conrmanders of the forces of the Sove­reign State of Acheh Sumatra.

"However, when, af t e r World War I I , the Dutch East Indies was supposed to have been liqui d a t e d - an empire i s not liquidated i f i t s t e r r i t o r i a l i n t e g r i t y was preserved, - our fatherland, Acheh, Sumatra, was not returned to us. Instead, our fa­therland was turned over by the Dutch to the Javanese - the i r exmer-cenaries, - by hasty f i a t of former c o l o n i a l powers.The Javanese are

t o r i c , p o l i t i c a l , c u l t u r a l , economxc or geographic r e l a t i onsh ip with them. When the f r u i t s of Dutch conquests are preserved, i n t a c t , and then bequeathed, as i t were, to the Javanese, the r e s u l t i s i n e v i t a -ble that a Javanese c o l o n i a l empire would be established i n place of that o f the Dutch over our fa ther land, Acheh Sumatra. B u t , c o l o n i a l -ism, e i ther by white, Dutch, Europeans, or by brown, Javanese Asians i s not acceptable to the people of Acheh Sumatra.

"This i l l e g a l transfer of sovereignty over our fatherland by the o l d , Dutch c o l o n i a l i s t s to the new, Java­nese c o l o n i a l i s t s , was done i n the most appa l l ing p o l i t i c a l fraud of the century: the Dutch c o l o n i a l i s t was supposed to have turned over the sovereignty over our fatherland to a "new nation" c a l l e d "Indo­nes ia" . But "Indonesia" was a fraud:a cloak to cover up Javanese co-l o n i a l i s m . Since the world begun,there never was a people, much less a n a t i o n , i n our par t of the world by that name.No such people e x i s t -ed i n the Malay Archipelago by d e f i n i t i o n s of ethnology, p h i l o l o g y , c u l t u r a l anthropology.sociology,or by any other s c i e n t i f i c f ind ings . "Indonesia" i s merely a new l a b e l , i n a t o t a l l y foreign nomenclature which has nothing to do with our own h i s t o r y , language, cu l tu re , or i n t e re s t s ; i t was a new l abe l considered useful by the Dutch to re place the despicable "Dutch East Indies" i n an attempt to unite the administrat ion of the i r i l l - g o t t e n fa r - f lung co lon ies ; and the Java­nese neo-co lon ia l i s t s knew of i t s usefulness to gain fraudulent r e -cogni t ion from the unsuspecting world,ignorant of the h i s to ry of the Malay Archipelago. I f Dutch co lon ia l i sm was wrong, then Javanese co-l o n i a l i s m which was squarely based on i t cannot be r i g h t . The most fundamental p r i n c i p l e of Internat ional Law states: Ex injuria jue non oriticr. Right cannot or ig ina te from wrong!

"The Javanese, nevertheless, are attemp-t i n g to perpetuate co lon ia l i sm which a l l the Western c o l o n i a l powers had abandoned and a l l the world had condemned. During these l a s t t h i r t y years the people of Acheh, Sumatra, have witnessed how our fatherland has been exploi ted and dr iven in to ruinous condit ions by the Javanese n e o - c o l o n i a l i s t s : they have s to len our proper t ies ; they have robbed us from our l i v e l i h o o d ; they have abused the education of our c h i l d r e n ; they have ex i l ed our leaders; they have put our peo­p le i n chains of tyranny, poverty, and neglect : the l i f e expectancy of our people i s 34 years and i s decreasing - compare t h i s to the wor ld ' s Standard of 70 years and i s increas ing! While Acheh, Sumatra has been producing a revenue of over 15 b i l l i o n US d o l l a r s year ly for the Javanese neo-co lon ia l i s t s > which they used t o t a l l y for the benefi t of Java and the Javanese.

"We, the people of Acheh, Sumatra, would have no quarre l wi th the Javanese i f they had stayed i n the i r own country, and i f they had not t r i e d to lo rd i t over us. From now on we intend to be the masters i n our own house: the only way l i f e i s worth l i v i n g ; to make our own laws: as we see f i t ; to become the gu-arantor of our own freedom and independence: for which we are capa-b l e ; to become equal with a l l the peoples of the world: as our fore-father s had always been. In short , to become sovereign i n our own fatherland!

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"Our cause i s j u s t ! Our land i s endowed by the Almighty with plenty and bounty. We covet no foreign t e r r i t o -ry. We intend to be a worthy contributor to human welfare the world over. We expect recognition from decent members of the commuriity of nations. We extend the hands of friendship to a l l peoples and to a l l governments from the four corners of the earth.

"In the name of the sovereign people of Acheh, Sumatra.

Tengku Hasan Muhammad d i Tiro Chairman, National Liberation Front of Acheh Sumatra and Head of State

Acheh, Sumatra, December 4, 1976."

Also the formation of the f i r s t Achehnese Cabinet since 1911 was announced, although the swearing-in ceremony of the Ministers had to be postponed u n t i l sometime la t e r when a l l the Ministers can come together to Tiro.

Another reason for the Declaration of Independence, although we have not commenced the armed phase of the struggle, i s to emphasize the p o l i t i c a l and i d e o l o g i c a l nature of our struggle. To give autho-r i t a t i v e guidance and d i r e c t i o n to the people i n the most dramatic and cohesive version, something very r e a l that they can hold on to. This i s the best way to recreate Achehnese group - consciousness and p o l i t i c a l h i s t o r i c a l awareness for a people with a unique past such as ours. When a people l o s t t h e i r group consciousness and forgot t h e i r history, they can no longer exercise t h e i r r i g h t of Selfdeter-mination. That was what happened to the Achehnese generation of 1945. Therefore, we had l o s t the opportunity to regain the independence that was r i g h t l y ours. After t h i s Declaration of Independence that w i l l never happen again!

Successful armed struggle can only be waged by a people who are p o l i t i c a l l y conscious and p o l i t i c a l l y organized and mobilized. Our Declaration of Independence i s an instrument to achieve t h a t ; i t i s a preparatory step to a successful armed struggle.A Declaration of In­dependence i s not to s i g n i f y the end of the struggle. I t i s instead to serve notice of i t s commencement. When our people have properly grasped the meaning and purposes of our Declaration of Independence, then no Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t regime can prevent them from gaining that independence.

Another reason for issuing of our Declaration of Independence im-mediately as we did i s to combat s i n i s t e r Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t propa ganda abroad to l a b e l us as " t e r r o r i s t s " and "fanatics". We can now say with great s a t i s f a c t i o n that we have achieved our objectives i n -t e r n a l l y as well as i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y with our Declaration of Indepen­dence of Acheh Sumatra. No one i n the world believed that we are " t e r r o r i s t s " or "fanatics" as the Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t s t r i e d hard to propagate. Our messages to the world had come loud and c l e a r : the whole world has already known about the National Liberation Front of

Acheh Sumatra and about the State of Acheh Sumatra. With the mini of means and within a r e l a t i v e l y short time,we have established c selves as one of the best known national l i b e r a t i o n movements i n world today. Our enemies and t h e i r agents c e r t a i n l y w i l l t r y to l i t t l e us, but since when do we care what these thieves of our cc t r y and t h e i r accomplices are saying?

We cannot have moral, p o l i t i c a l and m i l i t a r y supports before legitimatized our struggle f i r s t p o l i t i c a l l y as a national l i b e t i o n movement. No party i n the world w i l l help a t e r r o r i s t group, a separatist movement.That i s why the Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t regime t r y i n g to l a b e l us as " t e r r o r i s t s " and "separatists" so that we c not get any help from the outside world. But anyone who i s not i l terate can see from our case histo r y that we are not separatists a people whose r i g h t to independence has been swindle by the Ja nese Indonesian regime. But the world w i l l help the legitimate na onal l i b e r a t i o n movement and the legitimate independence movem such as ours. That i s why we had followed through the p o l i c y we d although many of our own people were confused a t the beginning be re they quite understand our strategy.

(DECEMBER 5, 1976)

The moment I moved my headquarters to the Tiro Region, the po: t i c a l a c t i v i t i e s increased r a p i d l y to a dizzying s p e l l . Emissar: arrived from a l l regions of Acheh Sumatra, days and nights,even f] outside Sumatra such as from the Celebes, and from Jakarta - tl despicable place.By the same token enemy i n t e l l i g e n c e a c t i v i t i e s 1 came focused on us also.Enemy atterapts to i n f i l t r a t e our ranks bei to be made i n earnest.By now a l l the people i n Tiro Region knew tl I was back, i n the mountains somewhere, and they are 100 percent ] side me with whatever they have. A l l the people i n the Tiro Regi< men and women, became adherents of the NLFAS - by what sociologi: might refer to as membership by i d e n t i f i c a t i o n , t h a t i s by th e i r c< plete I d e n t i f i c a t i o n with me and my family. This process of iden f i c a t i o n by the people with the movement i s applicable to the res-Acheh. I know by then that the idea of independence of Acheh Suma' has been e n t h u s i a s t i c a l l y accepted by the people, and that they < now w i l l i n g to f i g h t for i t - something that was not on anyone mind,and not thinkable, only two months ago.Now the whole country s t i r r e d up by the idea and increasingly openly. Achehnese f l a g tl has not been seen during these l a s t 50 years began to be raised < over the country, even on the flagpole of the Javanese army of occ pation i n Kuta Radja.

Today a brand new p r i n t i n g machine was brought i n from Medan our Tjokkan H i l l headquarters that augurs well for our p u b l i c i t y i t i v i t i e s . The machine w i l l produce pamphlets, booklets, dir e c t i v t and poetry, a l l i n Achehnese language, for free d i s t r i b u t i o n for 1 people a l l over the country. This operation w i l l be so successJ that the Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t s think that our publications come f i foreign countries because our Standard i s much higher than the Ine nesian Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t s ' own publications i n Acheh. Our supj of papers come from the enemy's own o f f i c e s throughout Acheh Sumal

(DECEMBER 6, 1976)

Today I received the v i s i t of Tengku Sjamaun (55) the Governor of Teumieng province in East Acheh. He had already been in contact with Dr Muchtar Hasbi, Vice Chairroan of the NLFAS. Tengku Sjamaun i s our strongman in East Acheh. A man of strong conviction, courteous but firm. He had organized the NLFAS single-handedly in the Eastern regions. He had helped the escape of a group of young Achehnese doc­tors and engineers from Medan to the liberated territory, among them Dr. Muchtar Hasbi, M.D., Dr. Husaini M. Hasan, M.D., Dr. Zubir Mah-mud, M.D., Dr. Zaini Abdullah, M.D.. Dr. Teuku Asnawi A l i , Mr. Amir Ishak, and others. These young men are going to play important role i n the struggle later on. (Soon after he returned to his province however, Tengku Sjamaun was murdered by the Javanese Indonesian troops at his home, without any legal process whatsoever, shot dead i n front of his wife. I received the news with profound sadness.From that moment on I know that the Javanese colonialists have inaugurat-ed the policy to murder every member of the NLFAS like they had mas-sacred millions of innocent farmers and workers a decade ago. This i s significant because up to that moment we have not entered into an armed struggle. Tengku Sjamaun was not even armed. But when the Java nese Indonesian colonialists came to his home to shoot him, he of-fered a courageous symbolic resistance with a sword that was hanged to decorate the wall of his verandah. He faced his death bravely . From that day on I knew that our struggle w i l l be with a merciless enemy.)

(DECEMBER 7, 1976)

The next a r r i v a l was Mr. A. Daud (50) a prominent leader from the Pasè province, the gas producing province of Acheh Sumatra, one of the world's greatest gas f i e l d . He was an experienced p o l i t i c a l organizer with tremendous drive and energy, and with military expe-rience, acquired during the guerilla campaign against the Dutch in 1945 péricd - while helping the Javanese - and later against thé Ja­vanese i n the 1950s when the Javanese assumed the "white man's bur-den". For that reason I have decided to make him the military com-mandêr of Eastern province of Teumieng and Peureulak. Also with him came Uzair Djailani (30), a relative of Dr. Muchtar Hasbi. Uzair re-signed his post at Financial Department of Pertamina, the Javanese regime"s o i l company, to join the NLFAS.Again.please .note that those who joined the liberation struggle are NOT because theyhave no jobs!

By now there are so much going and coming at my headquarters in Tjokkan H i l l . There are so many things that I have to do, a l l at the same time, and there was never enough time for doing everything. The most time-consuming a c t i v i t i e s are receiving emissaries now coming from a l l over the country and talking to them,enlighten them about the aims of our movement and why we have to do i t . Essentially this i s an educational and a missionary movement to re-educate my people about themselves, their history, their culture, their economy, their past and their proper future. And to make them aware in what process of dissolution and colonization they have been subjected to by the Javanese Indonesian colonialists-And after that to relate our strug-

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gle to the world-vd.de movement for independence,to the available i n ­ternational procedures to make ourselves free again,to relate to the world movement for self-determination, and to the modern Law of Na­tion s which sanctioned the right of self-determination for a l l peo-ples. Thus to take the Achehnese out of his isolation.

In a sense, the a c t i v i t i e s of the NLFAS at t h i s stage are purely educational, and we have to go to the forests for protection from Javanese lynching, i n order to be able to give proper Achehnese edu-cation to our people with a view to our survival as a national, po­l i t i c a l and cultural entity. Theoretically a l l these rights are gua-ranteed under the Charter of the United Nations, under the Charter of the UNESCO, under the Charter of the Human Rights Convention, un­der the Charter of the Rights of the Peoples. But the Javanese Indo­nesian colonialists have violated each one of these rights to the minutest details: they are treating us as a proscribed group of human beings, without right to our homeland,without right to use our own language, without right to govern ourselves,ney without right to c a l l ourselves with our own names. For the last 35 years they have used the schools and the mass media to destroy every aspect of our culture, nationality, polity and historie consciousness. It i s a mi-racle that our people has not died. I have to come back from America to l i v e in the forests i f I wanted to give proper education to my people and to my children. And this happens at the end of this 20th centuryl What else could I do? To go back to the c i t y , like everybo-dy and then speaks the truth? I would havebeen arrested on the f i r s t day of my a r r i v a l . Even when ï went to live in the forests like now, they wanted me dead! What I have done i s the only thing l e f t that I can do,if I do not vant to capitulate to the invaders of my country. What I have done i s the only thing l e f t to do i f I wanted to redeem the past and to j u s t i f y the future of my people. And at what perso-nal sacrifice and tears and blood that had cost me to do th i s . And yet I can never justify my l i f e i f I did not do t h i s patriotic duty. Now I can die with clear conscience when my time to die comes, when-ever i t pleases my God. I have passed the torch safely to the new A-chehnese generation who w i l l carry on the work that I have started to an inevitable victory, for I am convinced more than ever before that my people have the capacity to do so. We have not been born to be. an--body's slaves. I t i s foolhardy for the Javanese to think that they can colonize us Achehnese! Never, never, never! They have got-ten at the present situation purely due to a set of externally i n -duced circumstances at the end of World War II, circumstances that w i l l not be maintainable i n the future!

(DECEMBER 8, 1976)

By now our daily lives i n the camp have become rigorously regula-ted and following definitive patterns:

5 A. M. Everyone i s up, awakens by the Azan -the Muslims'call to prayer - which i s also a ca11-to-victory - chanted by the most melodious voice in the camp.The loudness of the c a l l i s usually a reflection upon our security situation. When our security i s thought to be perfect and no enemies are

21

thought to be around, our Muazzin - the c a l l e r - would give a f u l l play to h i s voice and at such occasions the Azan can be an e n t h r a l l i n g music to the ears of the l i s -teners.By now the Azan i s 1400 years old and has been con s i s t e n t l y the same. I t contains the important a r t i c l e s of the Islamic f a i t h , including acknowledgement of the greatness of God (Allah), of the Prophethood of Muhammad, of the necessary determination to be v i c t o r i o u s : i t l i t e -r a l l y says, "Let us go to prayJ" and "Let us go to v i c t o ­ry! " Both vi c t o r y and martyrdom being by the w i l l of God. The l a s t sentence of the morning Azan says:"To pray i s better than to sleep!" A timely reminder at 5 AM. I t i s i n f i n i t e l y more c i v i l i z e d and melodious than a bark from a sergeant to wake up everybody.

5:15 A.M. Everyone i s already washed, dressed, and standing i n l i n e to pray. The leader i s always the one who should lead the prayer. I t was t h i s early i n the morning that separation of r e l i g i o n and p o l i t i c s , of f a i t h and power i s abolished i n Islam. I f a man i s not f i t to lead i n prayer,he i s not f i t to lead the country and the state. Achehnese w i l l ne­ver follow an Imam i n prayer i f he thought the man i s not f i t . This i s the germ of the people's control about who can be trusted with authority over them. In Acheh no one can achieve leadership without passing t h i s t e s t . This i s a very great measure of the popular control of p o l i t i c a l leadership. In the present case I am the one who stand as the Imam, the leader, by appointment of the people. I have been taught to do t h i s - to stand i n the front - since the mo­ment I learnt how to walk. By the way there was a reminder from the Prophet Muhammad that when you are at war, when one group i s praying, the other group must be watching for the enemy. Then to prayer: the Muslim prayer i s meant to be a f i g h t -ing man's prayer, to strengthen his resolve, to abolish his fear of death, to do what i s r i g h t , to r e l a t e himself to God of the universe ( A l l a h ) , to be brave but merciful to submit himself with absolute t r u s t i n Allah's w i l l and to look forward to the l i f e after death with absolute certamty - a mere move from here to there. The s a l i e n t points of the prayer are to create the cosmic conscious­ness i n the i n d i v i d u a l 's mind, to r e l a t e his l i f e and death to A l l a h ; to give him the sense of purpose and d i ­rec t ion as these words w i l l show: "Allah i s the greatest and to Him I thank i n the morning and i n the evening. "I d i r e c t my face to Him,the creator «f t h i s universe and of t h i s world, i n pure submission to Him, and I do not e-quate Him with anyone else. "That my prayer, my devotion, my l i f e , my death, a l l , be-long to A l l a h who own t h i s universe. He has no partner.

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Thus I was ordered. I belonged among those who have given themselves to Him. "Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Creation, the compassio-nate, the merciful, King of Judgement Day. You alone we worship, and to You alone we pray for help. Guide us to the straight path.The path of those whom you have favored not of those who have incurred Your wrath. Nor of those who have gone astray. "O God, we hear You and we obey You. We beseech Your for-giveness, and toward You we are coming." When you have to repeat these strong words with equally strong conviction, i n the most solemn manner and i n such holy r i t u a l s when you have to rinse your mouth before you say the words, to wash your hands, arms, face, ears,head, hairs, and feet, each time before you stand up to pray, that i s your solemn audience with God,and especially when you are depressed, afraid, hopeless and hungry, like when you have to be a guerilla warrior to secure justice, then you w i l l realize that these prayers are your invincible shields, your strongest crutch, and to do i t five times a day, before sun r i s e , afternoon, before sun set,after sun set and i n the evening, i n such thoughtfully well-spaced sequences,permitting you no chance to relapse into s p i r i ­tual oblivion, providing you a constant reminder of who you are, where is your place i n the universal scheme of things, where are you going, why, what you have to do, then, only then, you begin to understand the meaning of Islam - l i t e r a l l y giving yourself to God - as a religion that i s capable of giving the w i l l power and to sustain that w i l l power for those in need of i t to defend their rights. The Islamic prayers must have been designed to f u i f i l the need of a warrior to keep the morale of his followers from flopping. Was not the Prophet Muhammad was forced to be a warrior, in self-defence, during the early period of Islam? "For the highest images in every r e l i g i ­on there i s an analogue i n a state of the soul. The God of Muhammad - the solitude of the desert,the distant roar of a lion, the vision of a terrible fighter."This i s then the highest image of the state of the soul of a Muslim. If he i s real . I am satisfied with this aphorism of Nietzsche. As we became so s p i r i t u a l l y strong and unbeatable by them the colonialists coined another name for us: "fanatics". The Achehnese have been branded that for so long, almost became a second name,for daring to oppose Dutch colonial­ism which presumably opposed only by "fanatics"and not by any reasonable people. Even I was called a "fanatic" re-cently by the Far Eastern Economie Review, i n i t s efforts to discredit our just struggle for independence. That ma­gazine i s the mouthpiece of the Western imperialist inte­res ts i n East Asia. I t so happened that a Christian i n -

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s t i t u t i o n , the üniversity of Plano, i n America,had honor-ed me w i t h a Doctor of Laws degree i n 1975, w i t h the f o l -lowing c i t a t i o n t h a t I was proud t o r e c e i v e : " F o r h i s long and dedicated devotion t o the cause o f l i b e r t y i n A-s i a ; f o r h i s s u c c e s s f u l e f f o r t s i n i n t e r n a t i o n a l economie a f f a i r s t h a t have bound men together; f o r h i s exemplary l e a d e r s h i p i n the Moslem World; and f o r h i s ecumenical e f f o r t s i n b a n i s h i n g r e l i g i o u s b a r r i e r s t h a t have caused antagonisms among men." I s t h i s a d e s c r i p t i o n of a "fana-t i c " ? Or one becomes a " f a n a t i c " when one i s seen t o op-pose c o l o n i a l i s m ?

5:30 A.M. A f t e r morning prayer we have a quick b r e a k f a s t , u s u a l l y everyone r e c e i v e d a p l a t e o f b o i l e d or f r i e d r i c e , w i t h meat and vegetables,and a cup of c o f f e e . A l l e a t the same t h i n g , prepared from one comnunity k i t c h e n . The k i t c h e n s t a f f s are the ones who had t o work the hardest. They had t o get up much e a r l i e r than everybody e l s e , between 3 and 4 AM.What food a v a i l a b l e depends on many elements: on the a v a i l a b i l i t y of supply; on enemy a c t i v i t i e s ; o n our t r a n s -p o r t a t i o n c a p a b i l i t i e s ; on the remoteness of the camp from the c o u n t r y s i d e . There are times when we had nothing t o eat l i k e when we run out of supply or d u r i n g emergen-c i e s . But p r e s e n t l y we have not reached any c r i s i s p o i n t about food supply.

6 A.M. By 6 AM e v e r y t h i n g i s packed and ready f o r any e v e n t u a l i -t y i n c l u d i n g f o r moving out, i f necessary. E v e r y t h i n g i s organlzed f o r m o b i l i t y and constant preparedness. Around the main camp there are guard posts a t s t r a t e g i e p o i n t s on a l l four d i r e c t i o n s o f the compass.

7 A.M. By t h i s time I have r e c e i v e d the s e c u r i t y r e p o r t s from a l l guard posts whether the day i s secured or not. I f no danger, then o f f i c e s are opened.Typewriters are taken from cases, p r i n t i n g shop opened, and normal o f f i c e a c t i ­v i t i e s begin. L e t t e r s , o r d e r s , c i r c u l a r s , pamphlets are being w r i t t e n , typed, and dispatched f o r d e s t i n a t i o n a l l over the country.

9 A.M. The c o u r i r s b egin l e a v i n g t o a l l p o i n t s i n the country. A l s o those who have t o go t o pi e k up s u p p l i e s begin l e a v ­i n g . Saying goodbye t o a l l those who depart has become a r i t u a l . U s u a l l y the men, l e d by the group leader would proceed t o my "residence" t o k i s s or shake my hand, what-ever t h e i r h a b i t s . A f t e r t h a t I resumé my paper works.

10 A.M. A t about t h i s time I r e c e i v e the important v i s i t o r s and em i s s a r i e s and t a l k t o them, formulate s t r a t e g i e s f o r d i f f e r e n t r e gions and f o r d i f f e r e n t c o n s t i t u e n c i e s . L o n g d i s -t a n t v i s i t o r s would u s u a l l y stay f o r a few days w i t h me.

1 P.M. Afternoon prayer. T h i s ceremonial p r a y i n g - Audience w i t h God, as i t were - provides a n i c e break t o long s i t -t i n g and always a welcome d i v e r s i o n . I t i s I who always

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stand i n the front as the Imam. It i s a point of great e t i ­quette i n Acheh that the most important one presents i s the one who should get the honor to be the leader ofthe prayer. This i s de vigeuev i n Acheh. Everybody w i l l most certainly refuse to stand up front i f I were present. I resented and agonized over this situation very much when I was a boy. Especially on Fridays. I would find a l l sorts of excuses not to go to the mosque on Fridays because I would have to deliver the formal speech. If I went to a mosque no one else would want to do i t i f I were present,and no amount of my encouragement would make anyone take the honor from me . And what has a boy of 14 or 15 so much to say to a l l grey eminences present? What an agony. But I survived a l l that boyhood, and I must say the experience did me well. I t made my mind alert and my tongue exercised. As a minimum - i n order not to sound stupid - I had trained myself to be able to say something gracefully on a l l occasions, when a l l my hope for the best, that i s to be able to dodge the occasion failed me. Now that I have something to say, and my people are eager to give their ears to me - I feel very lucky. A l l my training - or rather a l l that had happened to me i n my early l i f e seems to have some purpose.

1:30 P.M. Afternoon meal. I usually take i t together with staffs and guests. Afternoon meals are more sumptuous than breakfasts. By that time new foods had arrived from the country. Women folks made a l l sorts of cakes and special treats for us and they sent them to the mountains.

2 P.M. Works resumed. Usually this time i s reserved for short time vi s i t o r s , people who came for the day and must return to their places on the same day. Usually these are people from Tiro Region or Pidie Province. They had made appointment many days i n advance with my security chief. For security reasons I received them in an advanced post, way below at the foot of Tjokkan Hill,where there i s a large guard post. This means more works for me. I must go down h i l l s at least one hour walkinq time. And I have to climb back up h i l l l a ­ter on for twice that much time because i t i s always hard­er to climb up than to descend down. If the enemy captured any of my v i s i t o r s and would force them to disclose the lo-cation of my headquarters, the enemy cannot take advantage of them. My security chief insists on this procedure a l ­though I have no doubt whatsoever about the loyalty of my people - especially i n the Tiro Region.

5 P.M. Late afternoon or pre-sunset prayer, with the v i s i t o r s . My people like to have the opportunity to stand behind me for praying together with me. The effect on them i s great. It makes my people more emotionally determined to be loyal to one another and to our sacred cause. There is no p o l i t i c a l action without emotional involveraent of the participants. Praying together has the effect to sublimate our religious, p o l i t i c a l and emotional senses for a determined action. My people are touched when they have seen me l i v i n g i n the fo-

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rests. They knew I had to leave my wife and son todo this. Even in Acheh I lived i n what might seem to them great luxury. But here I am li v i n g i n the forests for their sake, for our country 's survival. A l l cried when they saw me, and wept when they kissed my hand to say goodbye. A l l promised to give their lives and everything they have,men and women alike. And so i t i s ! Now I have to climb back to my «residence» for two hours.

6:15 P.M. The sunset prayer. This i s usually longer " " « T ^ J the end of the day and the beginning of the night,and tne people are relaxed after a successful day of works.

7 p.M Usually after the sunset prayer I would fraternize with the people, hear them t e i l t a l l - t a l e s , rumor-mongering. It was at such a time that I discovered hidden talents. There are some very sharp minds among them. There are those who have undergone complete personality change since joining me in the mountains, and have become real leaders of men, i n their own rights. There are those who, only 3 months ago were i l l i t e r a t e s , now have been able to read and write Achehnese poetry and can explain the com-plicated idea of c r i s i s of national identity and how to cure i t , i n the simplest terms that can be better under-stood by the people than my own explanation. Usually this session i s prolonged u n t i l 9 PM when the time for evening prayer arrived. In between refreshments are served.

9 P.M. Evening prayer. After that I would return to my quarters and share some thoughts with fellow leaders.

With the improving security situation we decide to move down h i l l to Alue (Spring) B i l i Camp, on the bank of the Tiro River, to make i t easier to communicate with the countryside and to ease the burden of the log i s t i c and supply people who had a very hard time to carry the supplies to the top of the Tjokkan H i l l , involving scaling the height. At Alue B i l i Camp we can go to swim i n the crystal clear wa­ter of the Tiro River and to catch some f i s h too. Until then Alue B i l i Camp has been used as an advanced post for the Tjokkan H i l l .

It was at Alue B i l i Camp that Dr. Muchtar Hasbi came to v i s i t me i n the forest, for the second time. And this time he brought Dr. Hu-saini Hasan with him, who i s going to stay with me.We made some pho-tographs to commemorate Dr. Muchtar's v i s i t . It turned out to be the only photographs we have of him and me together with some elements of the troops - photographs that later on to become famous because they find their ways to be published i n international newspapers and magazines a l l over the world. L i t t l e did I think of that p o s s i b i l i t y at the time of taking of that photographs.

When he f i r s t arrived from Medan, Dr. Husaini, who i s i n his early 30s, looking very f a i r , healthy and heavy set, w i l l undergo such a change of physical appearance i n the months and years of suffering ahead - that occurred to a l l of us - but only observable at the instance of a colleague. In fact the same thing happens to

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me too - as others observed and told me, - but one never realizes the physical change i n oneself, and there i s hardly a f u l l size mirror available i n the jungle to look at. The only mirror we have i s the one to be found i n the incredibly efficiënt and com­pact miniaturized shaving k i t (made in China) which i s ideal for guerilla use, with measurement of 1.5 inches i n width and 3 inches i n length, i n an unhreakable metal case. I t must have been another remarkable Chinese contribution to guerillas everywhere.

Dr. Husaini i s God-sent to me. I have never met Husaini before, nor did I know anything about him, except what Tengku Hasbi, the f a ­ther of Dr. Muchtar had reported to me. Ee had very high opinion of Husaini, whose wealthy businessman father was shot and k i l l e d by the Javanese soldiers i n a senseless murder during the 1950s Achehnese revolt against Javanese Indonesian occupation. Tengku Hasbi had read a lin e in Husaini's diary that said that his father was un-justly murdered, and that he was resolved "to avenge his father*s death a-gainst his murderers one day." Only strong minds and strong men can think of avenging. Spineless persons would submit even to the murde­rers of their fathers and mothers! Husaini i s a man of few words. He knows when to l i s t e n , and when to speak. His greatest virtue i s his loyalty and constancy - the greatest virtue of a fighting man and of soldiers - as Napoleon, who ought to know, had observed. His surpri-singly un-cluttered mind - an antithesis of mine that is already clogged - can think very straight,unbends by emotions or danger when making d i f f i c u l t choices of national policy.I always have to agonize in reaching what f i n a l l y I considered a correct decision,considering a l l p o s s i b i l i t i e s even obscure alternatives. Usually after I reached my own conclusion - quite laboriously -I would ask Husaini's opinion without t e l l i n g him what I have decided. He would shoot straight as an arrow at the buli's eye with the simplest of reasons, in a few words that are most logical, that I had not thought of, and reached the same conclusion. So Husaini has become my fellow creators.in the real Nietzschean terms.He joined the NLF after he read my book Acheh in World History. He l e f t his young wife and three beautiful l i t t l e children to join me i n the forest. He i s among few men around me i n the forests who can appreciate my own agony and heartbreak that I had gone through to f u l f i l this historie destiny. The others are Dr. Muchtar Hasbi, Dr. Zubir Mahmud, and Dr. Zaini Abdullah,all had l e f t their young wives and l i t t l e children behind, in answering their pa­t r i o t i c duties.

(This kind of heroic gesture i s entirely beyond the understanding and comprehension of "Indonesians" - Javanese subjects - such as one Rosihan Anwar (a Minangkabau?)who wrote in Singapore's Straits Times (July 29, 1978):"The l i s t of the names of Hasan Tiro's aides makes curious reading because there are four medical doctors and one engi-neer among them."("Acheh Rebels Keep on Fighting a Hopeless Cause"). For us, Achehnese, this i s a re-affirmation of our character, a wit-ness to our blood, to the difference between us and the rest of them as witness by the difference of our history and theirs! They are wi l l i n g to l i v e as Javanese subjects and even invented excuses to j u s t i f y Javanese slavery over themselves. Many apologists of the so-called "Indonesian nation" came from Minangkabau We Achehnese can never live as anybody's subjects. We want to live as free men or not to l i v e at a l l . )

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(DECEMBER 21, 1976)

Vïhile on the su b j e c t of l e a d e r s h i p of the NLF, I would l i k e to say something about my F i r s t Deputy, Dr. Muchtar Hasbi (32). He i s a s p e c i a l i s t i n t r o p i c a l d i s e a s e s who had j u s t r e c e i v e d h i s new diploma from the hands of King Bumiphol Adulyadej of Thailand i n Bangkok, the King being the r e c t o r of the u n i v e r s i t y h e a r i n g h i s name. Dr. Muchtar i s t o sta y i n h i s own r e g i o n , the Pasè Province of Acheh Sumatra. Muchtar Hasbi has an extremely dynamic p e r s o n a l i t y . d e s t i n e d t o be the leader of men, no matter where he i s . I d i d not have an i n t i m a t e per-sonal r e l a t i o n s h i p with Muchtar, he being i n Medan,Sumatra, and I was being i n New York a l l these years. But I knew h i s f a t h e r , Tengku Has­b i , a very e n e r g e t i c Achehnese p o l i t i c a l p e r s o n a l i t y who had long urged me t o come home t o lead my people. So Muchtar grew up i n the same p o l i t i c a l m i l i e u as I grew up. We shared the same a s p i r a t i o n s and the same consciousness. Acheh i s us. We shared absolute contempt f o r the Javanese or anyone e l s e who dared c l a i m t o r u l e us, t o be the "government" over us. So f o r Muchtar and I there i s no need t o speak too much, and no need to be together. In our whole l i f e we have not been together more than a few days, but he i s my s p i r i t u a l brother -and there are m i l l i o n s of Achehnese who do f e e l t h i s way. We know who amongst us should command, and who should obey. L o y a l t y i s given and taken f o r granted. Our long h i s t o r y has made us t h i s way. T h i s i s the guarantee of freedom of Acheh i n the days t o come. T h i s i s why the Ja vanese or anyone e l s e cannot c o l o n i z e us.

(DECEMBER 22, 1976)

Another a d d i t i o n t o the l e a d e r s h i p of the NLF i s my own c o u s i n , Dr. Z a i n i Abdullah (31). He has been the head of a b i g h o s p i t a l i n the c i t y of Kuala Simpang, a middle s i z e c i t y by our Standard. He had l e f t Medan f o r the mountains the same day w i t h Dr. H u s a i n i . When I l e f t Acheh t o go t o the US i n 1950 to continue my study, Z a i n i was s t i l l a l i t t l e boy. So he has grown up without my knowing him i n t i -mately. But, l i k e a l l members of my f a m i l y , f a m i l y l o y a l t y i s some­t h i n g taken and given f o r granted, no matter what happens. On the coat-of-arms of my f a m i l y i t was c h i s e l e d "Together i n l i f e and i n death". And so i t was f o r hundreds of years, from generations t o ge­n e r a t i o n s . Being my c o u s i n , Achehnese mores and e t i q u e t t e r e q u i r e ex­treme f i l i a l deference from h i s side toward me so t h a t I cannot ex-change views with him as f r e e as w i t h non-family members,like H u s a i n i . Family members are bound t o do and d i e and not t o q u e s t i o n why -so to speak. But I know my c o u s i n Z a i n i has a v e r y s o l i d breeding l i k e a l l my f a m i l y members. He i s a tower of s t r e n g t h f o r me p e r s o n a l l y and f o r the NLF. His most e f f e c t i v e r o l e has been t o be my r e p r e s e n t a t i v e to go t o pl a c e s to a f f e c t my presence. As the s t r u g g l e u n f o l d and c r i s e s m u l t i p l y I was even p l e a s a n t l y s u r p r i s e d t o f i n d out t h a t Z a i ­n i i s much stronger than I had thought he was. He was going to prove t h a t he i s the leader of men i n h i s own r i g h t .

(DECEMBER 23, 1976)

Another i n d i s p e n s a b l e man i s the NLF Army Commander, Muhammad Da-

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ud Husin (45) better known as Daud Paneuk (Short) because of his short stature. But as we know the man's greatness i s not deter­mined by his stature but by his head and heart. A l l great military leaders i n history, from Alexander the Great to Ceasar and Napo­leon were men of short and small physical stature that had inspired the saying " a l l good things come i n small packages". M. Daud Husin (someone nicknamed him "Mr. David Short")is a military and p o l i t i c a l genius. Before the beginning of our Revolution for the independence of Acheh Sumatra, M. Daud Husin was a shrimp merchant from the fishing village of Pasi Lhok in the Province of Pidie of Acheh. But even then he had shown di s t i n c t quality for leadership. He was the leader of his village community of about 5000 inhabitants and under his leadership they had successfully staged a protest demon-stration against the local Javanese government's corrupt o f f i c i a l s that resulted i n the men's dismissals and the recovery of millions of rupiah - the Javanese currency - corrupted by these men.

A man of exceptional strength of w i l l and nerves, and a b i l i t y to grasp complex propositions, M. Daud Husin has made himself i n bare three months an expert i n p o l i t i c a l theory of national liberations , of International Law, of Achehnese history,of military strategy, and on the basis of his experience as a guerilla commander during the 1950s revolts against Javanese Indonesia, he has perfected his own guerilla tactics suitable to Achehnese terrain. The last few months of revolutionary struggles has changed his personality and demeanor to be a new military commander, respected and obeyed and loved by a l l his men. Because he came from among the rank and f i l e of the people, he i s intimately familiar with their particular process of thinking. Because of this knowledge, he i s able to explain to them the complex theory of liberation struggle i n the simplest language that can be understood by the people that brought the Javanese colo­n i a l i s t house of cards down tumbling. He is now regarded by the peo­ple of Acheh with such respect and owe that he is already a legend in his own time. Indeed Revolutions bring forth such men.

Once I received reports of the b r i l l i a n t performance of my Army Commander as a p o l i t i c a l speaker, I contrived to be able to hear him myself. Since i t was d i f f i c u l t to make him speak freely i f he knew my presence, I contrived to arrivé unexpectedly at one of his r a l l i e s . I had always thought that I was the best speaker on such subject. After a l l that was my mission to have come back to Acheh and to have stirred up the whole country. But after I heard him speaks on the subject.I must admit that he can explain better to the people what the people wanted to know. And he knows direct ways to assuage their fears and their doubts since he knows their minds as his own used to be. With that I also know that the idea of indepen­dence of Acheh that I had brought back to my country has been safely replanted on the indigenous s o i l that can no longer be uprooted by the murderous Javanese hordes.

(JANUARY 15, 1977)

On this day we found evidence that the enemy had begun to send pa trols along the Tiro River to probe our defence. Our guards had observed them passing through with quick steps, almost running, ob-

29

viously fearing being fired at. We l e t them passed through unmolest-ed because we s t i l l stick to our plan: we are s t i l l i n p o l i t i c a l e-ducational phase of the struggle and we are not yet ready for armed struggle. Therefore a decision i s taken to move from Alue B i l i Camp to Alue Pineung, i n the heart of Mamprèe mountain range to the East of the Tiro Region. Preparation i s immediately made for such a move.

(JANUARY 17, 1977)

Today we move to Alue Pineung. Thus we remove ourselves from the Tiro River area which has now become the target of enemy s search and destroy" operations. When such a move i s made, we meant to con-found the enemy that he should totally lost contact with us and that he should not have any inkling as to where we are. So no tracé was l e f t after such a move. If as few as five persons walked on the same path on the virgin forest ground,that would leave traces right there for days unless there are rains falüng to erase them.Therefore when we march out, small groups are formed to move out to different d i -rections and to meet later at some distance along the way, So i f the enemy happened to discover our abandoned camp, he w i l l not be able to t e i l to what direction we had moved out.

We arrived at Alue Pineung about 5 PM. Mamprèe mountain i s an i -deal territory for guerilla hide-outs. The high and steep mountain ranges are criss-crossed by countless small winding springs and r i ­ver s. But Mamprèe i s also notorious with i t s mosquitoes and malarial nests. The mountain i s also the historie guerilla hideouts when there were wars against invaders i n Acheh. I have a sad memory about this mountain. My oldest sister, Tengku Nyak Adyan.died in Mam prêe during the Achehnese resistance against Javanese in 1950s, when my late brother, Tengku Zainul Abidin, retreated t© Mamprèe with the family members and stayed here for several years. My sister was here with my brother and other members of my family. Also my late mother was here. But I do have the reraains of my ancestors scattered on e-very mountain top and every valley a l l over Acheh as a consequent of wars with invaders. How we have died, and s t i l l dying, and why. When w i l l colonialism, in a l l colors and manifestations, be eradicated?

(JANUARY 20, 1977)

The Alue Pineung Camp i s very memorable because we accomplished many things here. And the surrounding i s very pleasant.In fact i t i s not far from the countryside, only about 4 hours walking distance from the D i s t r i c t of Truséb,and less to the D i s t r i c t of Blang Manê. From the Northern promontory of the camp you can see the town of T i ­ro, the town of Beureunuen, and on clear day,the Straits of Malacca. The forest i s very thick, and the trees are very t a l l . Every morning we would be awakened by the marvelous singing of chorus of birds of a l l descriptions - a veritable orchestra of birds. But because the trees are very t a l l , i t i s very dangerous there when the winds are blowing hard.We have to build the roofs ofthe camp with extra-strong beams to withstand possible f a l l i n g branches that happened occasion­a l ly.

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When we axe at Alue Pineung, the permanent population of the camp has reached about 60.That was too many for our strategy. First,those who need to stay i n the mountain with me should be only the leader­ship elements who can no longer stay i n the countryside, for fear of being arrested by the enemy. As a matter of p o l i c y our masses should remain where they are, i n th e i r homes. Because we are not yet f i g h t ­ing but organizing support on mass bases and mobilizing the masses in the countryside, building s o l i d a r i t y groups with the undergrounds i n i n the v i l l a g e s and c i t i e s . But too many people made a l l sorts of excuses - often false ones - to be permitted to stay with me i n the mountain. When you have that many people to feed i n the f o r e s t , you have to send more people back and for t h to the countryside to take supplies. They ine v i t a b l y leave footprints everywhere. The enemy who monitors who buys what i n the v i l l a g e shops soon discovers there are peoplewho buy too many cigarettes, too much sugar.rice, etc., beyond the need of t h e i r f a m i l i e s . Soon the enemy"s in t e l l i g e n c e agents would follow them to t h e i r v i l l a g e s . With the v i l l a g e i d e n t i f i e d , then the possible path from that v i l l a g e to the forest s . Then the e-nemy begins to search the footprints leading to the forests u n t i l he finds out to where i t a l l leads to. And we w i l l be lucky i f we ma-naged to move out i n advance. Therefore, our security depends t o t a l ­l y on our i n t e l l i g e n c e : for when the enemy comes, he comes i n bat-t a l l i o n strength that i s impossible to r e s i s t because we are s t i l l not yet prepare to do so. We s t i l l need time to prepare for the arm­ed struggle, but the enemy would l i k e to jump the guns on us because because he i s better prepared m i l i t a r i l y . In fa c t he has no other e f f e c t i v e means to deal with us except by h i s guns. He can only res­ponse with m i l i t a r y means. He is already bankrupt politically.

(JANUARY 21, 1977) During t h i s period we observed the enemy begins increasingly to

use his spotter planes to observe our a c t i v i t i e s from the a i r . Be­cause of the thickness of the foliage we are sure that the enemy"s endeavor i s a t o t a l f a i l u r e . Soon we receive reports that the enemy has issued orders that no one i s allowed to go to the mountain any-more. Anyone v i o l a t i n g the ban w i l l be shot on the spot. An area a-bout three miles wide and 200 miles long, running from East-West d i -rect i o n , beginning from Bireuen i n the East to Padang T i d j i i n the West, that i s the area between the mountain ranges and the country­side i s being marked out with red-and-white painted planks which suppose to delineate the area to the Indonesian a i r force planes for the purpose of bombing the entire length of i t with napalm, to erect the w a l l of f i r e between the v i l l a g e s and the mountains, that i s be­tween the people and us.

(JANUARY 22, 1977) Today I was happy to receive two most important leaders of the

mountain d i s t r i c t of Geumpang, Geutjhik Pakèh and Commandant Rashid. Both of them came to make their oath of allegiance to the NLF and to receive orders to carry out i n t h e i r d i s t r i c t . I appointed Geutjhik Pakèh as the Head of the D i s t r i c t of Geumpang of the State of Acheh

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Sumatra and Commandant Rashid as the D i s t r i c t M i l i t a r y Commander. I told both of them that i n the future I w i l l keep Commandant Rashid to stay with me to command a special force. He i s the man who knows eve­ry hook and nook of the mountains of Central Acheh. He used to be a tiger hunter after being a legendary m i l i t a r y commander for the Acheh nese forces i n the resistance against Javanese Indonesia i n the 1950s where he got the name of "Commandant" that sticked with him.

The grandfathers of both men f e i l together with my grandfather i n the b a t t l e f i e l d against the Dutch during the l a s t stand i n the Dis­t r i c t of Geumpang. My mother was born i n Geumpang too, and many of my ancestors were buried there, including a brother of my grandfather, a former Head of Achehnese State. As a boy, I was taken to v i s i t these graves every year. For us "the struggle continues" i s not a slogan but a matter of f a c t !

(JANUARY 23, 1977)

Today I received reports that Javanese Indonesian troops had oc-cupied the entire D i s t r i c t of Truséb and had arrested many men and especially many women because they were accused of baking cakes and pastries for "the rebels". The Javanese went to inspect kitchens i n every household and they found many womenfolks were baking so much cakes and pastries that the Javanese suspected to be sent to the fo­rests. The c o l o n i a l i s t troops confiscated a l l the r i c e , sugar, f l o u r , s a l t , coffee, meat, f i s h , cigarettes, etc., and took these to the i r post, leaving i n each house only for one day supply of food,and f o r c -ed everyone to piek up back only for one day supply of food from the c o l o n i a l i s t army post because the enemy suspected the food w i l l be sent to the mountains for us. The Javanese have seriously embarked on the t a c t i c s to starve us. The people are not permitted to go out to the forest day or night, even for the purpose of garnering the f i r e woods for their cooking needs. Every house must keep the lamp burn,ing a l l night at the front door, so that anyone coming i n at night can be seen by the Javanese occupation troops. Soon t h i s method i s extended to the entire land of Acheh i n an attempt to starve the a c t i v i s t s of the National Liberation Front.

(JANUARY 24, 1977)

In a g u e r i l l a movement as we are conducting i n Acheh Sumatra now food comes f i r s t as the most important i t e m . l t i s more important than guns. Also food i s i n the hands of the people, and can never be taken by force, especially when the invaders are occupying the entire v i l ­lages, then the attitude of the people towards the g u e r i l l a s becomes even more important. In f a c t , i n the condition now obtained i n Acheh, a m i l i t a r i l y weak g u e r i l l a s would have starved r i g h t away without the strong s o l i d a r i t y of the people. That we have not starved i s s u f f i -c i e n t l y demonstrated r i g h t now because the people support the NLF.

Even i n the above condition, the people s t i l l f i n d ways and means to send us food. In f a c t , food never stopped coming from the country­side under any conditions.

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When we picked up a place to move i n , the consideration i s always to have several alternatives for food supply. In case of Mamprèe, we moved there because we knew that i f we couldnot take food from Truséb, there w i l l be other places a v a i l a b l e .

(JANUARY 25, 1977)

From Alue Pineung Camp we managed to publish several editions of important books and pamphlets e s p e c i a l l y the One Hundred Years Anni-versary of the Battle of Bandar Aaheh. This book i s very important i n r e v i v i n g Achehnese pride and awareness of h i s great and heroic past, that every l i v i n g Achehnese must be s t i r r e d and awakened by i t , I t was published i n English, Malay, and Acjhehnese editions. I t was f i r s t published as a speech by me i n New York, i n 1973. The Battle of Bandar Acheh was a milestone, the watershed of current Achehnese h i s ­tory, the beginning of the present turmoil, I t was already 104 years without ever stopping, and I do not know when i t w i l l stop, Other peoples with less glorieus past have been liberated already and have gotten back t h e i r independence, But we Achehnese, who managed to de-feat our attackers, the Dutch c o l o n i a l i s t s , i n the Battle of Bandar Acheh, on A p r i l 23, 1873, 104 years ago, are s t i l l l i v i n g under Dutch sponsored Javanese Indonesian colonialism, as i f the Dutch are s t i l l i n f l i c t i n g t h e i r revenge on us for defeating them at the B a t t l e of Bandar Acheh, As i f to complete the symbolism of Dutch f i n a l triumph-through-their-Javanese puppets, the Javanese, i n symbolic show of so-l i d a r i t y with Dutch colonialism, have exhumed from a Jakarta cemetary the remains of General Kohier, the Dutch commanding general at the Battle of Bandar Acheh who was executed by the Achehnese defenders during the Dutch route at that b a t t l e , and brought them back with great pomp and circumstange to be buried with other dead invaders i n the Dutch cemetary at Bandar Acheh - symbolizing Dutch f i n a l v i c t o r y through t h e i r erstwhile Javanese mercenaries. What General Kohier could not achieve i n h i s l i f e t i m e , he has gotten i t posthumously, thanks to the c h i l d r e n of h i s Javanese mercenaries who havé been equ-ipped to carry on the "white man's burden", The poignancy of t h i s Ja­vanese symbolic act to the people of Acheh i s beyond t e l l i n g l The Battle of Bandar Acheh was one of the decisive battles of h i s t o r y . I t was the f i r s t b a t t l e i n East Asia where a European c o l o n i a l i s t force was defeated by the people"s force of t h i s region. I t was 68 years before the Japanese defeated the B r i t i s h i n Singapore, i n 1942; 80 years before the Vietnamese defeated the French i n Dien Bien Phu. The Achehnese v i c t o r y was replete with international recogiiition and admiration. The comments of The Londen Times and The New York Times on the subject are worth the Tabiets of Mount Sinai for us. I f such history cannot revive Achehnese pride and Achehnese patriotism, then nothing can, But the way that v i c t o r y has revived me,and a l l colleag­ues of the NLF, i t must be able to revive the entire Achehnese people too. The Javanese who want to colonize us now have no such his t o r y , I t was the c a l l by the s p i l l e d blood of our ancestors,and the i r scat-tered brains and broken bones that have revived us, that have led us to reeover -our h i s t o r i e personality.

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(JANUARY 26, 1977)

Today early i n the afternoon I received two un-expected news: f i r s t , a verbal message from an Indonesian police officer who i s s t i l l in active duty but clearly a sympathiser of the NLF and who I do not know personally, to inform me that two Indonesian army intelligence officers had successfully i n f i l t r a t e d the Alue Pineung Camp and they are there now among my men coordinating a planned attack by the Indo­nesian troops which are already poised to move. The message was d e l i -vered with such ingenuity that i t must s t i l l be kept secret for future use. Second, a secret letter from another Indonesian of f i c e r , also a sympathiser, arrived within minutes of the f i r s t message, informing me that the enemy i s f u l l y awared now about the location of the Alue Pi­neung Camp from the reports sent to the Indonesian army headquarters in Kuta Radja by two Indonesian army i n f i l t r a t o r s who had vi s i t e d the camp, disguised as supporters of the NLF. According to this report,the camp i s located on the Eastern bank of Alue Pineung (followed by a diagram of a map which i s so accurate). The Indonesian troops are go­ing to attack within hours and he recommends immediate evacuation of the camp. That i s enough messages for one day to receive.

I immediately c a l l for a meeting of the leaders who are present to decide what action should be taken. We have already had strong suspicion of the two men who said they came from Kuta Radja area to join our movement and bringing a letter of recommendation from a pro­minent leader i n Kuta Radja area. But somehow a persistent suspicion towards them existed because of the wrong things they are saying, the way they were talkina and acting. They were somehow did not f i t in among our people. One of them always insisting on wearing a jacket that was a general issue uniform of the Indonesian army bearing an un-usually large insignia on the back and on the arms.obviously for safe-ty reason, to identify himself to the attacking Indonesian troops, so that they w i l l not shoot at him. He said i t was given to him by his brother in the army and he needed to wear i t because he f e i t too cold i n the mountains a l l the time. They were brought to the camp by Army Commander Daud Husin when he went down to Truséb a few days ago. They sort of hitchhiked on his column, being recoramended to him by someone he casually knew, and brought them up to the camp without further m-vestigation. The men were very insistent on meeting me. But when Daud asked me to receive them, I refused to do so, because I was not satis-fied with the explanation and I forbade them to be brought to the i n ­ner Camp of Alue Pineung. Therefore they were kept at the guard post three miles down h i l l . That was why they have not been brought to the main Camp, adjacent to my quarters.

Obviously their crimes are most dangerous. The majority of the leadership of the NLF are present at the time at Alue Pineung Camp and are facing instant liquidation by the enemy forces on account of these men's crimes. The decision was taken to put the spies immedi­ately under arrest and to be tried later for their crimes before a Court Martial. A special squad was sent to the guard post to make the arrest when i t was found out that the two men had fled early that morning. The search around the post and the surrounding h i l l s f a i l e d to produce them.

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As a r e s u l t , the s i t u a t i o n becomes even more dangerous asthey aay be on t h e i r way to fetch the enemy forces and to bring them r i g h t back to our camp.

/ A general a l e r t was issued.

(JANUARY 27, 1977)

We decide that the time has come to move out of Alue Pineung to a new place for security reasons. Because the enemy has known every thing what there i s to know about the t e r r a i n , about our p o s i t i o n , there i s nothing else to do except to move out of the danger zone as soon as possible. We decide to move out on February l s t , 1977. I t w i l l take a few days to pack everything and to erase the traces of our camp as much as possible, with a view to possible future uses, because at the rate of our coming and going we may exhaust our camp­ing ground very soon.

(JANUARY 28, 1977)

I c a l l a meeting of Pawangs to make selection for the new plac,e, There are many peeple who are q u a l i f i e d for Pawang among the people with me who are, most of them,coming from the mountain region of T i ro or Truséb. However, the most preminent among these mountain ex perts, acknowledged and respected by a l l , are:Mahmud Barat (40)who, when not on marching time, has been assigned the jobs of Chief and Chef of kitchen administration because ef h i s honesty and of h i s knowledge of culinary a r t . He was a farmer, strong as a giant, and possessed a good l e v e l of education. He was a community leader of the v i l l a g e of Blang Kedah, at the time of my unexpected a r r i v a l one midnight i n Blang Kedah, l a s t year - and he has been with me e-ver since. He l e f t a wife and four l i t t l e children hopefully being taken care of by h i s brother and inlaws. And we do help them l i k e other wives and children of the men i n the mountains, as much as possible, and also the community helps. When on the meve, nobody dares to question h i s authority. When marching i n the forests there i s only one man to obey: the Pawang. Anybody who suggests another way than the Pawang had decided w i l l bear r e s p o n s i b i l i t y for get-tin g l o s t . And getting l o s t i s a t e r r i b l e thing to happen t a you i n the mountains and forests of Acheh Sumatra. Barat i s a man of very few words. He only r e p l i e s when spoken to.

The second man most q u a l i f i e d for Pawang i s Geutjhik Uma (50) , the Chief of my personal Guards,to whom I have referred to e a r l i e r . Geutjhik Uma has much knowledge about mountains too, especially he was once the Chief of Police for the Tiro Region, before the Acheh­nese r e v o l t against Indonesia i n the 1950s that Geutjhik Uma took part. A man of perfect m i l i t a r y bearing and appearance, t a l l and handsome, with h i s clipped black moustache contrasted to h i s f a i r s kin makes him a model Commander. I am very proud of him.

Third, Abou Rih (Idris) (50) from Lam Udjong, Tiro Region, who has h i s own farm r i g h t up i n the mountain, and a very wily a c t i v i s t

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and a consummate t a l k e r . For anyone who had not known him before , would take him for a professor, or somebody l i k e that. He could hold his own against anybody i n conversations. But the truth i s he had just learned to read and write only a couple months ago since he j o -ined the NLF. But now he devours any books that pass h i s hands. At least once a month, he i s obliged by his aged mother to v i s i t her to receive money - her d i r e c t contribution to the NLF -to be handed d i -r e c t l y to me personally. That was her in s t r u c t i o n . She i s our great m i l i t a n t . In Acheh, the old generation i s our most ardent supporter because the meraory of independence Acheh i s s t i l l freshly remembered.

Fourth, Bén Dadéh (60), also from Blang Kedah, a very a r t i c u l a t e man, who refused to accept a considerable pension from the Indonesi­an regime and joined the NLF instead. He i s our answer to those who say that rebels are people who have nothing to lose. He own a buffa-lo stable i n Blang Kedah, f u l l of buffaloes. Because h i s son-in-law i s an e n l i s t e d man i n the Indonesian army, his Blang Kedah neighbors di d not t r u s t him very much, and did not t e i l him about my presence i n the neighboring mountains for a long time. When he observed many strangers are coming and going passing nearby h i s stable,he suspect­ed them as possible c a t t l e thieves, and decided to strengthen his guard by sleeping himself above the stable. One day he knew that those people were no thieves but NLF members coming to my place i n the h i l l s . He begged to be brought up to me and he never leave my sight ever since. With h i s strong physic, clean shaven head, and a-qualine nose, he looked a perfect doublé of Yul Brinner. I said to myself more than once: after the Revolution i s over I w i l l bring him to Hollywood. At the time of the 1950s Achehnese r e v o l t against the Indonesian regime, he was i n the mountains as Chief Guards of my mo­ther. He was very proud of that assignment and used to t e i l me a l l the things that happened at that time, when I was not even home but i n the United States. The people of Tiro Region guarded my family with the i r own l i v e s . I t has been so from generations to generations.

After lengthy discussions, the Pawangs decided that we should move to Alue Iléh (He Spring) , on the River Krueng Meuk (Fire F l i e s River) on the Southern Tiro Region because from there we can get our food supply from several alternative places: from Blang Malo,Tangsé, Tompudéng, Beungga, and i f necessary we can always return to Tiro.

(JANUARY 29, 1977)

I t i s estimated that i t w i l l take at least two days of marching to reach our destination. We have to make sure that we have every­thing we need during the march. Also the news have been sent to the people i n Blang Malo, Tangsé etc., through the countryside, that i s through nominally enemy controlled t e r r i t o r y for quicker means of ccmmunications because our members can use cars, motor-cycles or te-lephones - to stockpile food supplies for us that w i l l be picked up i n a few days by the people from the mountains. Also I have decided that Geutjhik Pakèh, the Head of Geumpang D i s t r i c t , and Commandant Rashid should return to thei r d i s t r i c t to prepare for my possible move there at some future date. Because the preparation to move has gone smoothly, we decide to move out on January 30th, i n order to reach our destination on February l s t , 1977.

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(JANUARY 30, 1977)

We moved out of Alue Pineung Camp at 6:30 AM i n the usual formati­on: f i r s t , the Pawang'8 party with advanced guards; then my party; then the rear guards. F i r s t we have to descend down a very steep h i l l u n t i l we reach the water table at the bottom of Alue Pineung. The sight of 60 people marching single f i l e , everyone carrying a l l sorts of things on their shoulders, on their backs, or overheads i s a spec-tacle to be marvelled at. Hands have to be kept free because one must be able to hold on to trees while climbing or descending.The column would spread about a kilometer. By now everyone i s trained to keep silence. Besides, in a few hours after marching like that everyone i s too exhausted to talk anyway. Then after descending there w i l l always be climbing again - which i s the hardest of a l l especially with a l l the baggages. Rice i s a very heavy stuff to carry. At 12 o'clock noon we would have a lunch break. Everyone i s already given his food ra-tion for lunch at breakfast time. So we do not waste time to cook lunch on the road. Then after half-an-hour break we continue to walk - climbing and descending, climbing and descending - u n t i l we arrived at desired point. This time we must reach the Tiro River by 6 PM i n order to cross i t immediately after 6, in the darkness. The enemy had begun to patrol a l l major rivers by helicopters or by posting guards on strategie places. Therefore, we must cross during the night, If we arrived near the big river too early then we must wait for the night~ f a l l . This time we arrived right i n time. We plan to cross at the U-kèe Kleueng (Eagle Claws) area.

This Eagle Claws point i s a historie place. One of my famous great uncle, Tengku Tjhik d i Tjot Plieng, who was Achehnese Minister of E» ducation of his time, a great scholar and leader, was k i l l e d on the big rock of Eagle Claws, s t i l l standing on the river edge u n t i l today where he made his last stand against the Dutch invaders i n 1904. He was buried on Tjot Plieng H i l l , about 20 km down the river, where his grave i s s t i l l honored to this day by steady streams of v i s i t o r s . He was safe i n Mecca at the beginning of the war with Holland but he came back to join the people to fight the invaders. I was not the f i r s t one to come home to fight i n my family.I simply follow the long tradition that has been set up for me.

We cross the Eagle Claws at 6:30 PM. F i r s t the advanced guards make the crossing to secure strong points on the other side of the river. Then after everything has been made sure of, I would cross. My men would not even l e t my feet wet, although I i n s i s t to cross on my own. They would carry me across sitting on the clasp-arms of two strong men. Then everyone crosses, Afterward we establish camp for the night on the other side of the river because i t i s impossible to walk i n the forests at night time.

Again,those who work hardest are the kitchen chief and his staffs. But everyone i s always willing to chip i n . The brotherhood among the men i s to t a l . The men's dedication to our Revolution i s complete. The sense of purpose i s overwhelming. Otherwise, who can suffer a l l t h i s hardship and danger?

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(JANUARY 31, 1977)

This morning by 5 AM everybody i s a l r e a d y up f o l d i n g h i s p l a s t i c mat and g e t t i n g d r e s s . There i s no ceremonial p r a y i n g w h i l e on the road. Everyone prays by h i m s e l f . By 5:30 the b r e a k f a s t i s ready. By 6 AM we are on the move again. The same formation as yesterday. When marching everyone i s sweating p r o f u s e d l y . The p h y s i c a l e x e r t i o n t h a t i s r e q u i r e d during c l i m b i n g cannot be d e s c r i b e d . To understand i t one must experience i t . "You cannot climb i f your f a t h e r ' s w i l l d i d not climb with you", as Nietzsche had s a i d . How t r u e i t i s !

Today we d i d not stop f o r lunch a t 12 o'clock as usual because the Pawang, Mahmud Barat, wants us to stop at a spot w i t h i n one hour more march, where he, and my u n c l e , Tengku T j h i k Uraar d i T i r o , had once l i v e d , d u r i ng the l a s t armed s t r u g g l e a g a i n s t Javanese Indonesia between 1950 and 1960. I had v i s i t e d t h a t place t o o , but I couldnot recognize i t anymore because the f o r e s t s had taken back e v e r y t h i n g . Only a Pawang can spot back places l i k e t h a t i n the f o r e s t s l i k e a r -c h e o l o g i s t s doing i t w i t h the e a r t h .

A t 1 o'clock we a r r i v e d a t the place Mahmud Barat wanted me t o see. As the men spread t o s i t down, I stand there alone i n one spot, speechless, completely d i s o r i e n t e d . There i s no s i g n of human l i f e ever e x i s t e d there. Only 19 years ago there were s e v e r a l houses of wooden s t r u c t u r e s there where my l a t e mother and my l a t e brother l i v ­ed w i t h my uncle and h i s f a m i l y t a k i n g refuge from the Javanese Indo­nesian troops pursuing them, as the Javanese are pursuing me now.That was d u r i n a the Achehnese 1950 - 1960 r e v o l t a g a i n s t Javanese Indone­s i a n c o l o n i a l i s m . I t was during t h a t war i n 1953, the Javanese burnt my house, my b i r t h p l a c e to the ground - the best house i n Acheh. I returned s e c r e t l y i n 1959 to see my mother, b r o t h e r , and the r e s t of the f a m i l y . My house had gone w i t h the wind. I found my mother here, on t h i s spot, who f e i l t o the ground on her knees when she saw me, i n t e a r s .

My aunt, who was a very b e a u t i f u l and g r a c e f u l l a d y , the w i f e of my u n c l e , Tengku Umar d i T i r o , sang a t e a r f u l lament i n Achehnese: "O son, you have come back to see us, i n such wretched,un-imaginable s i t u a t i o n ; we have been chased out from our homes; property c o n f i s -cated; names dishonored; l i v e s f o r f e i t e d ; by f o r e i g n e r s who have no shame, or m o r a l i t y , or p i t y " My u n c l e , who was always a model of s t o i c i s m , came t o persuade my aunt t o say i t was enough but my aunt kept going on. How I wish someone would do t h a t to me now, I want t o remember every lament, the saddest ones e s p e c i a l l y .

There i s no tracé of the houses there now. The f o r e s t has claimed back e v e r y t h i n g . Not a tracé i s l e f t . Except,I r e a l i z e d , as I walk t o my r i g h t s i d e , t h e r e are three l i t t l e graves i n a row t h a t were f r e s h -l y dug then, 19 years ago, when I was there:three graves of premature deaths, d i r e c t r e s u l t s o f Javanese Indonesian aggression, a l l threes the h e l p l e s s female members of my f a m i l y : the f i r s t , the mother of my aunt. Her husband, Tengku T j h i k d i Bukét (Muhammad A l i Z a i n u l A b i -d i n d i T i r o ) the f a t h e r of my aunt, the Head of State of Acheh before my grandfather, d i e d a t the B a t t l e of Mount Alimon (1910) and was bu-r i e d t h e r e . I had been there too. I remember her w e l l : she was a very

38

kind, a l l knowing charming old lady who always addressed me formally and deliberately so even when I was a l i t t l e boy: Tengku d i Tiro, she would say, instead of just Hasan, as she had every right to do.lt. was part of education and training i n responsibility. The next graves be-longed to my nieces: Saudah (20) and Safiah (18), the daughters of my aunt and uncle. They died because of tuberculosis, and there was then no medicine available here i n the primordial forests. They could have been saved by a handfuls of antibiotics. Have I anything to thank the Javanese invaders for? I must have my head examined i f i accepted them as "saudara" that i s brother. What a "brother"!

I stand there alone, nurabed with my emotion, with the persistence of my memory. I kneel down to p u l l the grass that had covered the graves i n order to tidy them a b i t - for whom? The next v i s i t o r ' Will there ever be one? Maybe next century. Before I know i t my men had jomed to clean the lonely gr aveyard as good as they can without any-body uttering a word. These people knew everything what happened to my family. Many of them had been there too. Bén Dadéh was the one who was the chief guards for my mother when she was alive, and there, and I was not even there. Mahmud Barat was the one who was responsible for the food supply of my uncle and everyone of the family. Geutjhik Uma was guarding my brother. And so was Muhammad Daud Husin. A l l of them are involved with my family in the service of our nation. A l l of them identify with the family. They are like my children, and I am like their father. It has been so for generations. Among them I feel l i k e among my relatives and like among my very own family members Such things cannot be said, but can only be f e i t , by them and by me.* By us. It i s profaned when said because the words cannot carry the feeling.

There i s s t i l l another grave out there, cannot be seen from here, near the ri v e r : the grave of my other niece, Aishah, the f i r s t daugh-ter of my uncle and aunt, who was the mother of Darul Kamal. She died near here too, due to lack of medicine when they lived i n the forest before moving to this spot. She died at the age of 30. In Acheh we dó not move graves. We buried our dead immediately without delay where-ver we were. We honored our dead too much to temper withtheir remains for re-burial for the sake of worldly appearance of the l i v i n g . Death xs too important a matter to t r i f l e with. Its verdict i s f i n a l , i n a l l respects, place as well as time. Everything else must be subordi-nated to i t . Posthumous honor/praise cannot be made retroactive. Such things are indulged only by the superfluous, for the benefit of the li v i n g i n exploitation of the dead.

There i s s t i l l a dangerous river crossing to be made today.We must reach the River Krung Meuk by nig h t f a l l i n order to cross i t over After a quick lunch we are on our feet again. The terrain i s particu-l a r l y rough here. There i s no f l a t surface anywhere.We either have to climb or to descend. We reached the river by 7 PM which i s already dark xn the equatorial country such as ours. As I said river cross-xng i s increasingly dangerous for us because of the enemy a c t i v i t i e s we have to piek up a sharp bend of the river for crossing place to a-voxd detection and to be able to see the enemy better. And i n case of fxghtxng, to be able to defend ourselves better. When approaching dangerous places the men are very alert, nerves are tight, movements

39

are cautious but very p r e c i s e . In no time the advanced guards have sv.--.-ii across, secured a l l points one mile up and down the r i v e r , and give " a l l c l e a r " s i g n a l and time for me to cross. Because of the danger, crossing a r i v e r has become a very dramatic moment. At such a time I always received an unspoken demonstration of l o y a l t y from my men that a l l are ready to di e f i r s t before they would permit any danger to approach me. I have to write t h i s to convey a very high drama i n a very tense moment - not f o r self-indulgence. I have no idea what was the experience of my fellow g u e r i l l a leaders a t other times and i n other countries. I t could be the same.But t h i s was what happened to me.

I t has happened so aften that when i n danger my men d i d not run to save themselves f i r s t but would converge t o f i n d out where I was f i r s t , f o r example when they thought we were under attack.Every time a dangerous s i t u a t i o n developed - and i t quite often -everyone would be running t o h i s post, arms i n the ready,but an utterance t h a t came out from everyone's mouth was, that I heard c l e a r and loud, "Pinah Tengku dilèel" ("Take the Tengka to safety f i r s t ! " ) . As i f to say, l e t them f i g h t ?zid d i e f i r s t but nothing should happen to me. As i f I would l e t that happens. As i f I were i n search of my personal safe ty to have come back from America to these f o r e s t s and h i l l s of my beloved homeland to avoid danger. No. Of course I immensely appreci-ate the show of l o y a l t y of my people, but I w i l l never permit a s i ­tuation where I have not shared the danger with them equally. That was why I refused to stay i n i s o l a t e d remote secured places, a w a y from my men, as has been urged upon me many times. I choose to l i v e with my men, shared the same food, under the same roof, shared the same misery, come what may! This also means that anything needs to be done i n Acheh w i l l be done! There are men to do i t ! These men w i l l r i s e to the occasions!

By 7:30 PM we have crossed the r i v e r s a f e l y . From the spot where we made our crossing, there w i l l be only one hour more walking which we plan to do to^orrow morning. The men deserved a good night sleep a f t e r two days of marching. As usual, a f t e r marching through the f o ­r e s t s f o r two days, a l l exposed and unprotected parts of everyone's body such as face, necks, arms, hands and f i n g e r s are c r i s s - c r o s s e d by bloody scratches and cuts caused by a l l kinds of thorns and sharp blades of wild grass. Iodine i s rationed to everyone to use to stop possible i n f e c t i o n s . Thus f or a few days afterward everyone's face looked l i k e being painted red for a halloween's party f o r grown ups.

(FEBRUARY 1, 1977)

At about 8 o'clock i n the morning we a r r i v e d at our new campsite, on the Southwestern side of Alue Iléh ( H e Spring) j u s t about three miles from the Southern bank of the River Krueng Meuk. One branch of Alue Iléh came down h i l l from the South; the other branch came down h i l l from the West. We decide to make the camp on the fork which has a t r i a n g u l a r shape, rocky and high above the water table.So the camp w i l l be on the high ground, very good f o r defence. Moreover, the l o -c a t i o n i s g i r d l e d by high r i d g e s , 2250 f e e t to 2700 f e e t high,cover-ed by massive f o r e s t s . The s i t e had been used f o r a g u e r i l l a camp

during the 1950s r e v o l t against Javanese Indonesia. And while we a digging to f l a t t e n the ground, we found r e l i c s that unmistakably sh that the place must have been used also for a g u e r i l l a camp, by o ancestors, i n the war against the Dutch. We found an old musket wi bayonet and many empty sh e l l s of the b u l l e t s of Dutch carbines, t types used during that war. So there must have been f i g h t i n g r i g h t the camp.We also found pieces of old earthen pots that must have be used for cooking. I t w i l l take several days to construct the camp. w i l l use the old musket and the bayonet to deccrate the entrance ha <->-F the camn. Thev svmbolize the continuitv of our struggle.

(FEBRUARY 5, 1977)

Today we move into our brand new camp. This happens to be my sc 8th birthday. Therefore I named t h i s camp af t e r him: "Camp Karim" commemorate t h i s day,I planted 8 sintang trees at the entrance to Camp Karim. My uncle, Tengku Tjhik Umar d i Ti r o , had sent to me r seeds of the sintang trees, one of the best and strongest trees the Land of Acheh that produced very good timbers for the constrw on of t r a d i t i o n a l Achehnese houses. My uncle t o l d me to plant sin-trees everywhere I established my headquarters i n the mountain! commemorate the s i t e s and to leave something for the future gener< ons to use. I t was a marvelous idea. I hope the sintang seeds tl I had planted w i l l grow. And one day perhaps my son w i l l come t from America to see i t . But I do not know i f he would ever do t because I had no time to inculcate Achehnese way of l i f e i n my i n my l i f e time because he was only seven years old when I l e f t with h i s mother i n America, to return to these forests of Acheh. was my greatest disappointment i n l i f e : not having the chance to c proper Achehnese education to my only son. That i s one subject \ can make me cry sometime when I remember. To revive my people I 1 to abandon my own c h i l d and his mother! To teach other children oi cheh, I have to neglect my own! And there i s no other way.

(Later, I took many pictures of Camp Karim which I sent to my i n New York that never reached him because theletter had to be thj i n t o the sea of the Malacca S t r a i t s when our boat that carriec was i n danger of being captured by the enemy. The pictures had to sent to the bottom of the sea with other documents to avoid f a l i i n t o the enemy"s hands. I t raakes me think of the Malacca S t r a i t s , Achehnese waterway that had washed much of our blood, receptacle our tears, made us seaborne, and at times acting as archives of

(FEBRUARY 6, 1977)

When we moved our headquarters from one place to another such t h i s , we completely l o s t contact with the entire country for a days. No one knows i n the countryside where we are u n t i l we 1 them. I t i s also a good practice to confound the enemy. Everytim< move l i k e t h i s , i t w i l l take months for the enemy to find out wl us =vo ana -i r, a l e n H i i c i c a nnrvl timp fnr UK to take Stock of \

plishments.By t h i s time we have absolutely established these truths: (1) The people have wholeheartedly accepted the idea of Achehnese independence as propagated by the NLF; (2) The NLF has successfully revived Achehnese h i s t o r i e consciousness after almost being put out of existence by the Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t s during these l a s t 35 years of Javanese Indonesian colonialism; (3) P o l i t i c a l l y we have won; the only thing separates us from v i c t o r y i s the guns; (4) The people are now w i l l i n g to s a c r i f i c e everything to achieve t h e i r independen­ce; (5) The organization of the NLF has been established a l l over the country; (6) The Government of the State of Acheh Sumatra has been organized and established throughout the country.Acheh Sumatra s l i -berated and semiliberated t e r r i t o r i e s have been divided into 17 pro-vinces, with each province headed by a Governor who i s assisted by a m i l i t a r y commander. Each province i s divided into so many d i s t r i c t s , and each d i s t r i c t i s headed by a d i s t r i c t head, who i s assisted by the d i s t r i c t m i l i t a r y commander. In most cases we revived Achehnese h i s t o r i e administrative boundaries as they were i n precolonial time. The Governors and t h e i r p r o v i n c i a l m i l i t a r y commanders, as well as d i s t r i c t heads and the d i s t r i c t m i l i t a r y commanders are o f f i c i a l l y announced. The people support them and obey them. The Javanese Indo­nesian regime i s powerless to do anything against them. They cannot be arrested by the Javanese because they are i n the liberated areas.

Thus, the p o l i t i c a l challenge against the Javanese Indonesian co­l o n i a l i s t occupation authorities i s t o t a l - short of a shooting f r o n t a l war. Our flags are flown everywhere.Even the enemy would not dare to i n s u l t our f l a g p u b l i c l y because he knows where the people's sympathy i s . The people's enthusiasm i s increasing by the day. When NLFAS a c t i v i s t s passed through the countryside, people rushed to embrace them. This has tremendous psychological e f f e c t on the a c t i ­v i s t s themselves.These made them re a l i z e d that by becoming the a c t i ­v i s t s of the NLFAS they have acquired a new status i n the country,an undreamt of honor from t h e i r society. They became new men. Such i s the prestige of a s o c i a l l y approved movement. They learnt to uphold that honor and prestige, by becoming even more m i l i t a n t and more re­solute i n the i r pursuit to be free. Each m i l i t a n t ' s honor and d i g n i -ty also become stakes i n the struggle: to these men who has tasted the honor surrender i s no longer thinkable. Personal and national honors have become one to these men. The o v e r a l l e f f e c t on the l i b e ­r a t i o n movement i s astounding.

By now we have re-established contact with the countryside. The f i r s t load of food supply from Blang Malo and Tangsé had ar r i v e d , just as we had planned. Also I received reports that our e f f o r t s to influence high-ranking enemy o f f i c i a l s of Sumatran o r i g i n had been very successful. P r a c t i c a l l y a l l department heads of enemy's provin­c i a l and d i s t r i c t "government" had become our adherents. A high l e -vel b r i e f i n g and indoetrination seminar i s scheduled for a group of them who w i l l come to the camp through ci r c u i t o u s route next week.

Meanwhile today we received an un-expected v i s i t o r , an Achehnese j o u r n a l i s t working for "Tempo", a Javanese Indonesian magazine, pu-

42

blished i n Jakarta. I received him without further checking because of a special request from Tengku Daud Beureuéh to receive him. His name i s Mansur Amin. We gladly received him half-expecting that he might have contact with our organization i n Jakarta, and might even be one of our men there. But from the f i r s t encounter I immediately sensed something wrong about him:his s h i f t i n g eyes and h i s very poor grasp of elementary p o l i t i c a l issues of the day especially for a supposedly educated man l i v i n g i n Jakarta.There was no s p e c i f i c pur-pose for h i s coming than to meet face to face with me. Now, why any­one wanted to do such r i s k y thing nowadays when any person suspected to have seen me would be arrested by the Javanese Indonesian c o l o n i ­a l i s t troops to show the place of that meeting i n order to f i n d me , The f a c t that he brought nothing even remotely i n t e r e s t i n g news of p o t e n t i a l revolutionary use for us, coming from such far away place, from enemy den, as i t were, made me wonder why a man l i k e that bothered to come to see us. I have not communicated my f e e l i n g to anyone, not even to my security c h i e f . I noticed that Amin had a bi g camera with him, a badge of a j o u r n a l i s t . He was of course being t o l d by the security men not to use i t without permission. Since he had come, we treated Mansur Amin as other v i s i t o r s , allowing him to observe and to p a r t i c i p a t e i n our d a i l y l i f e , and attending regular indoctrination sessions, hoping that one of these days he might see the l i g h t , get out of h i s t y p i c a l Jakartan's apathy. and becoming one of our m i l i t a n t s . He was assigned a place to sleep i n our guest house, far removed from my quarters.

One day, however, while I was praying, alone, and no one else was around, a rare occasion, and Mansur Amin was alone also - or so he thought - while pretending to sleep with his back f l a t on the mat,he suddenly produced a t i n y miniature camera, about the size of the i n ­dex finger, and without l i f t i n g h i s body and head except a l i t t l e turning, aimed his camera at me and took a series of quick pictures and then pretending to f a l l asleep again - while my security man ob­served him c l o s e l y . Mansur Amin di d not have any i n k l i n g that he was being watched day and night by my a l e r t security s t a f f s . After a while he produced the t i n y camera again, and t h i s time focused i t to the guard room and he took pictures of the gun racks with a l l sorts of guns l i n e d up against the w a l l . Then he pretended to sleep again.

After receiving reports from the security ch i e f , I c a l l e d i n Army Commander Daud Husin to discuss the matter. I was naturally very unhappy about i t . Now we are sure that he i s being sent to spy on us: to f i n d out our location, the t e r r a i n , the types of guns, numbers of people, who are present, and the usual things. I f we l e t him go, the consequences are that we have to vacate our new camp to which we had just moved i n , and to which we have i n v i t e d so many people from a l l over the country. Now we w i l l have to move again,just on account of a son of a b i t c h . I f our men knew why we have to move again, they w i l l probably lynch him on the spot on account of resentment alone. So we decide to keep everything quiet. I ordered the security chief to put the man under 24 hours watch and that he must not be allowed to leave the camp under any pretext, without,however,his knowing i t . The circumstantial evidence shows that Mansur Amin i s an enemy agent who has i n f i l t r a t e d our f o r t , and the punishment i s clear: a manda-tory f i r i n g squad. But before we arraigned him before a Court Marti-a l we should do some investigations.

43

Army Commander Daud Husin and the security chief (must be l e f t un-named because he i s s t i l l on duty) asked Mansur Amin to give them h i s camera - just to see what camera he w i l l give.Mansur Amin triumphant-l y presented h i s big cannon camera (made i n Japan) to the Army Com­mander who pretended to be very interested. Then he asked i f Mansur Amin had any other camera with him.

- " I have nothing else than t h i s one," said Mansur Amin. - "Where i s your minolta miniature camera!" Army Commander thundered, having l o s t h i s patience. Mansur Amin's face turned pale,his hands trembling, f r a n t i c a l l y sear-ching layers after layers of h i s underwear's false pockets u n t i l he found i t and gave i t to the Army Commander. - "Open i t and exposé a l l the f i l m s you had taken pictures with!" Said Army Commander. Amin followed the order meekly. - "Open and exposé a l l the films i n the big camera also!" Another or­der came i n . With h i s hands trembling and his face l i k e crying,Mansur Amin d i d what he was ordered to^do. - "I w i l l keep both of your cameras and w i l l give you back when you can go home," said the Commander. - "That i s a l l for now. You may go back to your guarters but you may not leave from here without my special permission." Said the Comman­der again. - "Yes, S i r , " said Mansur Amin almost inaudible and dragged himself slowly away.

(FEBRUARY 10, 1977)

My nephew, Tengku Abdul Wahab Umar d i Tiro , who was a frien d of Mansur Amin i n his student's day, heard the news about what happened with Mansur Amin. He wrote to me to ask for clemency for his frie n d on the ground of mercy. I submitted the l e t t e r to the Central Com-mittee of the NLFAS and to the Minister of Justice of the State of Acheh Sumatra for consideration. This appeal for mercy was discussed i n the meeting of the Commission set up to investigate the case of Mansur Amin. One member pointed out how can we associate mercy with the mission and consequences of Mansur Amin's crime? For, i f he suc-ceeded he would have brought us - that i s the entire leadership of the State of Acheh Sumatra and the NLFAS - to the brink of an n i h i l a -t i o n again that we had ju s t narrowly escaped only a week ago or so at Alue Pineung. He would have enabled the enemy to size up our strength accurately, our pos i t i o n p r e c i s e l y , and within minutes to bom, strafe or attack our headquarters with the p o s s i b i l i t y that a l l present might be k i l l e d . Are not our l i v e s equal to one traitorous Mansur Amin? Did not the Quran .say that j u s t i c e demands " l i f e for l i f e , eye for eye" etc? In the name of our sacred struggle, can we l e t the t r a i t o r go? If we kept him with us he w i l l know even more of our secrets. And we have no force to spare to guard him, nor do we want to do so. The more we think about i t the more expensive i t be-comes to keep t h i s bastard from Jakarta. We simply cannot be v i r -tuous beyond our strength!

But Abdul Wahab had argued his point of mercy very e f f e c t i v e l y

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that i t had persuaded some members of the Commission. If Mansur Amin would indeed be freed, he w i l l owe his l i f e to his good friend. Both of them w i l l probably never know about i t .

(FEBRUARY 11, 1977)

Today I decide to give a special lecture i n the morning on Acheh­nese history and about the aims of our Revolution.My real purpose i s to try to make Mansur Amin to realize his mistake, to appeal to his blood, to rehabilitate him, to save his l i f e , i f possible. This may be naive - but the lecture w i l l benefit others anyway. I pretend as i f I did not know what was going on between Mansur Amin and the se­curity people. So the lecture was announced to be for everybody, and there are many new people coming everyday. I asked everybody to s i t close to me, including Mansur Amin, that I can even touched them. I tried to be very friendly to him, to put his mind at ease, i f that was possible. Coffee and cakes are served to enhance the informality of the occasion. I ordered the roof of the meeting place to be dis-mantled to have an effect of an opened a i r meeting. I want to empha-size that I speek under the trees, as i t were. The forest i s my wit-ness.

I begin the lecture by asking the men:"Do you know why you and I are here, under these trees, in this forest, i n this circumstance? Fate had scattered us to the four corners of the globe, but I had come back here from America to be with you;Mansur Amin had come back from Java; others from other places.The answer to this question w i l l t e i l you your v i t a l s t a t i s t i c s that every Achehnese bom to this earth must know: who you are, who your fathers and mothers are, what i s your patrimony, how much i t i s worth, where i s your place under the sun, how you should live and how you should die. This i s the sum total of your p o l i t i c s and economics.Even i f you knew everything e l ­se but you did not know the answers to these questions, then you are s t i l l i l l i t e r a t e . Generations and generations of our forefathers since this world begun have given the answers and have shown the way. They have set Standard for you and me to follow. We are s i t t i n g now on top of an old battle ground containing the spilled blood of our fathers, witnessed by these same trees that had seen them here befo­re as they are seeing us here now. As I speak to you now I can smell the gun powder i n my nostrils from this battle ground fought over 100 years ago by our fathers. Here i n my hand i s their rusty old gun we found here only ten days ago when we made this clearing.

"Do you hear me? I speak to you i n Achehnese, a language we re­ceived from our fathers and mothers, a secret code understood only by you, and I, by us, and by nobody else i n the world, a v i t a l means for our organized and c i v i l i z e d l i f e , a vehicle of communieation,for culture, for defence of yourself and your land. You inherited this language, this code, as you inherited your blood, this land, and e-verything i n i t and on i t . If you disowned your fathers and your mo­thers then you must lose your right to their inheritance, you w i l l lose your r i c h patrimony. This land i s yours only for one reason and for one count: because you are Achehnese! If you denounced that truth by accepting another false name, like "indonesians" - that Ja­vanese nonsense, - then you have f o r f e i t e d your patrimony.

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"Your birthplace, your patrimony, i s the most valuable piece of land on this planet and the richest. This i s why foreign peoples would lik e to rob i t from you. The Dutch had tried to rob us before. Now the Javanese are trying to do it.They are being backed up by a l l sorts of foreign land-speculators - a l l former colonialists who want to share the loots with the Javanese. But, before they can do that they have to weaken you f i r s t , to disorient you,to make you lost con fidence i n yourself, to destroy you mentally f i r s t before they can destroy you physically. If these foreign invaders managed to fooi you to believe that you are indeed not Achehnese but "indonesians" -that i s tantamount to accepting that you are not your fathers* and mothers"sons - but merely stupid non-entities - only then they can legally divest you of your patrimony, of this r i c h land.

"Any Achehnese who has come to believe that he i s not Achehnese but "indonesians" he i s suffering an identity c r i s i s , i n fact he has become mad, and a mad man who has lost his mind w i l l also be robbed of his properties. Our Achehnese nation i s i n the midst of a mortal identity c r i s i s now, fostered by the Javanese who wanted to replace the Dutch to colonize us. This i s why we are here, to organize a re-sistance for the survival of our people, our language, our culture, our religion, our custom, our way of l i f e , and our right to live as a sovereign people: like our fathers had lived here before us.

"We have been an independent sovereign nation since the world be­gun. Our history i s well-recorded. The Javanese are very different from us. They have never been independent in modern recorded history. Now they have the impudence to come here to colonize us after we helped them gained independence from the Dutch in the 1945 - 1949 struggle.

"You have heard i n my speech commemorating the 100 YEARS ANNTVER SARY OF THE BATTLE OF BANDAR ACHEH about the mighty force we used to have. That we are the f i r s t nation in East Asia to have defeated the European colonialist army i n the f i e l d of battle. The Javanese have absolutely nothing to compare with our history.If you knew your past you can be assured also of your future. You have been given a model to follow by your fathers. Do you have their courage?"

- "We do!" - came the answer i n unison.

"Memorize your history! I t has been written, not by ink over the papers, but by your fathers'blood over every inch of our beautiful valleys and breath-taking heights, beginning from our white sandy beaches to the cloud-covered peaks of Mount Seulawah, Alimon,Geureu-dong and Abong-Abong. Our heroic good fathers are not dead but mere­ly waiting i n their graves, a l l over this Blessed Land, for the Jud-gement Day, and i n the meantime they are watching you, their sons, yes, listening to what we are talking here and now, and watching you what are you doing with the r i c h legacy they had l e f t for you and had sacrificed their lives to secure i t s safe passage to you. Would you be willing to sacrifice your lives too, i n order to secure the safe transmission of this rich legacy to your children and their children's children? This Land of yours i s a Holy Land -made Holy by the deed and by the sacrificed blood of your ancestors - i t i s f i t to

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be worshipped, not t o be walked upon by the i n g r a t e Javamen. Your an­c e s t o r s are not dead. They are very c l o s e t o you,as c l o s e as the sound of t h e i r blood running i n your v e i n s .

"Do not l e t y o u r s e l f be bothered by the Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t s ' pro­paganda and t h e i r mockeries. Have you not had enough of t h e i r l i e s f o r 35 y e a r s , 365 days each year, making 12,675 days i n a l l ? Enough i s e-nough. Besides, you are the ones who have decided to disobey them. Now you must l e a r n t o command, l i k e your f a t h e r s , and t o be commanded too by your own k i n d . Henceforth, amongst us,every order w i l l be g i v e n f o r the love o f the n a t i o n , and w i l l be taken f o r the very same reason.And above a l l a c cording t o the Law of A l l a h . T h i s i s the o n l y v a l i d reason f o r governance among a f r e e people such as ours."

Then I entered i n t o e x p o s i t i o n of c u r r e n t i n t e r n a t i o n a l a f f a i r s w i t h a view t o i n c r e a s e t h e i r s e l f - c o n f i d e n c e ; on how over 100 nations b i g and s m a l l , have emerged as a r e s u l t of D e c o l o n i z a t i o n Law o f the United N a t i o n s . How i n our present time a l l people who wanted t h e i r independence got t h e i r s , by peace or e l s e by war. T h i s i s the age of n a t i o n a l l i b e r a t i o n . " I f we wanted ours, now i s the time t o f i g h t f o r i t . I t w i l l not be r e s t o r e d t o us by anybody e l s e i n the world.Our f u ­tu r e i s i n our own hands. Our f i r s t duty i s t o awaken our people to t h e i r proper d e s t i n y . To counter Javanese "indonesian" propaganda t h a t had gone h i t h e r t o un-opposed by us, t h a t had m i s l e d our people and made so many of them gone mad, a s i t u a t i o n t h a t had brought our n a t i ­on t o the b r i n k o f d i s a s t e r . I have come back t o these mountains i n order t o c a r r y the l i g h t t o you. How e l s e can you meet me? Now you must go down t o every v i l l a g e and household i n Acheh t o r e l a y the mes­sage!" To my question:"Are you ready?", there i s a resounding answer: "YES!"

(FEBRUARY 12, 1977)

The l e c t u r e might have been wasted on Mansur Amin but c e r t a i n l y not on o t h e r s . But the appeal of Tengku Abdul Wahab f o r clemency f o r him has persuaded the m a j o r i t y of the members of the Commission of Enquiry t o r e l e a s e him, not r i g h t away, but a t a time when we w i l l move away next time from t h i s camp t o another. I t was reasoned t h a t i f Mansur Amin betrayed us, h i s i n f o r m a t i o n w i l l be out of date and i f the enemy decided t o a t t a c k they w i l l f i n d the camp a l r e a d y vaca-ted. Everyone agrees t o t h a t s o l u t i o n although some very r e l u c t a n t l y .

(To dispose once and f o r a l l the problem of the son of a b i t c h , I should jump ahead i n time a l i t t l e b i t so t h a t we can f o r g e t about him. Twelve hours before we make our r o u t i n e move t o another l o c a t i o n , Mansur Amin was s e t f r e e . H i s cameras were returned to him minus ex-posed f i l m s . He was probably f l a b b e r g a s t e d , expecting something much worse. According t o r e p o r t s from our i n t e l l i g e n c e sources he wasted no time t o f l y back t o J a k a r t a . A few days l a t e r the enemy's headqu­a r t e r s of P i d i e province i n the town of S i g l i r e c e i v e d a t e l e x from the Javanese " M i n i s t r y of Defence" i n J a k a r t a g i v i n g order t o a t t a c k our camp g i v i n g i n c r e d i b l y exact l o c a t i o n - by Javanese Standard - 40 k i l o m e t e r s South of S i g l i , on the R i v e r Krueng Meuk, 2 km up stream of Alue Iléh, on h i g h ground and well-defended. I was s a i d to be there.

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We have no prove as t o which enemy agent made the r e p o r t , but t o us i t could only be Mansur Amin. The enemy troops came t o att a c k the camp a few days l a t e r w i t h such elaborate p r e p a r a t i o n . They came a t n i g h t , w e l l camouflaged. They c r a w l from the s t a r t t o the f i n i s h l i n e . l t took them almost a l l n i g h t t o cover about 3 k i l o meters of ground from the r i v e r edge t o the camp which they reached by day break. They expected the camp t o be s t i l l occupied. We observed them from our nearby obser-v a t i o n post because we d i d not move f a r away. The enemy made such e l a ­borate r e p o r t s about the camp. We a l s o r e c e i v e d a copy - a courtesy of a sympathiser i n the Indonesian army. Everything was photographed, i n -c l u d i n g items i n the waste baskets, such as empty cans, wrappers, e t c , where the enemy found many imported food items considered l u x u r i o u s e-ven i n the c o u n t r y s i d e . They envied our d i n i n g h a l l and the elegant s e t t i n g of t h i s " r e b e l " camp, surrounded by sp r i n g s and w a t e r f a l l from three s i d e s . The one-thousand years o l d Achehnese f l a g s t i l l f l u t t e r e d on the f l a g p o l e , i n t e n t i o n a l l y l e f t there by us as a souvenir f o r the enemy.)

We seemed t o have f a i l e d t o awaken Achehnese p a t r i o t i s m i n Amin's heart and mind. He was an e x c e p t i o n a l case because we had been suc­c e s s f u l 99 per cent i n our r e h a b i l i t a t i o n approach. He belonged t o the 1 per cent, the i n c u r a b l e s , the a s s i m i l a t e d , the one who had l o s t t o -t a l s e l f - r e s p e c t and s e l f - c o n f i d e n c e i n h i m s e l f , i n h i s people,and had become the p l i a b l e instrument of the invaders o f h i s country used t o ac t a g a i n s t h i s own people. I would l i k e t o see him again and even h i s l i k e s , t o study them, t o analyse t h e i r minds, t o f i n d out what was wrong with them i n order t o cure them. I do not f e e l mad but I f e e l p i t y f o r them.

(FEBRUARY 13, 1977)

By t h i s time many prominent leaders of Acheh have trekked t o the mountains t o meet w i t h me. Since they are s t i l l r e s i d i n g i n the enemy occupied areas, I have t o leave them nameless f o r the time being, be­cause the enemy can s t i l l cause some t r o u b l e s t o them. T h e i r purpose of meeting me was to c l e a r up t h e i r muddy minds, on how are we going about a c h i e v i n g our independence. Most of them t h i n k only about guns. "Where are the guns?!" Without the guns we should not be t a l k i n g about independence a t a l l !

I p a t i e n t l y explained to them: granted, guns are very important and we cannot do without. We w i l l arm ours e l v e s as a n a t i o n a l e f f o r t s i n due time. Gun i s only one of our problems t h a t we must s o l v e . But there are more important and more urgent problems before us th a t we must solve f i r s t - even before the guns: the problem of Achehnese po­l i t i c a l consciousness, the problem o f the c r i s i s of n a t i o n a l i d e n t i t y , the problem o f the study of Achehnese h i s t o r y , the s t a t u s of Acheh under I n t e r n a t i o n a l Law, the problem of s e l f - d e t e r m i n a t i o n and i n t e r ­n a t i o n a l r e l a t i o n s . We as a people have been put under e x t e r n a l l y im-posed i s o l a t i o n f o r so long t h a t we have been e f f e c t i v e l y i s o l a t e d i n -t e r n a t i o n a l l y . To solve a l l our problems we have t o get back i n t o i n ­t e r n a t i o n a l p o l i t i c a l c u r r e n t s , out of our i s o l a t i o n . But we cannot j o i n i n t e r n a t i o n a l community as a people or a n a t i o n before we cured o u r s e l v e s of our c r i s i s of n a t i o n a l i d e n t i t y which i s now upon us. As

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a r e s u l t of 35 years of Javanese Indonesian c o l o n i a l i s m , our people has been d r i v e n i n t o a c r i s i s o f i d e n t i t y : many Achehnese, e s p e c i a l l y the younger generations are i n doubt and i n u t t e r c o n f u s i o n as t o who they a r e : Achehnese or "indonesians"? Achehnese p o l i t i c a l conscious­ness has been weaken t o such a degree t h a t s e l f - d e t e r m i n a t i o n i s no longer p o s s i b l e , i f t h a t was not c o r r e c t e d f i r s t . Our t r u e h i s t o r y has been subverted. When a people have f o r g o t t e n t h e i r h i s t o r y , i t i s the same l i k e a man who has l o s t h i s memory, he d i d not know any more who he was and what was h i s name. S e l f - d e t e r m i n a t i o n i s no longer p o s s i b l e f o r such a man, or f o r such a people. Our people i s i n such s t a t e of a f f a i r s now, t h a t i s before the establishment of the N a t i o ­n a l L i b e r a t i o n F r o n t , i n October, 1976. That was before I came home. Under such memory-less c o n d i t i o n or r a t h e r under c o n d i t i o n s of mental and s p i r i t u a l p a r a l y s i s , we cannot organize o u r s e l v e s t o do anything e s p e c i a l l y not t o do the f i g h t i n g . Our f i r s t t a s k , t h e r e f o r e , should be t o r e s t o r e the n a t i o n a l consciousness, t o r e v i v e n a t i o n a l memory, then t o o r g a n i z e and t o m o b i l i z e o u r s e l v e s . Now, a l l these are not m i l i t a r y a c t i v i t i e s but p o l i t i c a l , c u l t u r a l , and e d u c a t i o n a l . They are a b s o l u t e l y necessary t o prepare before we can engage i n armed s t r u g g l e . So the gun i s n e i t h e r the f i r s t nor the l a s t t h i n g ! We l o s t our chance to r e g a i n our independence i n 1945 not because of any l a c k of guns - you knew there were p l e n t y of guns i n Acheh a t t h a t time - but p r e c i s e l y because of the l a c k of n a t i o n a l p o l i t i c a l consciousness and c o r r e c t n a t i o n a l p o l i t i c a l d i r e c t i o n a t t h a t time.

I cannot remember anymore how many thousand times I have had to repeat these e x p l a n a t i o n s !

(FEBRUARY 20, 1977)

Today, a t about 9 AM a good s i z e deer walked i n t o the f r o n t of Camp Karim. I t was too good an o p p o r t u n i t y t o miss t o get some meat. The guard runs t o me to ask f o r p e r m i s s i o n t o shoot. Because without warning, the sound of r e p o r t would have been mistaken f o r an enemy a t t a c k . So I gave the permission t o my guard, Shahpari Bén, t o shoot. He i s a sharp-shooter. With one b u l l e t he got the deer. The deer i s q u i c k l y slaughtered, i n the name of A l l a h , a c c o r d i n g t o I s l a m i c r u l e , w i t h a sharp k n i f e , t o l e s s e n i t s s u f f e r i n g . The cook and the k i t c h e n s t a f f s prepared such a n i c e f e a s t f o r the day.

(FEBRUARY 28, 1977)

Today I decide t h a t since we have been i n Camp Karim a l r e a d y one month, and many v i s i t o r s had come and gone, i n l i n e w i t h our s e c u r i ­t y p o l i c y not t o s t a y more than one month i n the same place.although there i s no emergency, i t i s time t o move to another l o c a t i o n . T h i s d e c i s i o n was taken although I i n t e n d t o keep Camp Karim to be a per­manent one. A f t e r d i s c u s s i o n s w i t h Army Commander, s e c u r i t y people and the Pawang, we decide t o r e t u r n t o Tjokkan H i l l a gain which i s on the other side of the R i v e r Krueng Meuk and only two hours walk from here. That pl a c e i s s t i l l v e r y secured.

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(MARCH 1, 1977)

So on March l s t we moved there again. We found everything i s very much the same at Tjokkan H i l l as we had l e f t excepting that the trees we had planted as support p i l l a r s for the houses have taken roots and now producing leaves and branches. The only thing we have to do i s to put new p l a s t i c roofs and repairing the f l o o r s . By now Tjokkan H i l l has become l i k e an old homestead for everyone of us, f u l l of memories. Everyone fee l s l i k e t r u l y coming home. S t i l l , when we moved, a l l Communications are cut off for a few days,even i f we moved only short distance, just to make sure that our security i s i n t a c t , and that our movement i s not detected by the enemy.

(MARCH 7, 1977)

After we are sure that there was no leak whatever about our move from Camp Karim to Tjokkan H i l l , t h e Communications with the country­side are re-established. Our supply l i n e s have also to be re-routed, By t h i s time the Javanese enemy has established a post i n every v i l ­lage to prevent any food being sent to us i n the mountains. The e-nemy forced the people to help him guard the v i l l a g e s against us to achieve that i n i m i c a l purpose. The Javanese keep close watch on people"s movements and the people are not allowed to keep foodstuffs i n t h e i r homes more than for one day supply. The Javanese soldiers come to check everyday to every household for any v i o l a t i o n s of t h i s d i a b o l i c a l rule.Curfew was imposed to stop the movement of people at night. Everything i s done to block food supply from reaching us i n the forests. A l l that, however, did not stop food supply from reach­ing us. That was the measure of the l o y a l t y of the people"for t h e i r l i b e r a t i o n movement. They have vowed not to allow us to be starved by the invaders.

(MARCH 8, 1977) In l i n e with his o v e r a l l strategy to starve us, the enemy

i s tightening the nose a l l around us or where he thinks we are.A new garrison was established by the enemy at Pinto Sa ( F i r s t Gateway), a narrow pass connecting the Ti r o Region with the mountain areas. That new enemy post, therefore,is designed to r e a l l y choke us. We l e t the enemy know of our displeasure by attacking the post one night l a s t week.In the shooting,several enemy soldiers were wounded. Our forces suffered no casualty. The enemy removes the garrison a few days l a ­ter . He knows i t was no use anyhow, so why l e t h i s men being shot at l i k e s i t t i n g ducks?

(MARCH 9, 1977) Our strategy i s r e a l l y to avoid m i l i t a r y confrontation now.We are

not yet ready to enter into an armed struggle. We want to keep the c o n f l i c t p o l i t i c a l as long as possible to prepare the people p o l i t i ­c a l l y for the armed struggle. We need time to indoctrinate the peo­ple. And we have seen that the r e s u l t of our p o l i t i c a l warfare i s

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nothing less than spectacular. The entire people has been aroused a-gainst the Javanese regime. It is no longer possible for any Acheh­nese to work for the Javanese Indonesian regime and remains respect-able in his community,. A l l Achehnese working for the regime has been put on the defensive. To be an Indonesian "government" o f f i c i a l has ceased to be prestigeous in the eyes of the people of Acheh.And that happens only since the formation of the NLFAS. The Javanese regime knows that we have beaten i t p o l i t i c a l l y . The only measure the enemy can take against us i s the military action. Gun i s the only thing he has, and the only means l e f t to impose his hated authority.Therefore the increasing use of military might demonstrable everyday,to change this c o n f l i c t from p o l i t i c a l to military f i e l d where he i s stronger.

(MARCH 10, 1977)

A new calendar for the State of Acheh Sumatra and the NLFAS i s be­ing issued based on our traditional ones but with the view to streng-then the people"s pride and patriotism, and providing occasions to raise the flag - one of the very effective and symbolic means to com-bat the enemy. Since we have re-raised the one-thousand-year old A-chehnese flag, the red-and-white Javanese flag has looked very pale and meaningless i n the eyes of the people of Acheh. People cried un-ashamedly i n public when they saw their f l a g fluttered again on their land. The Javanese never dare to insult our flag i n front of the peo­ple. Every time they found our flags raised, they had to lower them respectfully. Otherwise they may find themselves attacked by the peo­ple with their bare hands. Such i s the symbolic meaning and power of the Achehnese flag with the Achehnese people. This flag stirred the deepest depth of the Achehnese psyche, reminding him of his past glo-ry that sharpened the sense of his present tragedy. Did not his fa­thers subdued the Portuguese at the Battle of Malacca (1586) and des-stroyed the Dutch invaders at the Battle of Bandar Acheh (1873) under the shadow of this proud flag? Here i s the new calendar: Muharram 1 . . . . Islamic New Year Muharram 10 . . . Ashura (Death of Imam Hussein at Karbala) Rabiul Awwal 12. . Maulud (Birth of the Prophet Muhammad) Ramazan 1 . . . . Beginning of Fasting Month Ramazan 17 . . . . Revelation of the Ouran Shawwal 1 . . . . Id a l F i t r (Ending of the Fasting Month) Zulhijjah 10 . . . Id a l Adha (Festival of Sacrifice) January 1 . . . . International New Year January 25 . . . . Tengku Tjhik di Tiro Day

(Death of Al-Malik Tengku Tjhik d i Tiro, 1891) January 28 . . . . Mahmud Shah Day (Death of Sultan Mahmud Shah,1874) February 11. . . . Tjut Njak Dien and Teuku Umar Day

(Death of Teuku Umar, 1899) March 26 . . . . Battle of Aneuk Galong (1896) Apr i l 23 . . . . Heroes Day (Battle of Bandar Acheh, 1873) May 21 . . . . Battle of Mount Alimon (1910) September 5. . . . Battle of Alue Simi (1910) December 3 . . . . Battle of Alue Bhot (1911) December 4 . . . . Re-Declaration of Independence (1976) December 27. . . . Iskandar Muda Day (Death of Sultan Iskandar Muda,

1639)

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(MARCH 11, 1977)

Today I received reports from a l l over the country that by now our Achehnese h i s t o r i e f l a g has been raised everywhere by our a c t i v i s t s even i n Kuta Radja (Bandar Acheh)the seat of the Javanese "governor". The f l a g - r a i s i n g i n Kuta Radja was also reported by the BBC of London which we heard over the radio i n the mountain. I t was accompanied by a big student demonstration.

Also I received reports that the Javanese Indonesian regime had sent i t s propaganda teams to every v i l l a g e and town to denounce the NLF leadership especially me personally. Their propaganda, however, has had curious twists. At the beginning even the Javanese did not believe that I had come back to the mountains of Acheh to do what I did. The propaganda department of the regime f l a t l y denied the "ru-mors" about my being i n Acheh and doing what I did. My honor was ne­ver questioned. I t said at the time that the rebels were using my name to a t t r a c t attention and to get following. The r e a l leaders of the movement of Free Acheh, the Indonesians said were Geutjhik Uma and Daud Paneuk. But l a t e r on when they found out for r e a l that I was i n Acheh, the Javanese began by fabricating a l l sorts of things to defame my good name among my people. I did not even bother to r e -ply to t h e i r accusations because they were so ludicrous and my peo­ple who knew me from b i r t h w i l l never f a l l for that sorts of Javanese craps. And so i t was. Several incidents already occurred l i k e the one i n the D i s t r i c t of Reubèe when the people forced the o f f i c i a l speaker who was denouncing me to stop i t , go down the podium or be pulled down. People yelled:"Stop itï Stop i t ! Enough! Enough!" The man meek-l y stepped down and had to run away under Javanese police protection, Since they cannot refute our p o l i t i c a l arguments, the Javanese t r i e d to attack the personal i n t e g r i t y of everyone of the NLFAS' leaders and to smear our good names with Javanese types of low brow insinua-tions. That might have worked i n Java among the Javanese but never a-mong the people of Acheh Sumatra.

(MARCH 25, 1977)

Today we received a report that the enemy troops w i l l conduct thei r "search and destroy" operations toward the d i r e c t i o n of Tjokkan H i l l area. The report did not s p e c i f i c a l l y say that our camp had been located by the enemy, but merely said that the enemy operation w i l l be directed toward our general d i r e c t i o n . But by the size of the ene­my forces being assembled i n S i g l i , Lam Meulo, and Beureunuen, three battalions i n a l l , i t i s wise for us to move out of the area u n t i l the enemy operation i s finished. Therefore, after evaluating the re­port, we think i t i s prudent to move out of the designated enemy"s search area. We decide to move down to Lhok Nilam area on the South side of the Tiro River. We w i l l move there on March 30th. I t w i l l take only about four hours of marching to that place, mostly climbing and descending. An advanced party w i l l be sent there today to pre­pare a temporary camp.

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(MARCH 26, 1977)

Today i s OUT national Holiday, commeraorating the great BATTLE OF ANEUK GALONG that took place on March 26, 1896,between the Dutch and Free Achehnese forces. The fortress of Aneuk Galong was the Headqu­arters of Free Achehnese Forces for over 20 years and the v i r t u a l wartime c a p i t a l of Acheh beside Mureue. I t was the fo r t r e s s that had successfully stopped the Dutch and Javanese invading forces from further advance for 23 years since t h e i r second invasion of Acheh that had begun on Christmas Day, 1873.

The fortress of Aneuk Galong was f i r s t b u i l t by Tengku Tjhik d i Tiro Muhammad Saman and then enlarged and f o r t i f i e d by h i s f i r s t son Tengku Tjhik d i Tiro Muhammad Amin. From the strategie location of Aneuk Galong the Achehnese forces maintained the longest siege i n hi s t o r y against the Dutch and Javanese forces i n Kuta Radja area that lasted for 22 years!

In 1896 the Dutch took the i n i t i a t i v e to break out from Achehnese encirclement. The Dutch h i s t o r i a n , J. Kreemer, wrote i n h i s book, A-tjêh, that "Tengku Tjhik d i Tiro raised a very large army which he deployed to encircle the entire Dutch position i n the country so that he e f f e c t i v e l y locked us i n our stockades with the roighty force of arms." On March 26, 1896, the Dutch forces under command of Gene­r a l Van Heutz and General Van Daalen - the two greatest generals i n the h i s t o r y of Dutch colonialism, - attacked Aneuk Galong. At the time of the attack, the fortress of Aneuk Galong was personally com-manded by Tengku Tjhik d i Tiro Muhammad Amin,who was also the Acheh­nese Head of State. He died as the hero of Acheh at that b a t t l e and was buried next to his father i n the l a t t e r mousoleum i n Mureue.

Here i s what Dutch General Van Daalen wrote about the Battle of Aneuk Galong:

"The Achehnese fought l i k e l i o n s . They preferred to die than surrender. I t was a b i t t e r hand-to-hand f i g h t i n g . Quarter was not asked, and was not given Among the Achehnese dead was Tengku Muhammad Amin d i Tiro whose body was brought by h i s men to Mureue, and was buried there next to the grave of h i s f a ­ther."

Today we commemorate the battle and the heroes of Aneuk Galong. There were two hundreds of them. Not one surrendered! Their memory strengthens our own resolve to carry on t h i s struggle, a sacred duty which we inherited from them.

(MARCH 30, 1977)

We depart early i n the morning toward the d i r e c t i o n of Lhok Nilam Northeast from Tjokkan H i l l . I t must have been only a few miles away but separated by several folds of extremely high ridges and steep ravines each takes hours to climb up and to descend down, While ne-got i a t i n g to descend the l a s t steep ravine, one of my fingers was crushed because my guard, Abou Kasem, who walks very close behind me to make sure that he can grab me i f I tumbled down h i l l , i n his an-

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x i e t y to p r o t e c t me, he stepped down too c l o s e l y behind me th a t h i s f o o t landed on a loose piece of rock i n f r o n t of him t h a t was d i -r e c t l y on top of the one I was h o l d i n g on t o keep me from f a l l i n g down h i l l . The loose rock f e i l on my f i n g e r crushing my n a i l and c u t t i n g my f i n g e r deeply. The blood rushed so much, i n o r d i n a t e , I thought f o r such a sm a l l a c c i d e n t . I t was, however, i n - e x p l i c a b l y , v e r y p a i n f u l , maybe because of the c r u s h i n g of the n a i l . Seeing my blood f l o w i n g from my f i n g e r so p r o f u s e d l y , I remembered what Zent­g r a a f f had written:"Too much blood of the d i T i r o f a m i l y has been s p i l l e d . " I t c e r t a i n l y has not been stopped u n t i l today!

(MARCH 31, 1977)

A f t e r e v e r y t h i n g has been s a i d and done so f a r , my m i s s i o n came down to t h i s - and t h i s w i l l be a measure of my success or f a i l u r e : I want to make my i d e a , my c o n v i c t i o n about Free Acheh, Sumatra, shared by a l l Achehnese Sumatrans, men, women, and c h i l d r e n . I had done e v e r y t h i n g p o s s i b l e to r e v i v e Achehnese p a t r i o t i s m from abroad since I had been i n e x i l e a l l my l i f e by w r i t i n g s e v e r a l books, i n Achehnese, t o r e v i v e my language and c u l t u r e a t the same time, such as Atjèh Bak Mata Donja (Acheh i n World History)1968, Sïreutoih Thon Mideuen Prang Bandar Atjêh (One Hundred Year Anniversary of the Bat­t l e of Bandar Acheh) 197 3, Peurdjuangan Atjêh Meurdéhka (The Strug­g l e f o r Free Acheh) 1976,and many o t h e r s . These books had been smug-gled t o Acheh and are w i d e l y read. They have had great i n f l u e n c e u-pon the people"s minds but not enough t o m o b i l i z e them f o r an inde ­pendence r e v o l u t i o n now. Therefore I have come back t o l i v e i n the f o r e s t s of my country t o b r i n g back the idea c l o s e r t o my people. I expect the st r e n g t h of my idea w i l l be so much grea t e r when a m i l l i -on other minds acceepted i t . T h e s o l i t a r y e xistence of the idea i n my one mind i n the United States w i l l never lead t o a r e v o l u t i o n . B u t i f I could i n c u l c a t e the id e a i n t o a m i l l i o n other minds now, i t might lead to a s u c c e s s f u l n a t i o n a l l i b e r a t i o n movement. I would l i k e t o cre a t e a k i n d of consciousness i n every Achehnese mind t h a t w i l l make him get up and do whatever needs t o be done t o ga i n back our indepen dence. In any event, I have taken the r i s k t o do i t . And I have seen the evidence t h a t my people have responded to my c a l l . That i s then the genesis of the N a t i o n a l L i b e r a t i o n F r o n t of Acheh Sumatra.

(APRIL 1, 1977)

The s e t t i n g and the lay-ou t of the Lhok Nilam Camp i s so good and well - h i d d e n . I t i s only about 300 meters from the bank of the T i r o R i v e r but completely hidden from i t . For water supply, there i s a s w i f t running s p r i n g r i g h t i n f r o n t of i t . The men had erected such a m a g n i f i c e n t f l a g p o l e i n the f r o n t yard t h a t we had to r a i s e the f l a g without f u r t h e r d e l a y . A l s o I n o t i c e there are e x t r a food and mountains of meats on the t a b l e s of the camp, unusual f o r the day of a r r i v a l which was u s u a l l y a lea n day. I t turned out t h a t e v e r y t h i n g had come from the farm of Abou R i h which i s l o c a t e d not f a r to the North of the camp. Although our moving t o Lhok Nilam Camp i s f o r the purpose of escaping from enemy's dragnets and we could hear the sound of enemy f i r i n g on the other s i d e of the r i d g e s , the men are

54

a l l relaxed and at ease. While there I received daily reports on the enemy movements. It turned out the enemy did not even go near our Tjokkan H i l l Camp but passed through Northern and Southern perime­ters. Surely we would have been nervous to be staying i n there i f we had not moved out. A decision was taken to return to Tjokkan H i l l on the 5th of A p r i l , leaving Lhok Nilam Camp as a reserved place for our new recruits. It was clear, however, that the enemy had decided to establish his permanent presence i n the area.

(APRIL 5, 1977)

Today we returned to the Tjokkan H i l l Camp again. Walking through the forests i s a very tricky affairs.One can get lost very easily. I thought by now I can claim some experteese i n i t , only to find out that I did not even know where I was u n t i l suddenly I stepped i n the camp ground, of course being led by the Pawang.I would not have been able to come back there by myself after having lived there for seve­r a l months.

(APRIL 10, 1977)

Yesterday Geutjhik Uma, the Commandant of my guards who has never l e f t my sight ever since he came to fetch me at Panton Wéng Camp last October, by order of my uncle, Tengku Tjhik Umar d i Tiro, had asked for my permission to v i s i t his wife and children at their home in Blang Kedah village, not very far away. By direct route through the banks of the Tiro River i t would have taken about 2 hours by foot. But because the enemy had blockaded the route, he had to take our guerilla route through the forests and ravines that would take 4 to 5 hours of walking. There was nothing unusual happening a l l day that I knew of. At about 3 PM Geutjhik Uma returned to the camp and came directly to greet me by kissing my hand as usual, and I asked him to s i t down next to me. I notice some fresh scratches on his cheeks and forehead but dismissed i t as the usual things that hap­pened after walking through the forests where thorns are everywhere and i t was impossible not to get scratched especially when you have the need to run.

Suddenly Geutjhik Uma covered his face with both of his palms crying - looking very upset indeed.I was shocked at the thought that something very terrible must have happened. I tried to comfort him and asked him what had happened. It took a few minutes before he can calm himself and begins to t e i l me what had happened: last night at about 3 AM the enemy surrounded his house and demanded for his sur-render. - "Geutjhik Uma, we know you are in there.Come out slowly and sur-

render yourself!" The enemy yelled under cover of darkness. Then there was silence. He did not expect that to happen, was very surprised and needed time to think what to do.

- "Geutjhik Uma, come out or we w i l l shoot a l l over the housei" Another y e l l from the enemy.

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- " I w i l l come out w i t h my wife and c h i l d r e n , don't shoot!", G e u t j h i k Uma r e p l i e d .

Then he asked h i s w i f e and the children,two g i r l s (aged 10 and 12) to go out f i r s t , and a f t e r a l l three were i n the c l e a r , he run out very q u i c k l y through the back door while f i r i n g e t the enemy w i t h h i s s e r v i c e p i s t o l . He knew he h i t one of them because the enemy yelled:"He shot me on my arm! He shot me on my arm! Help!" Geutjhik Uma got away under cover of darkness. I t took him f i v e hours t o a r ­rivé here. He was very upset, he s a i d , because he had now j e o p a r d i z -ed my s e c u r i t y . I t was h i s primary duty t o look a f t e r my s e c u r i t y and my s a f e t y . Now what he had done! He should have never f i r e d the b u l -I e t s , he s a i d - c r y i n g a l l over again. Now, Geu t j h i k Uma i s a very brave and tough man but he has a very s o f t h e a r t f o r me. I knew t h a t . There was an i n c i d e n t sometime ago when he l e t me went somewhere w i ­thout him and I and my p a r t y got l o s t i n the f o r e s t s f o r a day. Geu­t j h i k Uma was c r y i n g , lamenting himself f o r not doing h i s duty as he was e n t r u s t e d by my u n c l e , Tengku Umar, to whom he was devoted.

I asked G e u t j i k Uma:"Is t h a t a l l ? Nobody i n your f a m i l y got k i l l e d or hurt? "No", he s a i d , s t i l l sobbing. I s a i d to him:"Then, there i s nothing to c r y about. I am gl a d you d i d f i r e the gun. I f you d i d not they might have been ab l e t o capture you. You d i d the r i g h t t h i n g . There i s nothing t o worry about or to a p o l o g i z e . Go get some food and some r e s t . We w i l l t h i n k tomorrow what t o do about i t . The most im­port a n t t h i n g i s t h a t you and your f a m i l y are s a f e ! " He stands up, k i s s e s my hand and walks away t o h i s q u a r t e r s . I t h i n k of Ge u t j h i k U-ma, what a brave, l o y a l and consciëntieus man i s he. And he has the good look t o match h i s good c h a r a c t e r s . I o f t e n t h i n k t h a t when t h i s i s a l l over, I w i l l go w i t h G e u t j h i k Uma, always as my c h i e f a i d e , t o v i s i t our f r i e n d s abroad, to see the world, and be seen. I am t r u l y proud of my men. I would g i v e my l i f e f o r them as I know they would give t h e i r l i v e s f o r me. Ge u t j h i k Uma i s a good r e p r e s e n t a t i v e of h i s f e l l o w Achehnese. These are the men and women - t h e i r wives and c h i l ­dren - who make me f e e l t h a t a l l the t r o u b l e s t h a t I have taken f o r the cause of my people are worth i t . They have done no l e s s than I i n t h e i r own p o s t s , according to t h e i r a b i l i t i e s . G e u t j h i k Uma and h i s l i k e s - God, there are so many of them i n Acheh - are my redeemers.

(APRIL 11, 1977)

The Blang Kedah or the Geutjhik Uma i n c i d e n t of A p r i l 10, 1977, turned out t o have a very good propaganda val u e f o r the l i b e r a t i o n movement. Rumours spread a l l over the country magnifying the i n c i ­dent - no doubt by our ima g i n a t i v e members no l e s s than by Acheh­nese rumor-mongers who take such d e l i g h t s i n exaggerating t h i n g s es­p e c i a l l y a t the expense of the hated Javanese regime. By the time the st o r y reached S i n g k e l , the remote town i n Southern Acheh, i t was be­ing p i c t u r e d as a b i g b a t t l e between the NLF f o r c e s and the Javanese Indonesians i n v o l v i n g tanks w i t h G e u t j h i k Uma, the Commandant of the Guards of the Achehnese Head of S t a t e . Thus, the Ge u t j h i k Uma legend was born.

56

In a country where there i s no free newspapers, no free radio sta­tions, and no free televisions, rumours become such part of public re a l i t y , and indistinguishable from news; and since rumours give more free play to the imagination, they are preferred to "hard" news. Eve­ryone knows that the regime's contrclled press are no good source for news anyhow. Acheh Sumatra under Javanese Indonesian co l o n i a l i s t rule provides a stage for a c l i n i c a l study of the role of rumours i n a mi­lie u of controlled press.

Today we decide to move out of the Tjokkan H i l l i n view of the expected enemy move against us after the incident.Also i t is about time we move out of the Tjokkan H i l l after such a long stay. By gue­r i l l a Standard we should have moved out long time already. We decide to move to a new area, as far as possible and practicable from Tiro Region. Our destination i s Krueng Agam (River Agam), directly to the South of Panton Wéng, my f i r s t camp. It w i l l take four or five days walk to reach there and i t w i l l not be easy with a l l the things the men have to carry: o f f i c e equipments ( many typewriters, stencil ma­chines, papers ), food supplies, medicines, radios, etc. In a t r i p l i k e that every additional ounce i s a burden because a human being who has to carry i t while climbing and descending suffered extreme exhaustion. We rarely have occasion to walk on f l a t surface. Only when we h i t the elephant paths occasionally. Elephants, being heavy and d i s l i k e to climb, have made reraarkable paths on a l l available f l a t surfaces on the mountain ridges that extend for tens of miles at a stretch and connecting into hundreds of miles of similar paths , But, as a rule, a guerilla must avoid a l l easy and nice things. Such paths w i l l also be the favorite routes for our pursuers. Therefore, we must use them with extreme care. To avoid using them i s s t i l l a better policy. But when you see a f l a t path to walk on in the moun­tains i t i s i r r e s i s t i b l e not to go through i t . The difference between walking over f l a t paths compared to h i l l y ones i s indescribable -only known to the guerillas.

(APRIL 15, 1977)

It took us five days to reach the bank of Krueng Agam. That means we have to sleep four nights on the way. The march was extremely d i f ­f i c u l t as we have to climb many high ridges.We marched from 6 o'clock in the morning to 5 o'clock in the evening with 30 minutes break for lunch i n the afternoon. There were about f i f t y men i n my party. Too many for safety. A guerilla group should not have been more than 12 men, maximum. We could expect slaughter i f we met the enemy who cer-tainly move i n much smaller numbers, at that time. When we reached the bank of Krueng Agam river we picked up a strategie place to es-tablish the camp, just behind the height on a narrow pass controll-ing a l l approaches to the place. About ten miles down the river to the North i s my old camp, Panton Wéng. We decided not to return there because the security situation i s not too good. And this newly found spot i s just fine, even too good not to take. The men who are now be coming experts in building camps established such a nice "building" in no time; i t i s i n my recollection thus far the most handsome ever, giving the impression of the colonnaded "alcazar" of Andalusian Spain which used to be my favorite vacation ground.

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The next day we have a t e a r f u l l y j o y f u l re-union with the members of the parties of Army Commander Daud Husin and Muhammad Taib Hasan, the D i s t r i c t Head of Simpang Lhèe, another stalwart of the NLF who had been separated from us for some time on tours of duty i n other a-reas. I had never postponed an operation once i t had been decided u-pon, and those who had been assigned the duty must go, even leaving me only with a handful of men i n the forests. Also a l l of us have an i n * timate understanding now that every parting maybe forever, therefore every re-union i s a moving occasion with tears of joy dropping from everyone's eyes as they embraced thei r comrades-in-arms. I heard that Army Commander's party had to f i g h t i t s way out of enemy's en c i r c l e -ment on the way up here - but without sustaining any casualties.

The Krueng Agam River i s famous for i t s i l s and other kinds of f i s h The men are well-prepared with a l l sorts of fishermen's gears. In no time we begin to feast with sumptuous dinners. I l s can be very d e l i -cious when they are well-prepared. Even cooked on f i r e , shish kebab's s t y l e , they are very d e l i c i o u s . While i n Krueng Agam Region, our food supply would come from the nearby d i s t r i c t s . Although these are areas supposedly s t i l l under enemy control, but the people, l i k e i n the rest of Acheh, belonged to us.

(APRIL 16, 1977)

We receive reports that the enemy i s stepping up h i s campaign to picture us i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y as " t e r r o r i s t s " , "bandits", "fanatics" and even "communists" to j u s t i f y h i s repressive actions against. us. There­fore, we decide to r e p r i n t our Declaration of Independence of Acheh-Sumatra i n the English language as many as possible for d i s t r i b u t i o n abroad. The p r i n t i n g machine i s being put to work 24 hours a day. By now everybody i n the camp has become "Jack of a l l trades": everybody can p r a c t i c a l l y do everything. Our doctors can run the p r i n t i n g ma­chine best of a l l . They did such fine p r i n t i n g jobs that the enemy had always i n s i s t e d that a l l our pamphlets and books were printed i n foreign countries and smuggled i n , instead of the other way around. We used international Standard i n our p r i n t i n g - not Javanese Indonesian Standard!And then a l l our men know also how to administer medicine be­cause they have taken para-medics trai n i n g courses i n the camps.Every­one also knows how to chop woods, how to cook, how to shoot -and to my surprise - how to give best lectures on the fundamentais of our move­ment 's p o l i t i c a l philosophy and Achehnese hi s t o r y . When the men were sent on missions to various parts of the country, on whatever duty,be­ing from the headquarters, they are always asked to speak and being treated as honored guests everywhere they went. Even those on missions of mail d e l i v e r i e s are being asked to give a t a l k . A l l my men rose to the occasions! I did not r e a l i z e that they had been my captive audien-ce for so long and had memorized many things that I had taught them. So I was pleasantly surprised to receive requests for speakers from the countryside:"Please send us so and so, etc." I can say with cer-ta i n t y now that a l l my companions have become changed persons, from simple fishermen, farmers, i l l i t e r a t e or l i t e r a t e , t h e y have been tran-sformed into leaders, l i t e r a t e , a r t i c u l a t e , knowledgeable,resolute and know how to handle their new status which they c l e a r l y appreciate and enjoyed, and would never give up for anything i n the world. Consider

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what has r e a l l y happened: i n the old time they were ordinary men of th e i r v i l l a g e s , nobody paid any attention to them, l e t alone honored them. Now, when they come back, the moment neighbors learned of t h e i r presence everyone w i l l rush to greet them, to ask for news about the struggle. "Et na ka geutanjoë?" - at what point are we i n our struggle now? - t h i s i s the most frequently e l i c i t e d f i r s t guestion. The men would be in v i t e d to every home. He would be put i n the most honored spot, at the head of the table, so to speak. He would be seated on ti-ka duek, a s p e c i a l l y embroidered mat for VIP. I f he would stay over-night, he would be given the master bedroom to sleep i n while the host w i l l put up somewhere else. Our a c t i v i s t s are simply pampered by the people when they return home. This has happened to all my men.lt shows the people's enthusiasm and s o c i a l approval for the l i b e r a t i o n move­ment and for a l l those involved i n i t . Deep down i t i s the honor and the d i g n i t y of the Achehnese race and Islam that i s involved and being restored here. Those who are involved are touched by the holiness of t h i s cause. That i s why we have already won the struggle - because we have won the hearts of the people. The r e s t i s l i t e r a t u r e , as they say.

(APRIL 17, 1977)

Krueng Agam River i s also c a l l e d i n Achehnese "Krueng Batèe Meu-sambong" - the River of Continuous Stcnes, because i t i s f u l l of big rock formations that the erosive a c t i v i t i e s of the water s t i l l un-able to cut them i n t o smaller pieces l e t alone reducing them into pebbles. These rocks are very smooth but also very slippery and dan­gerous to step or to walk over them. When I was at the Panton Wéng Camp l a s t November, I had come up to explore t h i s r i v e r and had i n ­deed f a l l e n down when I stepped on a slippery rock, wounding my r i g h t leg that took two weeks to heal. I got a l l my s u i t dripping wet at the time I f e i l .

Today I almost get into r e a l bad si t u a t i o n again because of the slipperiness of the rocks of t h i s r i v e r . I went down the r i v e r with my shoes on. Before I know i t , I slipped down so f a s t f a l l i n g very hard into a crevice about 3 meters deep, and when h i t t i n g the bottom that was equaily slippery, I was bounced l i k e a b a l l to the opposite side and f a l l i n g down into another connecting crevice,also about 3 me­ters deep, making the f a l l of about 6 meters altogether, and then lan-ded f l a t on my back on a patch of black sands at the bottom, f e e l i n g dizzy and shaken. I t a l l happened so sudden and before I can think of anything i t had fi n i s h e d . I was alone - a very rare occasion indeed -and no one had seen what happened. Such i s the nature of a l l accidents when they happened. Prevention i s the best precaution. One should not wear shoes on slippery rocks. I checked my physical condition to f i n d the damage: no broken bone, no bruises, only extreme dizziness.I could hardly get up. I noticed that the heavy metal s t r i p protecting the trigger of my revolver (a Smith&Wesson) had almost been smashed i n d i -cating that i t had had a strong abrasive contact with the rocks when I tumbled down. I shivered thinking of what would have happened i f i t had broken under pressure, and my revolver would have been triggered. I t was a t r u l y narrow escape. I continued to f e e l nauseated and went back to my quarters. Then I f e i t a sharp pain on the top of my head. When I put my hand there I found a big round swell that was painf u l

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upon pressure. I s t i l l f e e l s l i g h t l y dizzy. I thought I should take a strong dose of p e n i c i l l i n p i l l s that I had with me to prevent any possible i n f e c t i o n and then went to sleep without ever t e l l i n g anyone about what had happened. I c e r t a i n l y w i l l not forget the River of Con tinuous Stones.

(APRIL 18, 1977)

While at Krueng Agam Camp I accepted two new necessary addition to my permanent s t a f f : they are Pawang Brahim and Baih Taleb. Both men are notables of the area. One of the problems I face i s how to r e j e c t so many people who want to j o i n me i n the mountains without hurting their feelings.Our pol i c y i s to keep as few people as possible i n the mountains and to have everyone stayed i n h i s v i l l a g e or town. Only those who are i n immediate danger of being arrested by the enemy are allowed to move to the mountain camps. And only those with special reasons are allowed to be with me. There are people from every region of Acheh among my s t a f f to f a c i l i t a t e Communications. So wherever I have to move, there w i l l be someone who can lead the way and know a l l the l o c a l people.

Pawang Brahim i s an expert of the mountain regions between Tiro and Samalanga. And Baih Taleb i s the leader of the community of the Krueng Agam t e r r i t o r y . Pawang Brahim i s on the spot: i f we did not take him with us, the enemy w i l l force him to show the way for the e-nemy troops i n the mountains. The enemy had already forced him on se­veral occasions to show the way i n search of the NLF camps.

(APRIL 23, 1977)

Today i s our national Holiday, THE HEROES DAY, celebrating our great v i c t o r y at the BATTLE OF BANDAR ACHEH, 104 years ago today.when the Achehnese Armed Forces defeated the Dutch, the f i r s t major Euro­pean c o l o n i a l i s t defeat i n Southeast Asian history. For several gene­rations the Achehnese had forgotten t h i s glorious day altogether, as i f erased from thei r memories. What a shame i t was! They di d not even know anything about i t anymore u n t i l I celebrated i t for the f i r s t time i n many generations, i n New York, i n 1973. My speech on that oc­casion from New York was meant to be a c l a r i o n c a l l to the Achehnese to r i s e again to honor thei r dead heroes and to take t h e i r place again among free sovereign nations of the world. I f the Achehnese had remembered t h i s i n 1945, at the end of World War I I , they would have already been free!

We celebrate t h i s day i n Krueng Agam Camp with a solemn f l a g r a i s -ing ceremony, the very f l a g the Dutch wanted to p u l l down i n 1873!

Here i s the story of the BATTLE OF BANDAR ACHEH:

On March 26, 1873,the largest Dutch armada ever assembled i n South east Asia arrived on the coast of Acheh bringing a Dutch Ultimatum to the Government of the Kingdom of Acheh Sumatra, demanding the follow-ing:

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1. Immediate surrender of Acheh Sumatra to Holland without r e s i s t -ance and becomes a part of Dutch East Indies (Indonesia);

2. Stopping slave-trade on the island of Sumatra and stopping p i -racy i n the Malacca S t r a i t s ;

3. The State of Acheh must give to Holland a l l parts of Sumatra s t i l l under Achehnese sovereignty;

4. The State of Acheh must immediately cut a l l i t s diplomatic and commercial r e l a t i o n s with a l l European and Asian countries,re-nounce l o y a l t y to the Islamic K h a l i f a t e , and swear l o y a l t y to the King of Holland;

5. The Dutch f l a g must be raised i n place of the Achehnese f l a g .

Point 2 i n the Ultimatum was merely to provide excuses for the Dutch to be able to moralize t h e i r naked aggression against the State of Acheh i n the name of "suppressing slavery & piracy".

The Government of the State of Acheh Sumatra asked for time to con sider the demands. The Commander of the Dutch armada, General Kohier, r e p l i e d that he gave one hour time for the State of Acheh Sumatra to reply!

Thereupon, the great King of Acheh Sumatra, Sultan Mahmud Shah,did the only honorable thing to do: His Majesty rejected the Dutch U l t i ­matum forthwith, with the following message:

(1) The Government and the people of Acheh Sumatra w i l l never sur­render t h e i r country to foreign powers and are prepared to f i g h t to defend thei r s o i l , and w i l l never accept to become a part of Dutch colony ("Indonesia"); (2) There i s no slave-trading i n Acheh Sumatra as alleged to j u s t i f y aggression; as to piracy i n the Ma­lacca S t r a i t s we do not condone i t , and a l l proven pirates are s t r i c t l y dealt with according to the law; (3) Regarding the demand that we give to Holland a l l Sumatran t e r r i t o r i e s under Achehnese sovereignty, that cannot be done without consultations with the peoples of those t e r r i t o r i e s who are our own people, not colonies; (4) Regarding the demand that we renounced the Islamic Khalifate and to swear l o y a l t y to the King of Holland, t h i s i s tantamount to asking us to renounce our r e l i g i o n ; (5) And f i n a l l y the demand that we changed our f l a g for yours i s t o t a l l y unacceptable.For our r e l i g i o n and our f l a g , we, and every Achehnese w i l l shed the l a s t drops of his blood."

Upon receiving that reply, the Dutch, on the same day, declared war against the State of Acheh Sumatra. Immediately they began bombard-ment of the c a p i t a l c i t y , Kuta Radja. On A p r i l 5, 1873, General Koh­i e r stepped ashore on Achehnese s o i l , with 10,000 best European troops, just brought i n from Holland, supported by large numbers of Javanese mercenaries. On A p r i l 23, 1873, at the BATTLE OF BANDAR ACHEH, the Dutch invading army was annihilated by the Army of Acheh. General Kohier himself was executed by the Achehnese as a war c r i m i -nal. What happened was reported as front-page news around the world. The Times of London wrote ( A p r i l 22, 187 3):

"A remarkable incident i n modern c o l o n i a l h i s t o r y i s reported from the East Indian Archipelago. A considerable force of Eu-ropeans has been defeated by the army of a native State, the

61

State of Acheh. The Achehnese have gained a decisive v i c t o r y . Their enemy i s not only defeated but compelled to withdraw."

The Times commented further that Holland had no r i g h t to attack A-cheh to begin with, because as i t said "Acheh indeed was not a dependency of Holland."

The New York Times (Tuesday, May 6, 1873) wrote i n i t s e d i t o r i a l page as follows:

"A sanguinary battle has taken place i n Acheh. The Dutch a t ­tack was repulsed with great slaughter. The Dutch General was k i l l e d , and h i s army put to disastrous f l i g h t . That repulse i s regarded as most serious may be inferred from a recent de-ba tes i n the Parliament at The Hague, when a member declared that the enterprise taken altogether w i l l prove the l a s t blow to the authority of Holland i n the Eastern World."

On May 15, 1873, The New York Times published an e d i t o r i a l about Acheh (Acheen) as follows:

" A C H E H "

"Now, the Achehnese education of the present generation of Christendom may be said to have f a i r l y begun. "Soon i t w i l l be generally known that the Achehnese are not enervated savages, by any means, but sound Musselmen and hardy f i g h t e r s .

É " I t w i l l creep out that they, as well as the i r present anta-gonists, once had outlying colonies of t h e i r own, and that there was a time when they were even strong enough to besiege the redoubtable Portuguese themselves i n the c i t y of Malacca. The knowledge w i l l become general that the Sultan of Acheh was once on very good terms with James I of England, and the l a t t e r canny Monarch presented to h i s Achehnese brother two cannons which now help guard h i s successor "s palace i n Suma­t r a . "

On Friday, May 30, 1873, The New York Times published f u l l e r r e ­ports on the decisive Battle of Bandar Acheh, which says, i n part:

"The Dutch were very badly beaten. General Kohier was k i l l e d . With heavy losses, his command f e i l back to the shore, where at l a s t advice, they maintained with d i f f i c u l t y a precarious foothold against surrounding foes. "We are now t o l d from the Dutch side that the Sultan had a very large force, armed with breech-loading r i f l e s . Pending t h i s , the Sultan i s showing diplomatic as well as m i l i t a r y capacity. "He has discovered that, by the Treaty of 1819, made between the King of Great B r i t a i n and the then Achehnese Sultan,or by similar contracts made with the East India Company, England undertook to intervene as against any power which should make

62

war on Acheh. I t i s now, t h e r e f o r e , represented, as p a r t o f the London press own,with j u s t i c e , t h a t the B r i t i s h Government have s e r i o u s l y broken f a i t h w i t h the S u l t a n i n a l l o w i n g the Dutch t o make war upon him without remonstrance or i n t e r p o s i -t i o n . T h i s i m p l i e s a demand f o r help from England which t h a t power w i l l apparently f i n d i t d i f f i c u l t c o n s i s t e n t l y t o deny; and the demand coming cn the h e e l s of Achehnese success may have more f a v o r a b l e c o n s i d e r a t i o n than i f the circumstances were otherwise.

"In any case, i t i s u n l i k e l y t h a t Holland w i l l stop f i g h t i n g a f t e r d e f e a t as t h a t Acheh w i l l do so a f t e r v i c t o r y ; so t h a t a s t r u g g l e of much f i e r c e n e s s and o b s t i n a c y may be counted on as almost i n e v i t a b l e . "The S u l t a n , who has p l e n t y of money,has sent l a r g e o r d e r s t o Europe f o r the most improved p a t t e r n of arms and h i s s u b j e c t s being not o n l y s k i l l f u l marksmen, but brave w a r r i o r s , the phlegmatic and r e s o l u t e Hollanders w i l l meet i n the Achehnese foemen worthy of t h e i r s t e e l . "

A g a i n , i n i t s e d i t o r i a l on Saturday, J u l y 5th,1873, The New York Times s t a t e d :

"HOLLAND AND AC HEEN (ACHEH)" "Our sympathies would o r d i n a r i l y go w i t h the C h r i s t i a n and c i v i l i z e d power, and a s s u r e d l y when we see Holland b a t t l i n g t o suppress a nest of manstealers, thugs, and p i r a t e s , we would wish her a l l success; but a people b r a v e l y s t r u g g l i n g t o defend t h e i r s o i l , t h e i r f l a g , and t h e i r f a i t h a g a i n s t a rapacious invader i s a d i f f e r e n t s p e c t a c l e . The l a s t i s the p i c t u r e drawn as the t r u e one by the good f r i e n d ofthe Acheh­nese, the C o n s t a n t i n o p l e j o u r n a l i s t , and i n t e l l i g e n t readers can determine f o r themselves which i s best e n t i t l e d t o t h e i r credence."

Other p r e s t i g e o u s p u b l i c a t i o n s , such as The Nation of New York, on May 15, 1873, commented on the B a t t l e of Bandar Acheh andthe Dutch defeat s t a t i n g t h a t "the r e p u l s e of the Dutch appears to have been even more s e r i o u s than f i r s t r e p o r t e d . " The London Economist supported the cause of Acheh and r i d i c u l e d the n o t i o n of Dutch " p r e s t i g e " i n the E a s t . The London Spectator suspected a c o l l u s i o n between the B r i t i s h Government and the Dutch. The Basirat of I s t a n -b u l p u b l i s h e d a s e r i e s of a r t i c l e s i n May and June, 1873,entirely defending the j u s t i c e of the Achehnese cause. Other T u r k i s h newspa-pers such as La Turqui, Jevaih, demanded T u r k i s h i n t e r v e n t i o n onthe s i d e of Acheh.

I n d i c a t i v e of the un-questioned s t a t u s of the Kingdom of Acheh as an i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y recognized independent sovereign State was the f a c t t h a t major world powers d e c l a r e d t h e i r n e u t r a l i t y i n the war between Holland and Acheh. P r e s i d e n t Ulysses S. Grant of the U-n i t e d States was the f i r s t t o i s s u e a Proclamation of I m p a r t i a l Neu t r a l i t y i n the war between the Kingdom of The Netherlands and the Kingdom of Acheh. Then f o l l o w e d by the United Kingdom and France.

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Ftve edi tori als. of THE NEW YORK TIMES on the Battle of Bandar Acheh,

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The United Kingdom not only declared n e u t r a l i t y but also issued a proclamation recognizing the r i g h t of innocent passage to the b e l l i -gerents, Acheh and Holland, i n B r i t i s h t e r r i t o r i e s of Malaya and S i -ngapura. While Turkey, Germany and I t a l y a c t i v e l y pursuing pro-Acheh nese p o l i c i e s .

I f e e l I should add another l i n e as a footnote: the man who acted as the emissary to br i n g the Dutch Ultimatum to the Government of A-cheh was none other than Mas Sumo, a Javanese mercenary whose des-cendants and kinsmen have the impudence now to claim the r i g h t to colonize us Achehnese. Mas Sumo was executed on the spot as a war cr i m i n a l when the Dutch cannon b a l l s f e i l over Bandar Acheh on A p r i l 5, 187 3 - that was 18 days before h i s Master, General Kohier, was himself executed as a war c r i m i n a l by the Armed Forces of Acheh on A p r i l 23, 1873, i n Kuta Radja.

In the event, the Dutch who considered the defeat a t Bandar Acheh an unacceptable n a t i o n a l humiliation, launched a second invasion of Acheh on Christmas Day (!), December 25, 187 3, under the command of General Van Swieten, a Dutch nation a l hero. This second Dutch inva­sion led to the longest c o l o n i a l war i n h i s t o r y . The venerable Ame­r i c a n Harper's Magazine i n an a r t i c l e c a l l e d "The One Hundred Years War of Today" (August 1905) captured the s p i r i t and the drama of that war when i t wrote:

"The Achehnese or Achinese whom the Dutch have been v a i n -l y endeavoring to subdue for so many years, i n h a b i t the Northern and most acc e s s i b l e part of Sumatra,the vlarge i s ­land l y i n g to the West of the East Indian Archipelago... The Achehnese have always been warlike and independent race ... The hatred of fo r e i g n domination, which led the Achehnese to refuse Eng l i s h merchants permission to s e t t l e i n t h e i r country, a l s o led them to f i g h t one European na­t i o n a f t e r another f o r nearly 500 years, and there can be no better evidence o f t h e i r t e n a c i t y and na t i o n a l s p i r i t than the f a c t that t h e i r country i s s t i l l p r a c t i c a l l y i n ­dependent and t h e i r f i g h t i n g men un-conquered.

"Englishmen, Frenchmen, and Dutchmen i n turn t r i e d v a i n l y to e s t a b l i s h r e l a t i o n s with the r i c h Achehnese, but t h e i r p a t r i o t i s m , always so admirable i n the European, but so dangerous i n the Asiatic,would have none of the foreigner. "The Portuguese were the f i r s t opponents. H o s t i l i t i e s be-gan with the Portuguese settlement i n Malacca, and d i d not f i n i s h t i l l that settlement was l o s t to the Dom i n 1641. During t h i s time the Achehnese, not contend with defending t h e i r own country, made ten separate attempts to capture Malacca. So great was Achin's power that i n one of these expeditions i t f i t t e d out an armada c o n s i s t i n g of more than 500 ships, of which 100 were larger than any then used i n Europe. This ships c a r r i e d 60,000 men to Malacca, with the Sultan i n command. "At t h i s time the Dutch John Company began absorption of Java ... Its operations were extended to Sumatra, but for

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obvious reasons the company did not apparently deem i t wise to attempt the subjugation of the "Fighting North" where Achehnese were s t i l l v i r i l e enough to r e s i s t the i n -vader. "The Hague, i n 1871, proceeded to prepare an expedition to invade Achin. The Dutch force, under the command of Major General J H Kohier, attacked the important town of Achin on the 8th of A p r i l , 1873, and was beaten back with great los s , General Kohier himself being among the s l a i n . The Dutch soldiers displayed conspicuous courage i n the attack but they could make absolutely no headway against the equ-a l l y brave and fanatic Achehnese who were u t t e r l y regard-less of death. Another expedition, under General Van Swie-ten, attacked the town the following June and after many sanguinary f i g h t s , i n which the Dutch l o s t heavily,captur-ed the Great Mosque and the C i t a d e l , and by the end of the month reduced the whole town. The Achehnese submitted to the occupation of t h e i r c a p i t a l , but secretly prepared for a further resistance. The Achehnese resumed thei r dreaded g u e r i l l a warfare. They ambushed and k i l l e d the Dutch i n the i n t e r i o r , and the reign of terror ensued. There the Dutch seriously took i n hand what they are pleased to c a l l a war of conquest, which i s s t i l l going on, and which may continue for generations to come.General after general was sent out, and came home defeated and disgraced: report af­ter report came back to The Hague of g u e r i l l a f i g h t i n g , c u t t i n g up of convoys, blowing up of t r a i n s and disastrous ambushes; and s t i l l the Dutch army made l i t t l e or no head­way against t h e i r stubborn and r e l e n t l e s s foe. "The Achehnese swore to r e s i s t the Dutch usurpations, and consequently year a f t e r year, campaign succeeds campaign with an increasingly heavy levy of l i f e and treasures on l i t t l e Holland and i t s colonies i n the East. " I t i s worthy of remark that the Dutch soldiers who have been captured speak well of the Achehnese.They are neither tortured nor i l l - t r e a t e d , and are usually sent back under escort to their own camp. "Conquered and yet unconquerable, animated by r e l i g i e u s z e a l and p a t r i o t i c fervor, the Mohammedan Malays, who have fought Holland for a generation and other Europeans for centuries, and have never yet bowed thei r necks to a fo­reign yoke, prefer to face extermination rather than sub-mit to foreign r u l e . "No sooner has one Achin c h i e f t a i n been k i l l e d or captured then another r i s e s to take his place...."

And that i s the genesis of t h i s Unfinished Diary too.

I t should be noted that General Van Swieten who was prematurely hailed as the "congueror of Acheh" at the beginning of the second Dutch invasion, repented upon retirement by making public confession that he did not manage to conquer the Achehnese whem he said could

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not be defeated i n war. He said the war against Acheh was a catastro phic inistake and he advocated withdrawal and recognition of Acheh as an independent state again. His confession caused a national scandal i n Holland but the Dutch government pursued the c o l o n i a l war u n t i l the Dutch were defeated again by the Achehnese i n 1942,seventy years l a t e r . (Cf. Anthony Reid, The Contest for North Sumatra: Atjeh, The Netherlands and Great Britain, Oxford University Press, 1976).

(APRIL 25, 1977)

Today the decision was taken to move away from Krueng Agam be­cause there was a r e l i a b l e report that the enemy i s planning to at­tack us here. We decide to move back to Mamprèe area, near our f o r -mer Alue Pineung Camp. I t w i l l be another 4 to 5 days of marching. The prospect for such a march i s not j o y f u l l y anticipated, but i t i s one of the things that we have to do. Our po l i c y i s s t i l l to make t h i s a p o l i t i c a l struggle as long as possible to gain time to arm ourselves and to achieve a t o t a l consciousness among our people asto thei r Achehnese Islamic i d e n t i t y . We s t i l l w i l l avoid to f i g h t the enemy at the place of h i s choice, and at the time of h i s decision. We w i l l f i g h t him at the time and the place we choose to do so. We must d i s c i p l i n e ourselves to follow t h i s correct strategy and should not l e t ourselves be provoked to follow the strategy of the enemy. We w i l l proceed to Mamprèe tomorrow morning.

(APRIL 29, 1977)

We arrived i n Mamprèe t e r r i t o r y on A p r i l 29 at about 6 PM. We de­cide to established a new camp about 4 miles to the East of our old camp on Alue Pineung and henceforth we w i l l c a l l i t East Alue P i neung Camp. The new and the old place i s separated by a mountain ridge. Therefore the new camp i s not v i s i b l e from the old one. Ac­cording to our information, the enemy had not come to attack our old Alue Pineung Camp u n t i l now for two reasons: he l o s t contact with h i s agents because the agents f a i l e d to follow through the agreed u-pon procedures so that the whole plan had to be scrapped pending a-nother preparation. Second, because the old commander of the enemy forces i n Acheh who was blamed for a l l Indonesian past f a i l u r e s , R i -v a i Harahap, a mercenary soldier from the Mandailing t r i b e , was r e -placed by a Javanese named Saleh, who was from the notorious S i l i w a -ngi d i v i s i o n that was "credited" - Indonesian s t y l e - for murdering m i l l i o n s of innocent people i n 1965 when Suharto seized power. With the new commander there i s also new t a c t i c s .

(MAY 1, 1977)

To demonstrate our s o l i d a r i t y with the working people the world over, we commemorate May Day with a lecture and refreshments such as we can afford i n the Camp Alue Pineung East. The people of Acheh who are 15% small farmers, 15% fishermen, 10% artisans and businessmen, knew very l i t t l e about the wage-workers labor union movements i n the i n d u s t r i a l i z e d world. They have been t o t a l l y isolated from what i s going on i n the world by the Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t regime who finds

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i t easier to subjugate the people when they are un-informed and i s o -lated. Like the whole issues of self-determination and colonialism have been kept out from people"s understanding by t h i s regime, also the problems of free labor unions and c a p i t a l i s t exploitations were forbidden subjects i n Javanese Indonesia.

(MAY 5, 1977)

I was happy today to receive the v i s i t of an outstanding A-chehnese p a t r i o t and leader, Tengku Ibrahim Abdullah of Teupin Raya, (50), who i s also the Head of D i s t r i c t of Glumpang Lhêe. Before he j o i n the NLF he was a highranking o f f i c i a l of the Indonesian Depart­ment of Education for the Province of P i d i e . If the question of A-chehnese independence was a question of personal d i s s a t i s f a c t i o n , as Javanese Indonesian c o l o n i a l i s t propagandists alleged, a man l i k e Tengku Ibrahim Abdullah would not have joined the NLFAS, by q u i t t i n g his comfortable position with the Javanese Indonesian c o l o n i a l i s t re gime. In f a c t , i t so happens that most of the leaders of the NLFAS are people of means and positions either on t h e i r own or with the Javanese Indonesian regime but resigned t h e i r positions i n order to embrace thei r j u s t national and r e l i g i o u s cause, l i k e Tengku Ibrahim Abdullah and countless others. Some people i n the West, r e f l e c t i n g t h e i r own culture, are very quick to say that people who rebelled are those who have nothing to lose. People do rebel for what they considered the i r just national or r e l i g i o u s causes irrespective of t h e i r material conditions. This subject makes me recalled what Dutch writer, H C Zentgraaff, had written i n h i s book, Atjeh:

"Our vast empire i s populated by so many d i f f e r e n t peoples and and races. There are races who trembled when they see the guns i n the hands of our soldiers.Not so the Achehnese who know how to face death. They are not a f r a i d of our soldiers or of our guns. Nor can we make them a f r a i d of us. There are great num-bers of Achehnese, men and women, who are w i l l i n g to f i g h t for what they consider t h e i r r e l i g i o u s or p o l i t i c a l ideals i n no less heroic a manner than our most i l l u s t r i o u s heroes."

With Tengku Ibrahim Abdullah also came Sayed Amin (55),one of our very m i l i t a n t a c t i v i s t s . "Sayed" i s a revered t i t l e among Achehnese denoting descend from the family of the Prophet Muhammad. Sayed Amin i s always a lovable company. His marvelous sense of humor and h i s a-b i l i t y as a s t o r y - t e l l e r assured entertainment for a l l . He has been the p i l l a r of our l i b e r a t i o n movement i n h i s d i s t r i c t , from the very beginning. A l i t t l e b i t of a boaster, i f one heard him speaks, the Sayed would claim to be no less than a preceptor of the whole idea of Free Acheh Movement and would take c r e d i t for having recalled roe from the United States. In f a c t , i t was e n t i r e l y to my loss that I knew him only recently, upon my return. A very brave man and t o t a l l y dedicated to the cause of independence of h i s country, he would refuse no assignment however dangerous i t might be. The Sayed i s well to do. Not a poor man by any means.

Another companion of Tengku Ibrahim Abdullah was Ku Harun, an old gentleman and of the old school. That, i n Acheh, makes him among the most m i l i t a n t of a l l , because the memory of Achehnese glorious past

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i s s t i i l very much a l i v e with the o l d generation. He owns large ac-reage of farms i n Blang Manè su b - d i s t r i c t .

The fourth member of the group i s Sulaiman Abdullah (33), no r e -l a t i o n to Ibrahim Abdullah. He had just resigned from h i s position as a member of the Javanese Indonesian sponsored D i s t r i c t Assembly i n S i g l i , c a p i t a l of Pidie Province, to which he had been elected only recently. The job was well-paid and he i s also independently wealthy.These people are f a i r l y representative elements i n the mid­dle echelon of the leadership of the NLFAS.While the top leadership of the NLFAS i s largely composed of professionals, many of them me-d i c a l doctors, lawyers, engineers, professors, median age about 30. They are members of the upper and middle class of Achehnese society a l l independently wealthy by their country's Standard. They have e-verything to lose by joining the NLF - i f material gains are the measures of a l l things. I t i s not so i n our Achehnese value system: i t i s our r e l i g i o u s and p o l i t i c a l ideals that are the most impor­tant! To be a c o l o n i a l subject of the Javanese i s something we A-chehnese cannot l i v e with. Although some other peoples i n Sumatra may accept to be the c o l o n i a l subjects of the Javanese.hiding their l o s t d i g n i t y and honor under the meaningless verbal mask of being "Indonesians", that attitude i s neither shared nor appreciated by us Achehnese Sumatrans. As we had behaved d i f f e r e n t l y from them i n the past, we expect to behave d i f f e r e n t l y also from them i n the fu ­ture. Otherwise i t w i l l be out of character with our past.The Dutch General Pel who had spent h i s l i f e f i g h t i n g the Achehnese had under lined that differences when he stated:"However hard we h i t the A-chehnese, he remains unshakeable i n defending h i s land, foot by foot. We cannot possibly deny that he has t r i e d , with amazing tena-c i t y , to defend his country, demonstrating sophistication, energy, e f f i c i e n c y and knowledge to the undertaking the extend and the l i k e of which can never be hoped to be seen among other peoples i n the Archipelago." (Quoted i n J. Kreemer, Atjeh).

(MAY 10, 1977)

Today I received the v i s i t of Geutjhik Hamzah Alue Sanê and his son, Zakaria Hamzah (25) who i s a law student at the Sjiah Kuala U-n i v e r s i t y i n Kuta Radja. Geutjhik Hamzah i s a well-known p o l i t i c a l figure i n Pidie Province. He i s the chief of the important v i l l a g e of Alue Sanê i n the Ulêe Glé D i s t r i c t . He came to give h i s a l l e g i -ance to the NLF and to the State of Acheh Sumatra. I have heard of him long time already. His son asked to come along with the same purpose. Here i s a father and son team, t o t a l l y dedicated to the cause of Free Acheh. I was very impressed with both father and son. I immediately asked the son, Zakaria, to stay with me as my perma­nent s t a f f . These are the types of men I want to be with, who can lead t h i s revolution to v i c t o r y . I found out that there i s no need to t a l k too much to men l i k e these. They knew my mind, and I knew th e i r s . I gave Geutjhik Hamzah a mandate to coordinate the NLF ef­fo r t s i n his D i s t r i c t of Ulèe Glé with the intention of appointing him l a t e r as the Head of the D i s t r i c t government. He t o l d me he would l i k e to personally r a i s e the f l a g i n the enemy garrison towns of S i g l i and Meureudu although these towns were outside h i s j u r i s -d i c t i o n but the two places were of national importance.

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(In a few days I heard i t was done because i t created such conmo tion among the enemy and among the people who liked the demonstra-tions. So I knew that Geutjhik Hamzah worked fast. His son,Zakaria, stayed on with me to become one of my valuable assistants. Zakaria, proved himself to be a very competent cadre with a b r i l l i a n t i n t e l ­l e c t. Later, after his father was arrested, tortured and murdered by the Javanese - without due process of law, - I appointed Zakaria to become the Head of the D i s t r i c t of Ulêe Glé, the youngest Dis­t r i c t Head ever, after he successfully established the NLF in that D i s t r i c t , a l l by himself. He i s one of the brightest future leaders of Acheh: handsome, brave, articulate, intelligent, disciplined,de­cisive and obedient - that i s he knew when to obey and why,and when to rebel; he knew when to receive orders, and how and when to give one!)

(MAY 16, 1977)

Tonight, Army Commander, M. Daud Husin and his troops went down to occupy the town of Teupin Raya and hoisted our flag on the East-West highway. Such demonstration i s neeessary to show to the enemy that we can practically do what we please and go where we want to i n our country - Acheh Sumatra. That his supposed control i s nomi-nal only but every inch of this land i s a contested territory. It was an un-qualified success!

Although I am the Defence Minister,and Suprème Commander, I gave f u l l power to Army Commander Daud Husin in a l l tact i c a l operations: he i s at liberty to make his own plans and go into actions as long as they are not i n contradiction with our general strategy:

We are s t i l l i n the p o l i t i c a l and preparatory stage of the armed struggle and we want to remain in this stage as long as necessa-ry. Therefore, a l l our military movements and actions must be subordinated to this strategy.

- A l l actions must be conducted within the s t r i c t discipline of a defensive guerilla warfare: a. The Achehnese Army should always keep to the h i l l s . This w i l l

n u l l i f y Javanese superiority i n armored vehicles, naval and ai r forces.

b. The Achehnese Army should hover always in the enemy's neigh-borhood, ambushing him, preventing him from gaining any per­manent base, becoming an i l l u s i v e but powerful shadow on the horizon, diminishing the "glamor" of the Javanese colonialist troops.

c. Time and surprise are the two most v i t a l elements: understand a l l lines of expectations and lines of surprises. No attack without surprise!

d. Engagements must be executed at the place and at the time of our choosing, despite enemy provocations.

e. When enemy advances we retreat and harass him when he returns f. Engagement with the enemy should only be done when we are

sure of winning, that i s of having superior force at the po­in t of engagement.

g. Our present objectives are to cripple enemy's Communications and economy and to destroy his foreign backers" confidence.

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h. Our safety l i e s i n the secrecy of our movement a t a l l time and i n the mobility of our forces. The enemy should never know where our forces are.

i . Our strategy i s defensive; our t a c t i c i s swift offensive against the enemy whenever an opportunity presents i t s e l f .

This strategy and t a c t i c s w i l l immunize us from m i l i t a r y defeat. Within these guidelines,Army Commander Daud Husin can f i n d plenty of actions p o s s i b l e with h i s bold, swift a ctions. He was always on the move with h i s troops, a l l over the t e r r i t o r y of Acheh Sumatra, some-time i n the East, sometime i n the West, and everywhere. In f a c t he spent very l i t t l e time at headquarters. I hardly saw him except in-between campaigns, when he came to give h i s reports and to take new orders. He had aceomplished a l l h i s missions b r i l l i a n t l y , w h e t h e r m i l i t a r y or p o l i t i c a l . Since he was the one who could go anywhere , he became our most e f f e c t i v e spokesman and propagandist, In the pro­cess he has sharpen h i s considerable s k i l l as a speaker and p o l i t i ­c a l campaigner. As time passes, h i s reputation with the people also grows. He has conducted many successful actions against the enemy. Most of the time I was moving from one place to another, he was not with me but doing h i s duty somewhere el s e i n Acheh Sumatra, So I was not well protected a t a l l a t my headquarters, I d i d not use the guns we have to pr o t e c t myself, Most of the guns are being used by the Army Commander to good purpose. At times, there were very few guns l e f t at my headquarters, The f o r e s t s and the people are my sh i e l d s , I subjected myself to the same danger l i k e everyone e l s e .

As i t must have been s e l f - e v i d e n t to any "Acheh-watghers" exgept the maiopic ones, that we got overwhelming popular support, and the Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t s can only r e a c t with m i l i t a r y actions - to t r y to k i l l us. P o l i t i c a l l y , the enemy has i n f a c t l o s t t h i s coun­t r y . The land he can claim to r u l e i s only the few inches under h i s boots, and f o r the moments he i s standing there only, When he moves away, even that patches of Acheh Sumatran land i s no longer under hi s c o n t r o l . This i s no secret to the Achehnese people as we^l as to the Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t regime. I t i s secret only to the foyeign-ers. The Javanese, through censorship, t r i e d to keep t h i s t r u t h out of p r i n t s , i n order not to lose the confidence of the Western c a p i -t a l i s t s who invested heavily i n Javanese Indonesian neocolenia", eco-nomy. The Javanese regime w i l l c ollapse overnight without the sup­port of the so-called Western democracies who care only for t h e i r p r o f i t s .

(MAY 21, 1977)

Today i s an Achehnese National Holiday commemorating the BATTLE OF MOUNT ALIMON that took place on May 21, 1910, between Free Acheh nese forces and the Dutch c o l o n i a l i s t f o r c e s . We memorialized t h i s day l e s t we f o r g e t how our fathers and mothers fought - i n t h e i r l i v e s ' time - to preserve and defend the independence of t h i s coun­t r y . I t was only 67 years ago.There are rnany Achehnese who are s t i l l a l i v e today i n the country who s t i l l remember that day. Many of us who are present today here at East Alue Pineung Camp have immediate ancestors who died or took part i n that famous b a t t l e . T h i s i s going

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to be a poignant ceremony and a very meaningful one for a l l of us. For me personally, my grand mother, the Potjut (Princess) Mirah Gam-bang d i Tiro died there, then s t i l l a young woman of 30, although my grand father, Tengku Tjhik Mahyeddin d i T i r o , survived with Pang Ra-bo and others. But the then Achehnese Head of State, the brother of my grandfather, Tengku Tjhik Buket d i T i r o , died at that b a t t l e . A l ­so my uncle, Tengku Sjech Saman d i Tiro (18), the older brother of Tengku Tjhik Maat d i T i r o , died there. Other Achehnese leaders who f e i l at the B a t t l e of Mount Alimon included Habib Teupin Wan, his son Habib Tjut, and 34 other leaders, a l l famous men and everyone a leader i n h i s own r i g h t . There were many other dead. A l l heroes of t h i s nation. I had been brought to v i s i t t h i s battleground and our heroes' graves when I was a boy.

We begin the c=remony with the r a i s i n g of the Achehnese f l a g at 9 AM. Tengku Muhammad Usman Iampoih Awé, Minister of Finance of the State of Acheh Sumatra and member of the Central Committee of the NLFAS acts as the Ceremony Master. I t i s an old t r a d i t i o n i n Acheh that i n time of war the f l a g i s raised accompanied by the Muslim's Call-to-Prayer (Azan) - i n Arabic - that functions as a s t i r r i n g c l a r i o n c a l l as w e l l as a prayer. I t i s a command to men as well as an Appeal to God whose presence i s f e i t : f a i t h and patriotism are sublimated to produce an unshakeable w i l l to v i c t o r y !

Here are the l y r i c s of the Azan: "Allah i s Great! I bear witness there i s no God but A l l a h ! I bear witness that Muhammad i s Allah's Messenger! Let us go to Pray! Let us go to Victory! A l l a h i s Great! There i s no God but A l l a h ! "

The c a l l i s sung by the best C a l l e r (Muazzin) who has been t r a i n -ed to do i t . For Achehnese Muslims the s t i r r i n g sound of t h i s C a l l can bring tears to t h e i r eyes. Ibnou Khaldoun, the famous philoso-pher and h i s t o r i a n of the 15th century Islam had written i n h i s book Prolegomena, that the Achehnese people were the most devoted Muslims i n the world of h i s time. I t i s s t i l l l argely true today.

The Achehnese Sumatran f l a g , Crescent and Star over red ground and two black stripes framing them - i n i t s e l f displaying Islamic symbolism - i s raised slowly and to reach the summit of the flagpole at the same time with the l a s t word of the C a l l whence a l l hands are raised i n unison i n solemn prayer - a sight which I found very mov-ing.

The next speaker i s Tengku Haji Ilyas Leubè, our Minister of Jus­t i c e and a Deputy Chairman of the NLFAS, who i s one of the great A-chehnese orators of h i s day. He has honed his platform manner du­ring h i s long years i n p o l i t i c s . To hear him speaks i s to be enter-tained. He can enthralled his audience for hours. But as the present setting proved, he i s not just t a l k e r , but a doer as w e l l . One sus­pects any orators as more or less showmen. But not t h i s one. He i s a true revolutionary. He has gone through thick and t h i n with me i n

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t h i s s t r u g g l e , from the very beginning. A man o f commanding presence and above average i n h e i g h t , Tengku I l y a s Leubè exudes imposing d i g -n i t y . Indeed, the people i n h i s Region of Gayo, c e n t r a l h ighland of Acheh, revered him. He came from an o l d r u l i n g f a m i l y o f t h a t Re­g i o n , t h e r e f o r e we used t o nickname him as "Radja Lingga" - the King of Lingga, a very democratie and unpretentious one. The Javanese co­l o n i a l i s t regime has such a d i f f i c u l t time t r y i n g t o d i s c r e d i t him, whose r e p u t a t i o n f o r f a i r p l a y and v i r t u o u s n e s s i s known by a l l the Achehnese people.

Tengku I l y a s Leubè invoked the s p i r i t s of our ancestors who had f a l l e n a t the B a t t l e of Mount Alimon t o come down to embrace us t h e i r c h i l d r e n i n t h i s f o r e s t who have followed t h e i r f o o t s t e p s to recapture the ground they had defended and d i e d i n the process of doing i t . A f t e r l i s t e n i n g t o him, I am sure no one i s l e f t i n doubt, t h a t we have indeed j o i n e d together again, i n s p i r i t , w i t h our f o r e -f a t h e r s : they are w i t h us, and we are w i t h them, here and now; we have picked up t h e i r swords and t h e i r renchongs (Achehnese daggers) and guns to c a r r y on the s t r u g g l e t h a t they had i n i t i a t e d and now t o b r i n g i t t o a s u c c e s s f u l c o n c l u s i o n , l i k e a l l the c o l o n i z e d peoples a l l over the world have done so. When we have such a c o n v i c t i o n who can deny us our independence? To a man, we have u t t e r contempt f o r the Javanese who are today t r y i n g t o perpetuate Dutch c o l o n i a l i s m o-ver us wit h t h e i r own!

I was the next speaker. A t such an occasion I always found my­s e l f too emotional t o speak. My t e a r s t h a t b l u r r e d my eyes would prevent me from re a d i n g my t e x t ; the lump i n my t h r o a t would prevent me from u t t e r i n g a word. On such o c c a s i o n , t h e r e f o r e , -I no longer prepared a w r i t t e n t e x t , because I knew I couldnot read i t anyway. And hoped f o r the best t o c o n t r o l my emotion as I walked t o the po­dium. Here f o l l o w s my speech of t h a t day:

"My b r o t h e r s : we have s e t a s i d e today as a s p e c i a l day t o remem­ber and t o contemplate the deed of our ancestors a t the B a t t l e of Mount Alimon, on May 21, 1910, t h a t i s e x a c t l y 67 years ago today. That i s not very long ago, not even i n one l i f e time,as the average l i f e - e x p e c t a n c y i n the world today i s about 80 years although i n our own country only 34 years - thanks t o Javanese c o l o n i a l i s m . The mes­sage l e f t f o r us by our ancestors on t h a t day, or r a t h e r on this day 67 years ago, was not w r i t t e n w i t h the i n k s on papers, but was w r i t ­ten w i t h t h e i r s p i l l e d blood on the surface of t h i s holy ground of ours. Such a message must be understood by us, and must be l e a r n t by h e a r t s by our c h i l d r e n and t h e i r c h i l d r e n ' s c h i l d r e n ! J u s t before the B a t t l e of Mount Alimon the Dutch had t r i e d t o persuade our f a ­t h e r s t o surrender and to g i v e up the s t r u g g l e , as the enemy i s a l ­so t r y i n g to persuade you today t o surrender. Our f a t h e r s made a very important d e c i s i o n a t Mount Alimon when they t o l d the Dutch: "There will never be any surrender, under any terms. We will conti­nue to fight to defend the independence of Acheh to the end and we stand ready to accept whatever Allah's will for us3 life or martyr-doml" How they had fought, and how they had d i e d t o f u l f i l t h a t r e -s o l u t i o n , i n order to keep t h i s country, t h i s homeland, f r e e f o r us t h e i r c h i l d r e n !

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"Today we remember thei r s a c r i f i c e i n the most appropriate foi and i n the most appropriate place - i n the h i l l s , i n the middle < the forests - not even very far from Mount Alimon, a proof that \ have indeed followed i n t h e i r footsteps,doing exactly what they h< done and what they would have expected us to do, a f t e r the examp: they had set. "Honor your fathers and mothers and follow th e i r wi: to the roots of your souls. Walk i n the footprints where your f< thers' virtue walked before you. You w i l l climb high i f yov fathers" w i l l climbs with you! "

"Redeem the dead! Redeera those who l i v e d i n the past and recre ate a l l i t was: the glory that was Acheh! That alone I c a l l redemj t i o n . But you need a strong w i l l to redeem the great past. There i nothing more d e l i g h t f u l grows on earth than a l o f t y strong wil] that i s the earth most be a u t i f u l plant. A whole landscape i s re freshed by one such tree. Your tree here has refreshed even t l gloomy ones, the f a i l u r e s ; your sights have reassured and heal< the hearts of the r e s t l e s s . And toward your mountains and trees nu nay eyes are directed today.

"One of the heroine of the Battle of Mount Alimon was my granc mother, the Princess Potjut Mirah Gambang. The Dutch commander, Cc lonel H. J . Schmidt had reported about what happened on that da 3, After the b a t t l e was over, and the dead were counted, Schmidt four out that among the gravely wounded and s t i l l a l i v e was the Princes Mirah Gambang who was laying on the ground i n a pool of blood wit her five-month old son, Tengku Abdullah, s i t t i n g q u i e t l y beside he unawared of what was going on around him. Schmidt brought a glas of water for her, saying i n Achehnese: - "Please excuse me, Your Highness,would you l i k e to drink a glas

of water?" - Silence. She did not reply. - "Would you allow us to dress your wounds?" Schmidt asked again. Potjut Mirah Gambang did not answer but she slowly raised hersel i n t o a s i t t i n g p o s i t i o n although i t was obvious that she was tc weak to do so. Then, turning her face to other d i r e c t i o n , she sai to Schmidt: - "Get out of my sight, you d i r t y i n f i d e l ! Do not touch me! I d

not want your drink! I do not want your medicine! You have k i l l e my father, my mother, my husband, you have k i l l e d us a l l . You ca not replace what you had destroyed. I refuse your mercy! G away!"

She f e i l on her back to the ground again, profusedly bleeding, an qu i e t l y waiting for her end to come.Schmidt wrote that her face d i not show any sign of suffering, or sorrow, or regret. Her counte nance was serene and proud a l l the time. She bied q u i e t l y and die a l i t t l e l a t e r . Schmidt said that he saluted t h i s woman and th people that gave b i r t h to her and her l i k e s . He wrote that Acheh nese h i s t o r y had known many grandes dames. About the Princess Mira Gambang he said: "Bon song ne peut mentir. She was the daughter o the great Teuku Umar and Potjut Njak Dien - both hero and heroin

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"Her f i v e months old son, Tengku Abdullah, my late uncle,was cap­tured by the Dutch and was returned late r to the surviving female members of the family. My grandfather who was separated from my grandmother at the Battle of Mount Alimon didnot know what had hap­pened u n t i l i t was too l a t e . I t was reported that to calm h i s aching heart over the l o s t of his wife and young son, he kept repeating to himself, aloud: "Aneuk Ion bak Po teuh Allah." ("My son with God.")

"But as you are a l l well aware, your present enemy, the Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t horde are worse than the Dutch. The Dutch were at least c i v i l i z e d people with some sense of j u s t i c e and chi v a l r y . But the Javanese are, judged by the i r deeds, barbarians without any concept of j u s t i c e and without any understanding of human dig n i t y or compas-sion: they tortured the prisoners, denied medical care for the woun-ded, mutilated and dishonored our dead. "Man' s fate knows no har­sher misfortune than when those who have power on earth are not also the first men."

(MAY 3 i , i y / / ;

Today Daud Abou (also known as Daud Djanggot) an emissary from the people of the D i s t r i c t of Panton Labu i n East Acheh arrived at the camp, brought i n by Zakaria Hamzah.We have heard rumor about him and stories printed i n the Javanese Indonesian newspapers about a group of 50 men wearing black uniform, marching i n the forest from East Acheh to the Western d i r e c t i o n . Daud Abou was the leader of the group. The Javanese Indonesian press c a l l e d them "communists"to jus­t i f y attacking them without question.In fact they are simple farmers from Panton Labu. They were ambushed on the road by the Javanese In­donesian troops who always shoot people f i r s t and ask questions l a ­te r . One of them, Daud Husin (35) was shot dead by the Javanese i n Bireuen area. That was after they had marched for two weeks suffer-ing from hunger and t h i r s t . The others were unlawfully arrested and j a i l e d by the Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t regime. Only Daud Abou managed to escape. We knew nothing about them then, as to who they were, what they were doing, and where they wanted to go. There had not been any Communications between us. After h i s escape from the hands of the Javanese Indonesian troops, Daud Abou managed to arrivé at the v i l ­lage of Alue Sanè where he went to the house of Geutjhik Hamzah, f a ­ther of Zakaria, and asked to be taken to the NLF headquarters.

Now we found out what has happened:Daud Abou and h i s comrades re­ceived a l e t t e r , which he showed me, that looked l i k e a piece of pa­per the size of a palm, advising him to go to the West to piek up guns and to contact Geutjhik Hamzah. The l e t t e r was not even proper-l y signed and we couldnot established the r e a l i d e n t i t y of the sen-der. That was what started the whole thing. Without further question Daud Abou gathered his men and went without provisions, guides or contacts. When they were hungry they descended on v i l l a g e s for food. They were given foods by the people but they were also detected by the Javanese security forces. There was no organization and they d i d not even know th e i r destination.And we knew nothing about them,their march and the purpose of that march.The sender of the l e t t e r was i r -responsible or could even be an agenoe provocateur. Daud Abou handed

7

the l e t t e r to me. The content was rather stupid. I t goes against tl whole grains of our strategy and t a c t i c s . I t shows though how tl people hated the Javanese Indonesian regime and would do anything i get hold of the guns to f i g h t the regime.

The approach of the NLF i s that we do not r e c r u i t the people 1 f i g h t but to teach them p o l i t i c a l consciousness, to give them pol: c a l motivation. we never talk about the guns f i r s t , but the p o l i t : c a l ideas f i r s t . The men must understand f i r s t why we must f i g h They have to attend lectures and discussions i n t h e i r areas. We ev< have f u l l - f l e d g e d organization i n Panton Labu where Daud Abou cai from. But h i s group did not have any contact with our l o c a l organ: zation at the time of h i s march. We i n s i s t that i t i s not enough oi l y to have a sentiment for independence but i t i s necessary to knc and to be convinced with i t s p o l i t i c a l theory f i r s t of all.Only pee ple with strong p o l i t i c a l consciousness,who have grasped the p o l i t : c a l theory of t h e i r independence movement can wage a protracted gu« r i l l a war to achieve that independence.

Daud Abou i s a commanding man, a s i x footer with strong physic During the r e b e l l i o n against the Javanese Indonesian regime i n t l 1950s he held a bren-gun i n h i s hand. He has a reputation of beii very brave as indeed he w i l l prove i t again i n the future. For n( his journey has ended. I ordered that he be given a complete set < new uniform to replace h i s tattered s h i r t and trousers after treJ king the forests for more than one month. For him a "new" l i f e hc begun. Next day he w i l l begin attending lectures. F i r s t thing f i r s i I predict that i n s i x months he w i l l be a new man ready to take bj r e s p o n s i b i l i t y because he possesses the basic important q u a l i t i e s COnstancv. bravpru. anr l t a f t . K o r a n He» nu-»- i n nnminanrl .

(JUNE 7, 1977)

Beginning t h i s month we noticed that the enemy was stepping i h i s psychological warfare attacks against the National Liberatie Front and i t s leaders. Public meetings were organized a l l over t l country to denounce us. To assure the attendance at such meetin< the regime ordered a l l i t s functionaries - on pain of losing the: jobs i f absent - to attend, and at l e a s t 10 men from every v i l l a c must come. Each v i l l a g e head was made responsible for producii these ten men. Transportation was provided free of charge by the m: l i t a r y . The regime had prepared i n advance thousands of posters d< nouncing us. These posters were made i n the Javanese regime's offi< es for months i n advance and then forced upon the people to cari them i n the parade and then the paraders are photographed with po; ters i n hands. These photographs are for international consumptie as "proof" of the people's supposed opposition against the NLFAS. : was made to look as "spontaneous" people's demonstration again! t h e i r own l i b e r a t i o n movement. Later we see these photos of fal "spontaneous" demonstrations being published widely i n the Javanese Indonesian newspapers for i n t e r n a l as well as external comsumptioi the regime cannot afford the people on the other islands of Indon* sia's "overseas provincies" - i n fact overseas colonies - to kne that an independent movement has been e f f e c t i v e l y challenging i1

5

The regime even refused to c a l l our movement by i t s proper name, that i s the National Liberation Front of Acheh Sumatra (NLFAS) but gave us another name i n the best "Indonesian t r a d i t i o n " namely"GPLHT" an acronym for "Gerakan Pengatjau Liar Hasan Tiro" ("Organization of Wild Trouble-maker Hasan T i r o " ) . We are not bothered by i t , because we know the hearts of our people and we are absolutely not impressed by anything the Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t invaders of our country come out with. No Achehnese would use that name for the NLF. The most popular name used by the people for the NLFAS i s the "AM" which stands for "Atjeh Meurdèhka" that i s "Free Acheh". At the same time the regime engaged i n a l l sorts of nonsensical defamation attempts against every one of the NLF leaders, to d i s t r a c t the people's attention from the r e a l p o l i t i c a l and economie issues involved i n t h i s c o n f l i c t between the Javanese Indonesian c o l o n i a l i s t s and the people of Acheh Sumatra. In one-hundred years of war, the Dutch had never resorted to t h i s sort of baseness. In one-hundred years of war the Dutch always spoke respectfully and gentlemanly about Achehnese leaders; though at war our honors had always been respected, our motives granted; even our names had always been meticulously spelled out without mistakes. I t was s t i l l a war between two c i v i l i z e d communities and between two c i -v i l i z e d peoples. Not so now with the Javanese barbarians who mutilat-ed the bodies of our dead; who refused medicine for the wounded; who fabricated a l l sorts of l i e s to defaroe us; who i n t e n t i o n a l l y misrep-resented our motives; who even misspelled our names, as a farm of i n ­s u l t . We are facing basely invaders who have ever put t h e i r d i r t y feet on our sacred s o i l !

The whole world knows that our country has been l a i d bare by the Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t s at the feet of multinationals to be raped. Our mineral and forest resources have been put up to the world mar­kets for clearance sale for quick cash for the Javanese generals and their foreign backers. I have seen the destruction on the ground caused by careless mining such as i n Malaya, but I have never re­al i z e d the devastating nature of careless timber cut t i n g as now be­ing practiced i n Acheh Sumatra under licence of the Javanese for the benefit of foreigners u n t i l I have l i v e d i n the forests among the trees since the beginning of the present struggle.

Forests are the most orderly place on the planet earth, and the most peaceful. In the forests i t was not the beasts that are dange­rous, but men. The natural symmetry and harmony of the trees i n the forests defy description. Even the best man-made modern c i t y or ha­b i t a t i n the world cannot remotely matched the harmony and the sym­metry of a forest. But a l l these are gone and only shambles are l e f t behind when a big tree i s cut and tumbled down to destroy and to cr i p p l e a l l the small ones under and around i t . The f a l l of a b i g tree i s l i k e the f a l l of a government. The cutting down of a big tree i s l i k e a eoup d' etat that removes an established order that cannot be replaced i n one hundred years because that i s the time i t takes for the tree to grow big and t a l l . As the basis of the order-l y symmetry of the forest growth i s the controlled d i s t r i b u t i o n of sun l i g h t that reaches the ground, which i s the function of the big

7

tree as l i g h t regulator, when such a big tree i s cut, the whole sys tem i s destroyed on that spot, and around that spot, the domain, a i t were, of the f a l l e n or cut-down big tree. The d i s t r i b u t i o n c sun l i g h t controls the process of photosynthesis that determined th growth of a l l things i n the fore s t s . Each time I passed a f a l l e n b i tree and I saw the devastating e f f e c t around i t , on the small one that had been crushed or sheared, or the he l t e r - s k e l t e r growth tha was caused by sudden flood of sunlight to the area that used to re ceive less sunlight before, on account of the shade of the b i g tree r e s u l t i n g i n un-even and un-harmonious growth ruining the landscape reminds me of the p o l i t i c a l d i s l o c a t i o n i n a country after a leade had f a l l e n and the ensuing turmoil that w i l l l a s t u n t i l a new equi librium i n the form of a new leader manages to come along. But i takes i n f i n i t e l y longer time to replace a cut-down b i g tree than t replace a f a l l e n leader i n human society. The r u l e of replacement i much more r i g i d i n the forests than i n human society. Forests ar characterized by permanence, nothing can be changed there i n a hurr Everything i s r i g i d l y controlled by the time, sun - l i g h t , rate o growth that cannot be accelerated, and everything else must wait. I human society, human reasons and mobility can overcome the r i g i d i t i e s of nature, and provide quick substitute for everything.

Another effect of the irresponsible timber cut t i n g as now prac t i c e under Javanese Indonesian licence that i s even more catastro phic i s the s o i l erosion that had caused flooding and washing awa; of land sediments. The amount of r a i n f a l l i n the t r o p i c a l countr such as Acheh Sumatra i s such that the blessing of rains can automa t i c a l l y turned i n t o the catastrophe of floods when the e q u i l i b r i u i of the forests - the only flood control mechanism e x i s t i n g i n th< country - i s destroyed by careless timber c u t t i n g . I have observei while l i v i n g i n the forests how a small spring with water leve. hardly reach the depth of one foot, can become, after a few minutei of r a i n f a l l a roaring Niagara that can sweep away everything nearby And when such water are disgorged into t r i b u t a r y r i v e r s , the re-s u l t i s a foregone conclusion i n a r i v e r i n e country where not ; single dam e x i s t s - thanks to Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t ' s neglect. A; the timber cutting by foreign companies progresses, also the devas­ta t i n g floods have become regular features of my country's misery.

So we have taken a decision that we w i l l have to stop the Java­nese sponsored foreign companies from cutting our timber i n d i s c r i -minately for the i r sole benefit and the Javanese invaders. Accord-i n g l y we issued a Proclamation asking them to desist frcni furthej incursion into our timberland. None of them paid any attention t( our warning. Last week we ordered our forces to move. In West A-cheh, on the Indian Ocean side of Sumatra, our forces destroyed hali a dozen heavy duty tractors and bulldozers and many chain-saws. Ii North Acheh, and Pidie Province where foreign workers are escortec by Javanese soldiers i n the i r expedition to cut our timber, oui forces waited for them and punished them for the i r crimes on thc-spot for v i o l a t i n g our p r o h i b i t i o n to cut our timber. In the fight­ing that ensued, several enemy soldiers were wounded and one fo­reign agent was dead. Similar punishment was administered to foreigr timber companies i n East Acheh. Since then the raping of our forest-

7

(JUNE 18, 1977)

Worthy of note i s the pamphlet war that has developed between us and the Javanese enemy alongside the shooting war.to the delight of the reading public. On balance, we scored a resounding v i c t o r y and gained more converts to our cause, because our arguments are more l o g i c a l and more convincing than the Javanese enemy's. We can e f f e c t i v e l y argued our case against Javanese Indonesian c o l o n i ­alism. I t i s awfully d i f f i c u l t even for the Javanese, to defend co­lo n i a l i s m i n t e l l i g e n t l y i n t h i s century and i n t h i s age. F i n a l l y they have to resort to attacking personal i n t e g r i t y of the NLF leaders with a l l sorts of fabrications that cannot hold waters i n the eyes and ears of the Achehnese people. We did not even bother to reply to that sort of thing. To reply would mean to di g n i f y the Javanese nonsense. The Javanese t r i e d to convert the p o l i t i c a l i s ­sues involved into their make-believed personal issues which are non-existence. They f a i l e d u t t e r l y . They even d i s t r i b u t e d l e a f l e t s a l l over the country by means of helicopters, urging the people to k i l l me. This shows how ignorant are the Javanese about Achehnese psychology. This dastardly act also betrays the enemy's desperation having to ask the Achehnese to do what the Javanese obviously and admittedly un-able to do. This was tantamount to admitting t h e i r own weaknesses.

One of the Indonesian m i l i t a r y commander, a Colonel Anang Sjam-sudin.who according to his f i r s t name must be a Sundanese from West Java, addressed a pamphlet challenging Army Commander Daud Husin. As i s customary with the Javanese o f f i c e r s ' corps, Anang proudly displayed his Indonesian army s e r i a l numbers after his name that went something l i k e : 012341234. To which Army Commander. Daud Husin r e p l i e d , f i r s t , he advised Anang to go back to West Java and set up a l i b e r a t i o n movement to free his own people, the Sundanese, from Javanese colonialism. The NLFAS w i l l give him every help i f he did that. There are many people i n Sunda (West Java) who considered themselves being colonized by the Javanese, as i t were, whose r e a l homeland i s on the Eastern half of the island of Java, just l i k e Dominican Republic i s from H a i t i , two separate nations, inhabiting one islan d . I t i s better for Anang, Army Commander Daud Husin ad­vised, to die as a hero of Sunda than to die as a Javanese mercena-r y i n Acheh Sumatra. Secondly, Army Commander Daud Husin was wonde­r i n g what had happened to Anang"s sense of human di g n i t y . Is not the name given to him by h i s father and mother not enough to iden-t i f y him that he must put the Registration Numbers, tagged on him by the Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t s too? In Acheh Sumatra, as elsewhere i n c i v i l i z e d countries, people gave such tag's numbers only to animals i n the animal farms because they are too stupid to remember th e i r names. The numbers are usually tagged on the ears of the beasts. We heard Anang was furious and since then we read no more pamphlet from him!

(JUNE 22, 197 7)

The enemy begins to make large scale arrests of those he suspec­ted to be members of the NLF or even sympathisers. Thousands of men and women, even children, were arrested a r b i t r a r i l y andput i n j a i l s

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without due process of law. When a l l the p r i s o n s have been f i l l e d up c o n c e n t r a t i o n camps are e s t a b l i s h e d i n every p l a c e where the enemy g a r r i s o n s h i s t r o o p s . Most of the p r i s o n e r s are t o r t u r e d or t r e a t e d inhumanly. A regime t h a t had s e i z e d power by murdering 2 m i l l i o n people i n 1965 can be expected t o be expert i n r e p r e s s i o n . I t w i l l not be enough space i n t h i s Diary to d e s c r i b e a l l manners of b e a s t l y methods of t o r t u r e t h a t have been p r a c t i c e d by t h i s Javanese Indone­s i a n regime. Some of them are too h o r r i b l e and h u m i l i a t i n g t o r e -count. The suspects, who are given no medical a t t e n t i o n a f t e r t o r ­t u r e , o f t e n d i e because of t h e i r i n j u r i e s .

Some of the t o r t u r e s r o u t i n e l y administered a r e : s l a p p i n g and b e a t i n g i n p u b l i c u n t i l blood i s drawn; f o r c i n g p r i s o n e r s t o d r i n k strong a l c o h o l i c d r i n k s ; s t r i p p i n g men and women, sometimes i n pu­b l i c as an a c t of u l t i m a t e h u m i l i a t i o n ; a p p l y i n g h i g h v o l t a g e e l e c -t r i c c u r r e n t s t o g e n i t a l s j s l a s h i n g the face and body and a p p l y i n g a c i d or s a l t i n the open wounds; t y i n g the hands and f e e t of p r i s o ­ners and p u l l i n g them i n d i f f e r e n t d i r e c t i o n s , w h i l e suspended above ground; burning w i t h l i g h t e d c i g a r e t t e s ; f o r c i n g p r i s o n e r s i n t o baths of human excrement; burying a l i v e ; i n s e r t i n g needies under f i n g e r -n a i l s ; p u l l i n g p r i s o n e r s by t h e i r h a i r u n t i l the s c a l p i s wrenched away from the s k u l l ; and b e a t i n g w i t h i r o n b a r s u n t i l the bones and r i b s break.

A l l a r r e s t s are e f f e c t e d without c o u r t o r d e r s . Detentions are w i ­thout t r i a l . Release can t h e r e f o r e only be obtained by b r i b e r y and ransora or escape. The v i c t i m s are people a r r e s t e d without evidence, only suspected sympathisers of the NLF or f a m i l y members and r e l a -t i v e s of the w e l l known NLF members. While the l e a d e r s h i p and the a c t i v e members of the NLF cannot be a r r e s t e d by the Javanese because they are i n the l i b e r a t e d t e r r i t o r y . So the regime i s t a k i n g revenge on the people a t l a r g e .

The r e s u l t , however, was the c o n t r a r y t o the Javanese o b j e c t i v e s . The people are now become convinced of the b e a s t l y and b a r b a r i c na­t u r e of the Javanese Indonesian c o l o n i a l i s t regime. Even the Dutch had never been t h a t b r u t a l .

(JUNE 29, 1977)

A t t h i s time the enemy has t i g h t e n e d h i s blockade of our p o s i t i o n p r a c t i c a l l y from a l l d i r e c t i o n s . A l l the v i l l a g e s around us have been occupied by the enemy troops,and they are p a t r o l l i n g days and n i g h t s i n and around the v i l l a g e s . Leading c i t i z e n s of a l l these v i l l a g e s have been a r r e s t e d because the enemy suspected them t o be the b r a i n s c o o r d i n a t i n g s u p p l i e s to the NLF i n the mountains. So the populace was l e f t l e a d e r l e s s . l t was at t h a t p o i n t t h a t the women took charge. They organized e v e r y t h i n g by themselves and managed t o d i s p a t c h sup­p l i e s t o us s u r r e p t i t i o u s l y . They sent words t o t h e i r sons among us i n the mountains never t o surrender, and t o c a r r y on the s t r u g g l e . The mothers s a i d they would disown t h e i r sons i f they surrendered. "Stay w i t h the Tengku!" That was the mothers' commands:

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(JULY 12, 1977)

To ease the heat in the area of Mamprèe mountains and Truséb Dis­t r i c t , we decide today to move to another territory, to Lhok Udjeuen (Rain Cove), far away to the East, about one week marching through very high mountain ranges. This w i l l be the farthest move from Tiro Region that I w i l l make since coming home. It i s farther to the East than Panton Wéng, my f i r s t camp. The area was called Lhok ü-djeuen because there are so much r a i n f a l l there. It i s located on the slope of one of the highest peak ris i n g on the Southern shore of the Malacca Straits. It i s possible to i n s t a l l long-range cannons there and close the Malacca Straits. I measured the height of Mount Kupalang when I was on i t s peak with my altimeter: 1260 meters or a-bout 3780 feet, right up above the water table of the Malacca Straits. The view i s magnificent towards a l l directions especially towards the North where l i e s the water of the Malacca Straits look­ing placid like a lake.

The march proved to be very d i f f i c u l t . We had to go through Sou­thern ridges of the mountain range i n order to be as far as possible from the enemy lines. It i s no longer safe to pass through the lower h i l l y regions. We spent our second night at Simpang Djeumpa (Djeumpa Crossroad) a famous place in the annals of Achehnese guerilla war a-gainst the Dutch invaders.Many Achehnese heroes i n the past had pas-sed through this spot. It i s an elephant path at 2520 feet above sea level. There crossed the mountain paths to go to Geumpang, Tangsé, Tiro, and Meureudu regions. But when you get this high i n the moun­tains there i s always the problem of water. Very few springs are to be found at that height. There are some water there on the rainy seasons l e f t i n the animal water holes or kubang ("animal swimming pool") as the Achehnese referred to i t . The water there i s dirty, mixed with mud but you can take from the top of i t and bo i l i t be­fore drinking.When we arrived on the spot at about 6 PM we were des­perate because there was no water. While searching for water, we got lost. Just then we found water on that very spot. My men believed that i t was the s p i r i t of our ancestors who had guided us to that spot when we thought we were getting lost.

After five days more of marching we arrived at the foot of Mount Kupalang and we climbed to the peak, and then,after reaching the top we have to descend a l l the 3780 feet of i t , or most of i t , at about 70 degree inclination in the darkness of the night. Most of us simp-ly tumbled down but managed not to get hurt. When we arrived on the other side of the foot of Mount Kupalang - on the Malacca Straits side - we were a l l exhausted,tired and hungry. And i t was also rain-ing. We set up camp as guick as we could using the black plastic sheets for roofs and f e i l asleep.Some hardy souls s t i l l had strength enough to prepare the food and a few hours later we were awaken to eat. Only the next morning we knew where we had landed and slept. It was on the rocks i n the middle of a dry river bed.If there were hea­vy r a i n f a l l last night we could have been washed away i n the mighty torrents to the sea. After we knew where we were, we immediately moved away to find a suitable place to establish our camp.

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(JULY 17, 1977)

Pawang Brahim knew this area like the palms of his hands. Without him we would be lik e walking blind, especially when we have not much energy to spare, not much food l e f t i n the t i l l , and we did not know how far was the enemy from us. And the way back to retreat i s very, very far. So everything has to happen quickly: to erace the tracé of our presence, a special group was assigned the duty to camouflage our footprints behind; another group to establish the camp; s t i l l a-nother group to go to the village to replenish our food supply and to establish contact with the organization i n the villages. When we arrived at the agreed point, we missed a rendezvous with the advanc­ed party headed by the chief of the region, Geutjhik Rih (Idris) who had come i n time but when he did not see us he moved away, leaving a sign, because of the enemy's presence nearby. He comes back the next morning bringing enough rice for one week supply. In the meantime we had dispatched an armed group to the nearest village without local guide, always a dangerous undertaking. Before our group manage to enter the village i t was fired at by the enemy troops who had occu -pied the village before our group arrived. It seems the enemy must have had advanced information about our heading to that region, or the net he had set för us must have been larger than we had thought. This was the f i r s t time ever happened to us this way. Luckily there was no casualty on our side. (We hear later that several enemy sol­diers were wounded.) Our group returned immediately to report the incident and to warn us that the area i s f u l l of enemy troops a l l along the strategie points leading to the villages.Luckily the group met with several wood-cutters who gave us their supplies of rice and we paid them the price. Then Geutjhik Rih came back to inform us that i t was impossible to get supplies because the enemy had lined up a l l roads to the country with troops.And that i f we were attacked there, i t w i l l be extremely d i f f i c u l t to retreat because Mount Kupa­lang i s on our back and there i s no escape routes to the West or to the East. In the meantime the rain did not stop a l l week, making the ground so slippery i n an area where a l l rocks and stones are already covered with moss that makes them very slippery and dangerous to step on, even when there i s no rain. We have no choice but to return to Mamprèe mountains from where we had just come.

(JULY 24, 1977)

Today we march out of Lhok Udjeuen (Rain Cove) area under heavy downpour that has not stopped since we arrived. F i r s t we have to climb Mount Kupalang back, a l l over again. Pawang Brahim found a way to avoid climbing to the peak by turning to the Southwest when we reached the middle of the height of the mountain, and to follow a connecting ridge to the West. We figured the enemy troops would not climb that high. After a l l they are just mercenaries who became sol­diers for pay. They would not work more than absolutely necessary to receive their pay. Especially they would not rush to the mountains i f they knew they could get shot. Our men work for no pay and work ten times harder than the enemy personnels. When I saw my men carry­ing such heavy loads on their heads and shoulders climbing high moun tains with sweats dripping from their brows,without receiving a cent

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for i t and r i s k i n g t h e i r l i v e s , a l l labor of love, I said t« myself: where can I f i n d such men anywhere i n the world today?

We get out of the danger zone i n the f i r s t day of marching back. We reach the Simpang Djeumpa on the 7th day. We c l e a r l y d i d not walk as f a s t as when we had come, Some of the men had become weak because we had not enough to eat, so our procession moves very slowly now, When we reach Simpang Djeumpa we camp there for the night, I t was a night of heavy rains and strong winds.This i s the period of the year when the strong wind from the l i m i t l e s s Indian Ocean blows over the entire upper part of Acheh Sumatra land mass with nothing in-between to slow down the wind. Fortunately the high mountain ranges protect-ed the lowland of Acheh from i t s devastation, Tonight, however, no­thing protects us. We are on the top of the high mountain range. I saw on my altimeter the height of the spot where we slept was 2520 feet. we slept on the ground between two sheets of black p l a s t i c s , one for the floor to protect us from the water on the ground, and a-nother one on top as a combination blanket and roof to protect us from the downpour from heaven, There was no time to make a roof, nor there any p o s s i b i l i t y to do that because the strong wind would blow everything away, Above us, the b i g and t a l l trees that reach the height of over one hundred meters, and even the shrubs were a l l be­ing pushed to a l l directions by the strong wind. Some of them were breaking and f a l l i n g under the pressure of the strong wind that by now must have reached a hurrieane strength, The sound of the wind blowing mixed with the sound of crushing big trees and the sound of the f r i c t i o n of leaves and branches, punctuated by b l i n d i n g l i g h t e n -ings and thunders made me think t h i s must be f i t t i n g t» be galled the night of the Armageddon. I t lasted a l l night long, I w i l l never forget that night and the spot where I lay down on the ground, help-less and a t the mercy of nature: we expected one of thöse big trees to f a l l upon us. I remembered well that Geutjhik Uma sat beside me on my r i g h t side and kept watch, On my l e f t side lay Ayahwa Saleh(65) a model of l o y a l t y and dedication that was a true p r i v i l e g e to expe-rience i n one"s l i f e time, He was sound asleep out of exhaustion,

Ayahwa (Uncle) Saleh was the person - then s t i l l a young man -who appointed himself the job of escorting me to Elementary School everyday when I was a small boy i n Acheh, He guarded me on the road from the house to the school and back. He was not ©fficially e n r o l l -ed i n school - too old - but i n the process he also learned how to read and write. He appointed himself to the job without anybody from my family asking him to do so. He was then not related to me,To make himself available to escort me to school he had to q u i t h i s job i n Pangkalan Susu, almost l i k e i n another country then, i n East Sumatra and returned home, and to stay with my family. I had intended to find time to question him, just for c u r i o s i t y , what made him decide to do that at the time that was so long ago, But I have never manag­ed to do i t . Also I had my h e s i t a t i o n that he might misunderstand me because what he did was such a great gesture of l o y a l t y and must be accepted i n the same s p i r i t i t was given without any question. Later on he became i n charge of my family lands, appointed by my brother, and i n that capacity he had also improved his economie p o s i t i o n .

He lat e r married with one of my r e l a t i v e s and got several c h i l -

82

dren, boys and g i r l s . In the meantime I hadnot seen him for 25 years during my e x i l e . When I came back to the forests of Acheh, i n Octo­ber, 1976, he was among the f i r s t to arrivé i n Panton Wéng to j o i n me - again without i n v i t a t i o n ! - bringing one of h i s sons, Marzuki Saleh, with him. He has never l e f t my sight ever sinceS As I look at him, f a s t asleep next to me on the f l o o r of the f o r e s t , under heavy rains and howling winds, thunders and lightenings, I think of a l l that have passed-between us, and I remember my.mother and my brother who had already died. My brother died i n a ho s p i t a l i n 1974, murder-ed by Javanese m i l i t a r y i n t e l l i g e n c e ' s "doctors". But Ayahwa Saleh stays with me. Wherever I go he w i l l be there to look a f t e r me. And without being asked. Without i n v i t a t i o n . Just l i k e what he did when I was a boy. My father died when I was 2 years old. I have no r e c o l -l e c t i o n of him. I was raised by my mother, Potjut Fatimah,and my un­c l e , Tengku Umar d i T i r o , who inculcated i n me a l l the ideas that I have about our people, hist o r y , culture, and Islam.

(AUGUST 1., 1977)

From Simpang Djeumpa we march on to Western d i r e c t i o n to return to Mamprèe mountains and to East Alue Pineung Camp,at least to fetch the food and then decide where to go thereafter.By t h i s time we have run out of food. Some of the men have becöme i l l and no longer able to walk. Some have simply collapsed and l o s t eonsciousness.lt i s ve­ry hard to climb and descend mountains on empty stomach. We have to make stretchers to carry the sicks and the unconscious. But we keep marching. The decision was taken to order ten strong young men to go quickly to East Alue Pineung Camp to piek up some r i c e that had been l e f t there, and to bring i t back to the slow-moving column.otherwise we would face disaster. That was a very wise decision. By n i g h t f a l l they return with food, already cooked, and everyone has the f i r s t meal after 5 days of not eating anything. There and then we decide, that inasmuch as we had l e f t East Alue Pineung Camp for considered judgment before, i t i s better not to return there now, but to go somewhere else. A Pawangs conference was c a l l e d . After deliberations i t was decided to proceed to Alue Puasa (Fasting Spring) on the up­per Tiro Region where we can get supplies from several alternative places. We proceed to march for another day and arrived at destina­t i o n on August 4th.

(AUGUST 4, 1977)

We found Alue Puasa a very nice spring. As ï sai d , there i s no place i n the mountains that i s not agreeable after you stay there for more than one day. Alue Puasa i s no exception. You wish to stay there forever. The water i s sparkling. The t e r r a i n i s defensible. There are about 70 of us. Not far from Alue Puasa i s a beautiful hunting ground, f u l l of deers grazing, especially on rainy days. Our boys begin to go hunting regularly and from then on we have plenty of meat to s a t i s f y everyone's whims. Who ever said that g u e r i l l a ' s l i f e i s bad? Not at Alue Puasa, at l e a s t .

83

(AUGUST 10, 1977)

Alue Puasa or Fasting Spring i s the name of that spring that had been given by our ancestors. But i t so happens that when we moved into the place just now, i t i s also the beginning of the Muslim fas­t i n g month of Ramazan. So the name of the spring could not have been more appropriate for us. In a few days our Communications with the countryside have been f u l l y restored. Even with Geumpang, to the Southeast (2 days walking), to Tangsé i n the South (1 day), to Blang Malo to the Southwest (1 day). From here i t i s equidistance to Tiro to the Northwest (1 day), to Truséb to the North (1 day)and to Blang Manê to the Northeast (1 day).

I t i s t r a d i t i o n a l i n normal time i n Acheh to eat date f r u i t s to break your f a s t . Of course nothing further from my mind than to think of eating dates for breakfast at a time l i k e t h i s . But to my complete surprise I was presented with a big box of imported dates for my f i r s t day of Ramazan. I t was sent by an old v i l l a g e chief, Geutjhik Din of Truséb, who said, "The Tengku cannot be allowed wi­thout dates for breakfast." I was very moved by such magnificent ges-ture of t h i s old gentleman. When he died some months l a t e r he l e f t a w i l l s t i p u l a t i n g that h i s lands be given to the fund of the NLF to finance the struggle. He t o l d a l l h i s children and grandchildren to follow the Tengku - as everyone referred to me i n Acheh -to the end! He was t y p i c a l of the old Achehnese generations. We w i l l never have a personality l i k e him grows i n Acheh again for a long time unless we achieve our independence!

(AUGUST 11, 1977)

We are i n a holiday mode today because we received the news that several young Achehnese leaders, a l l stalwarts of the NLF have ar­rived i n Truséb area and w i l l be here by tomorrow: they are,Dr Much­tar Hasbi, Vice President of the NLF and Minister of Internal Af-f a i r s and Deputy Minister of Foreign A f f a i r s ; Dr Husaini M Hasan who had been away for some time on duty, and who i s a member of the Cen­t r a l Committee of the NLF and Minister of Education; Dr Zaini Abdul­lah, member of the Central Committee of the NLF and Minister of Health; Dr Zubir Mahmud, member of the Central Committee of the NLF, and Minister of Social A f f a i r s and Governor of Peureulak Province. They a l l had l e f t t h e i r l u c r a t i v e medical practices i n Medan, the biggest c i t y of Sumatra, to j o i n the NLF. Talking about "rebels" as being desperadoes who have nothing to lose! Is there anyone i n t h i s wide world who has more to lose than these promising young people? These are the representative Achehnese! The true sons of their f a ­thers who are never a f r a i d to stand up for what i s r i g h t !

Later I received reports that they are being delayed on the road because they decided to open shops on the road, that i s to dispense th e i r medical talents by t r e a t i n g the sicks,women and ch i l d r e n , free of charge along the way, as a medical service of the State of Acheh Sumatra - a preview of more things to come - a f t e r we won our inde­pendence! There w i l l be free medical care for everyone!

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(AUGUST 12, 1977)

Here they come, at about midday. Such a reunion i s always a mo-ving occasion even in normal time. And this i s certainly not a nor-mal time. Everyone has a prize on his head. The Javanese regime had issued a "WANTED" poster with the photographs of the 9 top leaders of the National Liberation Front of Acheh Sumatra.with myself on the top of the l i s t , followed by the others. The caption on the posters said:"WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE". The posters asked the people to capture us alive or dead and to hand us over to the nearest post of the Ja­vanese troops. There i s no Achehnese traitor to take the Javanese barbaric bidding. The Javanese did not understand Achehnese psycholo gy. They lack cultural background to understand us.

As we embraced one enother, tears of joy and of sadness came like torrents from our eyes. The poignancy of our situation cannot pos-sibly be missed by any one present. We have not seen one another for quite sometime and each one has experienced a l l sorts of privations and dangerous situations, i n fact narrow escapes from death. On such occasion, Muchtar i s always the most unrestraint. He would weep and lament unashamedly. "We have to suffer a l l these because the Javanese enemy had come to take over our country! We must revenge our dead comradesl Redeem our pastl K i l l every Javanese i n sight! As they had shot us on sightJ" He would go on and on.And after a l l i s over,Much­tar would feel a l i t t l e embarrassed at his unrestraint outburst. I would t e i l him that i t was nothing to be embarrassed about. He has every right to feel the way he did, and to cry as much as he might fee l l i k e . "To weep for a lost friend i s not un-manly" as an earlier revolutionary, one William of Orange had said. To assure him further I recited Alfred de Musset's "Tristesse":

"Dièu parle3 il faut qu'on lui réponde

Le seul bien qui me veste au monde

Est d'avoir quelquefois pleuré." (1)

Muchtar i s a mirror of us a l l . Real p o l i t i c a l actions, as i t were, can only be done by people with great emotional involvement! There i s more meaning to Muchtar*s spectacular behavior than appears on the surface of i t . It was a pure, unrestrained, honest and spontane-ous expression of the character of his race. For Achehnese are: emo­tional, thoughtful, exuberant, unyielding, loyal, and heroic.

(1) "God speaks, I must answer The only good that i s mine i n the world Is to have sometime wept."

i

Dr. Husaini Hasan, a member of Muchtar~s party,was even sick when he a r r i v e d . He had to be c a r r i e d on a make-shift stretcher made of c l o t h . He was s u f f e r i n g from an un-diagnosed i l l n e s s that seemed to make him f e e l weak, dizz y and unable to walk. By evening, f a t i g u e and exhaustion have eased out and everyone begins to f e e l relaxed i n the awareness that we are doing the r i g h t things to continue our an-c e s t o r s ' struggle to get back our l o s t independence!

Aft e r Dr. Muchtar's party has had some r e s t , we decide to c a l l a Cabinet meeting, a rare p r i v i l e g e for us who are most of the time scattered a l l over the country to do our d u t i e s . Present, beside my-s e l f are: Dr. Muchtar Hasbi, Dr. Z a i n i Abdullah, Dr. Husaini Hasan, Dr. Zubir Mahmud, Dr. Asnawi A l i , Mr. Amir Ishak, Tengku Ilyas Leu-bè, Tengku Muhammad Usman Lampoih Awé and Army Commander Daud Husin. Only the Minister of Trade, Mr. Amir Rashid Mahmud, and Minis t e r of State, Malik Mahmud are not present because they are abroad. As I had mentioned e a r l i e r , we d e l i b e r a t e l y decided to stay i n separate places for s e c u r i t y reasons, c h i e f among them i s to guarantee the c o n t i n u i t y of the struggle incase some of us get k i l l e d or captured.

Most of t h i s f i r s t session was taken by hearing Dr. Muchtar's r e -ports on the s i t u a t i o n i n the Eastern provincies of Acheh Sumatra and the r e s t of Sumatra which i s under h i s j u r i s d i c t i o n as Minis ter of Internal A f f a i r s . And Dr. Muchtar, because of h i s long stay i n Medan, a p r i n c i p a l commercial c i t y , he has a thorough knowledge as w e l l as extensive contacts with the revolutionary people i n the r e s t of Sumatra. Contacts and Communications have been duly esta-b l i s h e d with the r e v o l u t i o n a r i e s i n Palembang and Lampong provinces of Southern Sumatra and they have adhered to the NLFAS.This f a c t was confirmed even by the Javanese Indonesian m i l i t a r y commander for Su­matra, General Mantik, i n h i s press conference i n Medan, acknowled-ging that those forces opposing the Javanese Indonesian regime i n Southern Sumatra are part of the NLFAS. Our organization has been established and i s functioning i n every c i t y and d i s t r i c t of Sumatra. Closer home, Dr Muchtar reported the actions taken by our forces i n Kuala Simpang, Langsa and Pangkalan Susu regions to clos e down f o -reig n o i l companies'operations and to prevent them from further stea l i n g our o i l and gas. The i l l e g a l r e f i n e r y i n Kuala Simpang was burn -ed. A l s o Javanese s o - c a l l e d transmigration projects that i n f a c t i l l e g a l c o n f i s c a t i o n s of Acheh Sumatran homeland to accomodate Java­nese c o l o n i a l i s t s e t t l e r s have been attacked by our f o r c e s i n Panton Labu and Lhok Sukon d i s t r i c t s , to discourage t h e c o l o n i a l i s t s e t t l e r s from moving i n our country.

Dr. Muchtar Hasbi i s a l s o the Deputy Minister of Foreign A f f a i r s who i s i n charge of e s t a b l i s h i n g and p r o t e c t i n g our communication l i n e s with outside world. This he had done with great success.

Zubir Mahmud who i s the Minister ot s o c i a i A r r a i r s ana WVBIHUI u t

8

the province of Peureulak (Perlak) made famous i n the West because 11 was mentioned by Mar co Polo i n h i s voyage to the East. In s p i t e oi h i s age, 28, Dr. Zubir proved to be one of the most e f f e c t i v e leaders of the NLF and one of the most competent Minist e r and Governor. In < few months he had completely organized and mobilized the people oi Peureulak Province, without a b u l l e t being f i r e d by us. The Javanes* Indonesian regime had t o t a l l y l o s t p o l i t i c a l c o n t r o l over the provin­ce. The only thing the enemy can s t i l l do i s to send i n the occupati-on troops to coerce the people to do h i s bidding and indeed to t r y t< k i l l Dr. Zubir. Just a few weeks ago Zubir had a narrow escape f r o i enemy's encirclement. A chicken farm, where he took refuge, saved hii but a li e u t e n a n t was k i l l e d .

Dr. Z a i n i Abdullah, Minis t e r of Health, reported h i s successfu e f f o r t s i n organizing t r a i n i n g programs f o r our para medics i n th< most d i f f i c u l t circumstances of our nomadic g u e r i l l a existence.But h< can point out with pride to many competent graduates who can now ad minister medical help to our various g u e r i l l a u n i t s a l l over th< country. Also h i s M i n i s t r y has published a medical textbook i n Acheh nese, the language of our people. And the medical prof e s s i o n i s thi best organized arms of the NLF and of the State of Acheh Sumatra.

Tengku Muhammad Usman Lampöih Awé, Minister of Finance, reporte< tha t the people have completely i d e n t i f i e d with the NLF and they loc] -ed to the Revolutionary Government of the State of Acheh Sumatra a t h e i r r e a l and legitimate Government and not the Javanese Indonesiai regime. This i s demonstrated by the people's eagerness to follow ou d i r e c t i v e s and by t h e i r f i n a n c i a l supports to the NLF without any co e r c i o n . I t i s c l e a r to a l l that we have no means of coercion.The ene my i s the one who has i t . Although the people faced great r i s k i n g i v i n g money or other kind of supports to the NLF when found out by th enemy, but they keep doing i t . I f the Javanese found the NLF's r e c e i p i n anybody's possession, the person w i l l be tortured to death. There f o r e , the Minister of Finance has issued d i r e c t i v e s that no r e c e i p should be given to the people unless s p e c i f i c a l l y requested. And t avoid any corruption on the part of our organization, only designate persons are authorized to receive money and to keep records unde cl o s e supervision of the Minis t e r of Finance. In f a c t our movemen depends 100% on the people's support.

The M i n i s t e r of J u s t i c e , Tengku Il y a s Leubè, reported that l a t e i he had t o perform so many marriages because the people preferred tha t h e i r marriages be solemnized by the o f f i c i a l s of the Islamic Stat of Acheh Sumatra instead of by o f f i c i a l s of the Javanese Indonesia regime. He had to p r i n t our Marriage C e r t i f i c a t e with our State Coat of-Arms on i t that a l s o says:"Together i n l i f e and i n death". Peopl f e i t more l e g i t i m a t e l y married with our l i c e n c e s than with the Java nese Indonesian l i c e n c e s . This i s indeed to say very much p o l i t i c a l l I t i s a monumental confirmation of our legitimacy and prestige amon our people. The Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t Indonesian regime has no l e g i t i

> ' 2 _i_ l „ — £: A- 1~ ~ — ~ 1 .—. Ti „ V » A V I CS -1 TVÏ - i +- v—•

17

(AUGUST 17, 1977)

August 17 must be marked i n Achehnese Sumatran h i s t o r y as the c a -lamitous day t h a t has caused the temporary l o s t of our l e g i t i m a t e r i g h t t o independence, because i t was on t h a t day the s o - c a l l e d " i n -donesia" was d e c l a r e d "independence"by the Javanese i n 1945, and was approved by the Dutch on December 27, 1949.It was a j o i n t - s t o c k com-pany of the o l d c o l o n i a l i s m w i t h the n e o - c o l o n i a l i s m , a j o i n t - v e n t u ­re between the two t o f a b r i c a t e the a r t i f i c i a l and make-believed na-t i o n of "indonesia". And i n the process we l o s t our r i g h t t o inde­pendence on account of t h i s monstrous c o l o n i a l i s t s ' c r e a t i o n . U n t i l the day we r e g a i n our independence, t h i s day w i l l be marked as the day of infamy i n our h i s t o r y .

Everything about Indonesia i s absurd. The d e c l a r a t i o n of indepen­dence of indonesia i s e a s i l y the most s t u p i d d e c l a r a t i o n of indepen­dence i n the annals of a l l n a t i o n s . I t was devoid of any i d e a s , of any p o l i t i c a l philosophy, or of any thought whatever. I t must have been w r i t t e n - as i t were - by people who were unawared of any p o l i t i c a l philosophy or of symbolism of a d e c l a r a t i o n of independence Compare i t w i t h the D e c l a r a t i o n of Independence of the U n i t e d S t a t e s of America or w i t h the D e c l a r a t i o n of Independence of Acheh Sumatra. Then you know what I meant.

As Dr. Henry K i s s i n g e r , the former American S e c r e t a r y o f S t a t e had c o r r e c t l y w r i t t e n : " I n d o n e s i a was nothing but a geographic ex­p r e s s i o n u n t i l the Dutch found i t more efficiënt t o u n i t e the i s -lands of the Indies under a s i n g l e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n . " (Nuclear Weapon and Foreign Policy). T h i s was the genesis of the "indonesian n a t i o n " . And t h i s unified colonialist administration was e s t a b l i s h e d i n Jakar t a , Java. A t t h a t time Acheh Sumatra was s t i l l an independent sove-r e i g n S t a t e ! This c o l o n i a l i s t imposed a d m i n i s t r a t i v e " u n i t y " or "na-t i o n a l i t y " has no l e g a l v a l i d i t y under the D e c o l o n i z a t i o n Law, and the c o l o n i a l i s t a d m i n i s t r a t i o n s based i n Java under the Dutch or un­der the Javanese cannot l e g a l l y deny the r i g h t t o s e l f - d e t e r m i n a t i o n and the r i g h t to separate l e g a l e x i s t e n c e of the people of Acheh Su­matra as w e l l as t o other peoples of the former Dutch c o l o n i a l t e r -r i t o r i e s .

R e s o l u t i o n s 2625-XXV of the General Assembly o f t h e U n i t e d Nations t h a t i s now c o n s t i t u t e s a p a r t of I n t e r n a t i o n a l Law r e g a r d i n g deco­l o n i z a t i o n s t a t e d t h a t a l l c o l o n i a l t e r r i t o r i e s have juridical sta­tus t h a t i s separate and distinat from the c o l o n i a l i s t country, and from other c o l o n i a l t e r r i t o r i e s , and t h i s separate j u r i d i c a l s t a t u s remains as long as the people of each of t h i s t e r r i t o r y have not y e t e x e r c i s e d t h e i r r i g h t of s e l f - d e t e r m i n a t i o n . The Dutch v i o l a t e d t h i s p r i n c i p l e of s e p a r a t i o n between c o l o n i a l t e r r i t o r i e s when they t r a n -s f e r e d t h e i r i l l e g a l " sovereignty" over Acheh Sumatra t o " i n d o n e s i a " .

Another fundamental p r i n c i p l e , namely, t h a t a c o l o n i a l i s t power has no sovereignty over a c o l o n i a l t e r r i t o r y and t h a t i t cannot t r a n s f e r sovereignty t o any other power re g a r d i n g t h a t t e r r i t o r y has a l s o been trampled on. Sovereignty over a c o l o n i a l t e r r i t o r y r e s i d e s w i t h the people of t h a t colony and not w i t h the c o l o n i a l i s t power. Th i s has been s t i p u l a t e d i n the UN R e s o l u t i o n 1514 - XV. Holland's

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t r a n s f e r of "sovereignty" over Acheh Sumatra t o Javanese Indonesia was t h e r e f o r e i l l e g a l . The most outrageous of a l l was the f a c t t h a t when Holland d i d t h a t , i n was not even i n c o n t r o l of Acheh Sumatra where Holland has no presence s i n c e i t was chased out of Acheh Su­matra by the r e s i s t a n c e movement i n March 1942! Holland r e t u r n e d t o Java and other i s l a n d s a f t e r World War I I - but Holland had never returned t o Acheh Sumatra! Thus Holland d i d not have de jure and de faoto power over Acheh Sumatra. J u s t then Holland "gave" sovereign­t y over Acheh Sumatra t o i n d o n e s i a ! Nemo dat quod non habet."No one g i v e s what he does not have."

The concept of " i n d o n e s i a " which was invented by the c o l o n i a l i s t and was based on the s a n c t i t y of the boundaries of the c o l o n i a l em­p i r e t h a t was e s t a b l i s h e d by conquests, and the concept of d e c o l o -n i z a t i o n which recognized the separate juridioal status of each co­l o n i a l t e r r i t o r y , must be c l e a r l y understood i n order t o grasp the enormity of i t s f r a u d . I n the UN General Assembly debates over J a ­vanese Indonesia's c l a i m to the t e r r i t o r y of West Papua, the Java­nese r e p r e s e n t a t i v e stated:"The q u e s t i o n whether West I r i a n (West Papua) had c u l t u r a l l i n k s w i t h other Indonesians was i r r e l e v a n t . T h e boundaries of the State (of Indonesia) c o u l d o n l y be the boundaries of the former Netherlands East Indies....What we consider t o be I n ­donesian and Indonesian t e r r i t o r y i s . . . the e n t i r e t e r r i t o r y of the former colony: the Netherlands East I n d i e s . " ( O f f i c i a l Records of the General Assembly, 9th Session, l s t Committee, 726 meeting; 912 meeting; 16th Session, 1050 meeting.) Here i s then a s t a t e t h a t i s f r a n k l y based on c o l o n i a l i s t s ' conquered t e r r i t o r i e s without r e -ference t o the conquered peoples, t h e i r c u l t u r e s , languages, h i s t o ­r i e s , i d e n t i t i e s and i n a l i e n a b l e r i g h t s . I n d o n e s i a i s thus admitted-l y a s t a t e based s o l e l y on Dutch c o l o n i a l i s m - without deooloniza-tion - and without apology! Judge M. D i l l a r d o f the I n t e r n a t i o n a l Court of J u s t i c e had s t a t e d t h a t i t was the people who should deter mine the d e s t i n y of a t e r r i t o r y , and not the t e r r i t o r y should d e t e r mine the d e s t i n y of the people. (C. J . J. Heoueil, 1975, p. 20).

The a b s u r d i t y or r a t h e r the c r i m i n a l i t y o f Indonesia's c l a i m t o West Papua - as w e l l as t o Acheh Sumatra, the Moluccas, the Celebes e t c - w i l l be b e t t e r understood i f we were t o apply i t s Standard to other p a r t s of the world. For example, what would have happened i f c e r t a i n s t a t e i n A f r i c a , say, the C e n t r a l A f r i c a n R e p u b l i c , would have demanded t h a t a l l former French c o l o n i e s i n A f r i c a from Moroc-co t o Madagascar - an area about the same s i z e w i t h the Dutch c o l o ­ny of Indonesia - should be turned over to i t , on the same "indone­s i a n p o l i t i c a l theory"? And s i m i l a r l y , what would happen i f one of the former Portuguese c o l o n i e s would have demanded t h a t a l l former Portuguese c o l o n i a l t e r r i t o r i e s - from Cape Verde t o Mozambique -should be turned over t o i t as an " e n t i t y " on the same "indonesian p o l i t i c a l theory"? Or, f o r N i g e r i a t o demand to r u l e over a l l the former B r i t i s h c o l o n i a l t e r r i t o r i e s i n A f r i c a , or f o r I n d i a t o de-mand to r u l e over a l l former B r i t i s h c o l o n i a l t e r r i t o r i e s i n A s i a from Kuwait t o Singapore and beyond? No doubt such demands would have been put aside as absurd! But i n the case of the former Dutch c o l o n i a l empire t h a t was what e x a c t l y having been pe r p e t r a t e d by the Javanese i n c o l l u s i o n w i t h the Dutch, without r e t u r n i n g any of those c o l o n i a l t e r r i t o r i e s t o the r i g h t f u l , indigenous peoples of

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those colonial t e r r i t o r i e s . If the concept of "decolonization d la indonesia" would have bee

applied to a l l other colonial territories in the world, there woul have been only 7 (seven) - instead of 51 (fifty-one) new states es tablished in Africa after World War II, namely one each for the for mer colonies of Britain, France, Portugal, Belgium, Italy, Spain ar Germany, without reference to the peoples, cultures, histories an inalienable rights. In Asia there would have been only 2 (two) othe states - instead of 45 (forty-five) now - beside "indonesia", name! 1 (one) for a l l former British colonies,1 (óne)for a l l . former Frenc colonies, with some a r t i f i c i a l and fabricated names - again d la ir, donesia. There would have been only two or three states i n Latin 2 merica, instead of 36 (thirty-six) now. There would have been r Third World majority today at the United Nations. And no UN Resolv: tion 2625 that guarantees the separate juridical status of a l l colc n i a l t e r r i t o r i e s . It i s a different world that i s being conjured v by the very name of "indonesia". Fortunately, the other parts of t l world had escaped from being indonesianized'

There can be no compromise between the concept of "indonesia" ai the principle of decolonization, because the one goes directly e gainst the other: decolonization requires liquidation of a l l coloni a l empires with specific steps and procedures, but indonesia exist on the principle of total territorial integrity of the colonial en pire; and an empire i s not liquidated i f i t s t e r r i t o r i a l integrit i s preserved. Thus Indonesia i s s t i l l an un-liquidated and un-decc lonized colonial empire with Java-men replacing Dutchmen as colonic l i sts.

There are five sets of objections that can be marshalled again! the legality and against the ju r i d i c a l values of the Treaty on tï Transfer of "sovereignty" between Holland and indonesia signed c December 27, 1949, especially concerning the transfer of "sovereigi ty" over Acheh Sumatra to indonesia:

1. The glaring incompatibility of the Treaty with the decolonize tion principles of the United Nations that had been impos< universally - except in indonesia.

2. The clear violation by this Treaty of the right of self-detej mination of the people of Acheh Sumatra.

3. The fact that the Treaty was signed by two states (Holland ai indonesia)without j u r i d i c a l right to dispose sovereignty ov« the territory of Acheh Sumatra,and the fact that both parties at the time of signing of the Treaty, had neither de jure^ n< de faoto control over Acheh Sumatra.

4. As an administering power, Holland would not have sovereignl over Acheh Sumatra i n the f i r s t place; i n the second place Hc land had no right to transfer that sovereignty at a l l . In ti third place, Holland was not even present in Acheh Sumatra c that time! Holland has not been there since March, 1942! Ho] land was not even an administering power when she perpetratt this legal and p o l i t i c a l crime together with the Javanese nee

O

5. Despite these f a c t s , however, the Dutch and the Javanese pre-tended to dispose the sovereignty over Acheh Sumatra between and among themselves without Consulting the people of Acheh Sumatra by p l e b i s c i t e or referendum, and doing i t outside a l l procedures already stipulated by the United Nations's Decoloni zation Law and the International Court of J u s t i c e .

When people i n A f r i c a nowadays referred to the " c o l o n i a l bounda­r i e s " which are recognized by the Organization of African Unity as legitimate boundaries, they are r e f e r r i n g to " c o l o n i a l boundaries" aftev proper decolonization, after A f r i c a being divided into 51 i n ­dependent, sovereign, national states; but when one referred to "co­l o n i a l boundaries" i n indonesia one i s r e f e r r i n g to the " c o l o n i a l boundaries" before and without decolonization, because the Dutch co­l o n i a l empire of "indonesia" has never been decolonized such as the B r i t i s h , Portuguese, French, German, Spanish, I t a l i a n , and Belgian colonies i n A f r i c a or elsewhere i n the world. There has never been any change of boundaries i n the Dutch c o l o n i a l empire since 18th century to the present day! The same fraudulent old c o l o n i a l bounda­r i e s are s t i l l being maintained i n t a c t today under cover of the name of "indonesia". No people i n the entire world region of the former Dutch East Indies - a l i a s "indonesia" - which i s i n length equals to that from Lisbon to Moscow, and i n width equals from Rome to Oslo, containing as many n a t i o n a l i t i e s whose independence had been usurped by the Dutch c o l o n i a l i s t s , have ever gotten back t h e i r independence the way the c o l o n i a l peoples i n A f r i c a , L a t i n America, and other parts of Asia have gotten back t h e i r s . What the Dutch have managed to do with the supports of other Western powers ("Democracies" i f you w i l l ) was simply to keep t h e i r c o l o n i a l empire i n t a c t as a neo-colony, and set up a p l i a b l e natives of the island of Java to run i t for them under the name of a fabricated "nation" of "indonesia". No p l e b i s c i t e or e l e c t i o n had ever been held to ascertain whether the peoples of Acheh Sumatra, Borneo, the Celebes, the Moluccas,West Pa­pua and others wanted to be part of Javanese "indonesia" or n o t . There were massacres instead i n a l l these islands of those who op-posed the Javanese take-over. The ensuing armed struggle, during the 1950s, on every is l a n d against the Javanese indonesian regime was crushed by superior armed Javanese forces equipped by Western democ­ra c i e s . And the old c o l o n i a l i s t s are continuing to plunder our coun­t r y with utter disregard to our people's fundamental r i g h t s .

(AUGUST 18, 1977)

We made a very e f f e c t i v e propaganda campaigns to make the people boycot the regime's sponsored celebration of August 17th throughout the country. The Javanese indonesian f l a g - r a i s i n g ceremony was a f l o p everywhere. For the f i r s t time since 1945, we have taken the wind out of the s a i l of August 17th celebrations. From now on there w i l l be no more s p i r i t of celebration for the Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t f l a g on the s o i l of Acheh Sumatra. When the people saw the Javanese f l a g , they immediately thought of t h e i r own, l e f t for them by the i r ancestors, and would f i n d a way to ra i s e i t , at home,in the farm or i n the forests. Many people have been arrested by the Javanese indo nesian troops for r a i s i n g Achehnese Sumatran flags p r i v a t e l y i n

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t h e i r gardens. We found t h a t our f l a g was such a mighty symbol among our people and our f l a g - r a i s i n g ceremony a very e f f e c t i v e means t o r a i s e the p a t r i o t i c s p i r i t of the Achehnese people.

(AUGUST 19, 1977)

By t h i s time we have s u c c e s s f u l l y e s t a b l i s h e d the NLF networks throughout the t e r r i t o r y of Acheh Sumatra and together w i t h i t the a d m i n i s t r a t i v e o r g a n i z a t i o n of the Government of the Sta t e of Acheh Sumatra. We do not recognize anything the Javanese Indonesian regime had done i n t h i s f i e l d , t h a t i s , we do not recognize i t s a d m i n i s t r a ­t i v e d i v i s i o n s of the country, and we do not recognize the same t i -t l e s f o r f u n c t i o n a r i e s . We r e - e s t a b l i s h e d the h i s t o r i e t e r r i t o r i a l d i v i s i o n s of the country as they were before the a r r i v a l o f theDutch and the Javanese. A l s o we r e v i v e d the h i s t o r i e Achehnese t i t l e s f o r each o f f i c e t o d i s t i n g u i s h our s t y l e and our system from t h a t o f the invaders as much as p o s s i b l e .

On the v i l l a g e l e v e l we r e - e s t a b l i s h e d the t r a d i t i o n a l and centu-r i e s o l d Achehnese a d m i n i s t r a t i v e system. Each v i l l a g e i s headed by a v i l l a g e c h i e f , c a l l e d Geutjhik, who w i e l d s great p r e s t i g e and so-c i a l i n f l u e n c e . He i s a s s i s t e d by a Waki (Deputy) and counseled by four Tuha Peuet (Eldermen) who functioned as an Executive C o u n c i l f o r the Geutjhïk, while the e n t i r e v i l l a g e p o p u l a t i o n p a r t i c i p a t e d i n d e l i b e r a t i o n s f o r any important t r a n s a c t i o n s . Beside Geutjhik,his Waki and Tuha Peuet, there i s another i n t e g r a l i n s t i t u t i o n of the v i l l a g e government,namely the r e l i g i o u s a u t h o r i t y of the v i l l a g e who heads the v i l l a g e ' s Meunasah or Meulasah (probably o r i g i n a t e d from A r a b i c madrasah: s c h o o l . But an Achehnese Meunasah i s not only a r e ­l i g i o u s school but a l s o a community centre and a "country club").And the t i t l e f o r the head of t h i s v i l l a g e r e l i g i o u s a u t h o r i t y i s Peutua Meunasah, and i n some regions a l s o c a l l e d Imum Meunasah. He i s ex-pected t o be an Isl a m i c s c h o l a r . The primary duty of our v i l l a g e c h i e f under the present s i t u a t i o n i s t o organize supports f o r o u r Government and f o r the NLF g u e r i l l a f o r c e s i n the mountains.He keeps the e n t i r e v i l l a g e m o b i l i z e d and u n i t e d f o r the NLF.

The a d m i n i s t r a t i v e d i v i s i o n above the v i l l a g e i s the Mukim. Seve-r a l v i l l a g e s would make a Mukim. The head of a Mukim i s c a l l e d Imum (from Imam - community l e a d e r ) . S e v e r a l Mukim would make a Sagoë ( D i s t r i c t ) , and a Sagoë i s headed by an Ulèe Sagoë ( D i s t r i c t Head). He i s a s s i s t e d by a Panglima SagoS ( D i s t r i c t M i l i t a r y Commander).Se­v e r a l Sagoë would make a Nanggroë ( P r o v i n c e ) , and i s headed by an U-lèe Nanggroë (Governor). He i s a s s i s t e d by a Panglima Nanggroë(Mili t a r y Commander of the P r o v i n c e ) . The governors r e c e i v e orders from Meuntroë Dalam Nanggroë ( M i n i s t e r of I n t e r n a l A f f a i r s ) . A l l of them are appointed by the Wali Nanggroë or Wali Neugara (Guardian of the St a t e , i n absent of a Su l t a n or Mudabbir a l - M a l i k ) w i t h the recomraen d a t i o n of the M i n i s t e r of I n t e r n a l A f f a i r s u n t i l such time when they can be e l e c t e d by the people.

We are basing our s t r u g g l e on the h i s t o r i c a l l e g i t i m a c y and con-t i n u i t y of the sovereign e n t i t y of the State of Acheh Sumatra w i t h i t s t e r r i t o r y , people and Government t h a t has never ceased t o e x i s t

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and that has never surrendered even one inch of i t s territory to the Dutch, and that the Dutch has never had any presence -much less con-t r o l - of Acheh Sumatra at the time they fraudulently transfer their non-existent "sovereignty" over Acheh Sumatra to Javanese indonesia, on December 27, 1949. We have consistently conducted our struggle on this s t r i c t h i s t o r i c a l frame of reference to avoid being dragged i n -to s t e r i l e and irrelevant debates over the hi s t o r i c a l l y non-existent neo-colonialist entity of "indonesia" which fraudulent origin I have already made clear. History i s our deepest root, our strongest for-tress that cannot be made to naught by Dutchmen or by Javamen or by anyone else. We have a retroaotive foroe in our history.All our his­tory i s again placed today i n the scale for our sake against which the Javanese invaders of our country have absolutely nothing to of­fer for counter-weights. Our retroactive force i s indestructible! For no one can destroy what i t was. Therefore,he who i s sure of his past i s also certain of his future.

The fact of the matter of our case as history has witnessed i t i s as follows: on March 26, 1873, the Dutch declared war against the sovereign and independent State of Acheh Sumatra, i n i t s e l f a form of recognition of our sovereign existence, and on April 5 the Dutch invaded our territory. On A p r i l 23, 1873, at the Battle of Bandar A-cheh, our forces defeated the Dutch and their Commander executed. The Dutch came back to invade us for the second time on Christmas Day, 1873. This Dutch second invasion resulted i n the protracted war ending with the Dutch second ouster i n March, 1942. When the Dutch returned to their "indonesia" i n 1945, after World War II, they ne­ver came back to Acheh Sumatra. And when the Dutch transfered their non-existent "sovereignty" over Acheh Sumatra to "indonesia" on De­cember 27, 1949, the Dutch were not only absent from Acheh Sumatra at the time, but they had not been there for seven long years. Acheh Sumatra should have become independent again and should have taken back her rightful place as a sovereign member of the community of nations. Holland and Indonesia had i l l e g a l l y prevented that from happening: Holland by fraudulently transfering Acheh Sumatra to i t s neo-colonial creation: "Indonesia"; and Indonesia by annexing Acheh Sumatra under cover of that i l l e g a l "transfer of sovereignty". The whole thing was i l l e g a l under a l l provisions of Decolonization Law and International Law. Can this clear matter be made clearer?

Traditionally the Head of Achehnese Sumatran State was called e i -ther King, or Sultan, or Mudabbir al-Malik, or Wali Negara.This last one means really Guardian of the State, a care-taker system i n the absent of the earlier ones pending future determination by the peo­ple of Acheh Sumatra. For the present I prefer to use this last and modest designation for the Head of State according to our best tra-dition, because the term and the concept of Wali has a pervasive meaning and diffused roots in the way of l i f e or p o l i t i c a l culture of the Achehnese people and understood by a l l . In our culture every person must have a Wali, a guardian, who i s responsible for his or her well-being, and the Wali Negara i s ultimately the Wali of last resort for everyone. No p o l i t i c a l system can last or be successful uriless i t i s based on the p o l i t i c a l culture of the people concern. We are through imitating alien systems.

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(AUGUST 20, 1977)

"Indonesia" i s such a big l i e that i t bogged down even some i n t e l ligent minds that tried to understand i t . D. Griswold was right when he wrote, Indonesia3 the Second Greatest Crime of the Century (World View Publishers, New York). Henry Luce once described Indonesia as "a hoodlum empire". It i s s t i l l i s today. Indonesia has cast such a shadow over a l l Southeast Asia; i t has corrupted.spoiled, destroyed, confused everything i n this part ofthe world in every category: geo-graphy, history, culture.economies and p o l i t i c s . It has successfully buried the truth about everything i n so many layers of l i e s and half truths that even the simplest thing here became the most complicated to understand.

For example, why should be anyone who has lived and worked here for years, lik e some foreign journalists, be mystified and unable to find out what was the territory of Acheh in Sumatra? Two very simple and obvious steps w i l l answer the whole things: f i r s t , take an old map of Sumatra from some reliable Western map-makers dated before Dutch colonialism arrived i n Sumatra. You w i l l find out that the whole whole island of Sumatra was part of the Kingdom of Acheh, pro-perly a Sumatran power. At that time Acheh was the p o l i t i c a l name, and Sumatra a geographic name of the same island. And the name of Sumatra i t s e l f was also of Achehnese origin, denoting the Samudra D i s t r i c t in East Acheh. If you investigated a l i t t l e further, you w i l l also find out that Malaya, West Borneo, and Banten region of West Java were also under Achehnese sovereignty for a long time. If you cared for diplomatic history, you w i l l discover that the f i r s t Dutch Consulate, in Padang, as far back as 1615, under Captain Bort, worked under the Exequatur from Acheh, that was by perroission of the Kingdom of Acheh, clearly demonstrating Dutch recognition at that time of Achehnese sovereignty over Sumatra. *

Second step, take a look at the map of Sumatra at the time of the Dutch declaration of war against Acheh, on March 26, 1873. You w i l l see that the territory of the State of Acheh or Kingdom of Acheh i n Sumatra at that time s t i l l covered half of Sumatra u n t i l Djambi and the Riau Archipelago (Please see the map published by GEAPHIC of Lon don in 1883, i n this book). This, therefore, constitutes the minimum legal claim by the present State of Acheh Sumatra at the time of the Declaration of Independence of Acheh Sumatra on December 4,1976: a simple return to the status quo ante bellum> to March 26, 187 3. In addition, the State of Acheh Sumatra claims back from the Dutch, - therefore also from Indonesia - a l l of Sumatra and surrounding i s -lands as our legitimate historie national territory. We have no i n -tention of leaving any part of our country to the tender mercy ofthe Javanese colonialists. The Southern half of Sumatra was taken by the Dutch from Acheh through the process of creeping undeclared colonial wars prior to March 26, 1873. But every inch of i t was taken from us just the same. We have an apt Achehnese proverb describing Dutch co­lonial policy: Lagèe Beulanda pula labu, that i s , " Like Dutchmen planting watermelon", meaning they w i l l claim a l l the lands wherethe roots of their watermelon w i l l creep - creeping colonialism.

As indicated by i t s very name, the State of Acheh Sumatra i s not

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a State for the Achehnese alone but for a l l Sumatrans of a l l ethnic backgrounds who rejected Javanese colonialism and who wanted Suma­t r a for the Sumatrans. The members of the NLFAS are not only Acheh­nese but Sumatrans from a l l ethnic o r i g i n s . Therefore, i n l i n e with that r e a l i t y , the State of Acheh Sumatra had promulgated a l l l a n -guages of Sumatra, such as Achehnese, Gayo-Achehnese, Karo, Batak, Mandailing, Malay and Minangkabau as o f f i c i a l and equal languages of the State of Acheh Sumatra. Acheh Sumatra i s a democratie fede­r a l State where every n a t i o n a l i t y group w i l l have t h e i r own State to govern themselves according to t h e i r p o l i t i c a l culture.The State of Acheh Sumatra merely provides a l e g a l foundation and the h i s t o ­r i e bastion for the recovery of r e a l independence for a l l Sumatrans,

The Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t s ' imposed administrative t e r r i t o r i a l d i v i s i o n s of Sumatra have no l e g a l i t y and no legitimacy whatsoever, just as t h e i r presence i n Sumatra i s i l l e g a l . They have divided our homeland for so many times and i n so many ways to s u i t t h e i r divide and rul e p o l i c y . F i r s t , when they had just taken over our country from the Dutch, they abolished a l l provinces cf Sumatra, including Acheh, East Sumatra, West Sumatra, Tapanuli, e t c , and they made Sumatra into one province only. Then they were a f r a i d at the sign that the move might promote Sumatran unity. So for the second time, they changed the administrative d i v i s i o n s of Sumatra i n t o three provinces: North, Central and South. Even then, they were s t i l l a-f r a i d at the possible unity among Sumatrans. Then for the t h i r d times, they divided Sumatra into eight provinces: Acheh (being con-fined to u n - h i s t o r i c a l boundaries covering only Northern t i p of Sumatra), Riau (being carved out of former province of East Sumatra and North Sumatra), a new province of North Sumatra ( a truncated East Sumatra amalgamated with Tapanuli), West Sumatra, South Suma­t r a , Bencoolen, Djambi and Lampong. Each province was then put un­der complete control of a Javanese m i l i t a r y commander although there i s a c i v i l i a n governor without power as the nominal head of the province. In the end what the Javanese d i d was nothing but r e -turning to the Dutch c o l o n i a l administrative system and t r y i n g to perpetuate i t under thei r control.The NLFAS does not recognize t h i s a r b i t r a r y Javanese-Dutch administrative d i v i s i o n of our country the purpose of which was solely to serve Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t i n t e r e s t s .

(AUGUST 22, 1977)

Today arrived a group of prominent leaders from Geumpang Dis­t r i c t . Among them include Geutjhik Pakèh,the D i s t r i c t Head of Geum­pang, and Commandant Rashid.the M i l i t a r y Commander of the d i s t r i c t . Both are stalwarts of the NLF with great reputations. With them are several other leaders, making a large group. Because of the new ar-r i v a l s , we have to make additional camp to accomodate them. Geum­pang i s a very important mountain d i s t r i c t located i n the central mountain range of Acheh. I t i s two days walking distance from our Alue Puasa Camp. Geumpang had figured prominently i n every war of resistance against foreign invaders that the people of Acheh has had to wage. Somehow or other, Geumpang always turned out to be the l a s t stronghold for the Achehnese. F i r s t , because of i t s strategie

An author i ta t ive French map showing the t e r r i t o r y of the Kingdom of Acl before the war with Holland, 1873. Java and the rest of the Archipel ,

was then already under Dutch occupatlon.

SUPPLEMENT TO THE GRAPHIC. SEPTEMBER 22?* 1883.

A contemporary E n g l i s h map showing Achehnese t e r r i t o r y in 1883, ten years a f t e r the beg inn ing of the war w i t h H o l l a n d , pub l i shed by THE GRAPHIC ,

London, September 22nd, I883.

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and impenetrable t e r r a i n s . Second, i t s food supply. Third,the p a t r i ­o t i c fervor of i t s people. Most c i t i z e n s of Geumpang traced their ancestry to the e a r l i e r evacuees from the war with the Dutch i n the 1870s. Most of these ancestors were Achehnese patrio t s who evacuated their lowland residences i n order to be able to carry on the f i g h t against the invaders. The people of Geumpang have perpetuated t h i s glorious t r a d i t i o n to t h i s very day. I know I can always depend on their l o y a l supports.

During the long war with Holland, many of my ancestors also esta-blished t h e i r headquarters i n Geumpang. My grandfather l i v e d there for a long time. He had a plantation there. I plan to go there and to establish my headquarters on the same plantation.Many of my r e l a -t i v e s f e i l i n the b a t t l e f i e l d s i n Geumpang D i s t r i c t during the war with the Dutch. Therefore, my family has always very close r e l a t i o n -ship with the people of Geumpang. We are considered one with them. They i d e n t i f y with us.And there were always many v i s i t o r s from Geum­pang who came to v i s i t us i n Tiro , i n time of peace or war. Geumpang i s c e r t a i n l y one of our liberated t e r r i t o r y .

(AUGUST 23, 1977)

One of the problems I faced l a t e l y i s that my permanent entourage has become too big for a g u e r i l l a headquarters: about 70 persons on the average plus v i s i t o r s . Like today i t i s more than 100 persons. I f we were attacked we can never retreat without leaving traces which are i n v i t a t i o n s to the enemy to pursue us. Especially i n the rainy season we w i l l make roads i n the forests wherever we go with that many men. Once a person has l e f t h i s v i l l a g e or town to stay i n the mountains, i t i s very d i f f i c u l t to melt back into the v i l l a g e a-gain, i f only for h i s own self-consciousness. Therefore, I have i s -sued a strong d i r e c t i v e that only those who absolutely cannot stay i n the v i l l a g e may come to the mountains. After discussions with Geutjhik Pakèh, we decide that he w i l l take 25 people with him to Geumpang to help establish a new camp there. I ask my cousin, Tengku Ilyas Tjot Plieng, who i s the Governor of Pidie Province, to be i n charge there. So i t w i l l be the Geumpang headquarters for the Gover­nor of Pi d i e . He i s the grandson of Tengku Tjhik d i Tjot Plieng, who was Minister of Education of Acheh i n 1900s and also the Governor of Pidie who died at the Battle of Ukèe Kleueng (Eagle Claws)on the T i ­ro River i n 1904.

(AUGUST 31, 1977)

This week we celebrated the Id-al-Fi.tr, a Muslim Holiday marking the end of Ramazan, the fasting month, a month of continuous f a s t i n g during the daylight hours. I t has been a good one month of res t i n g , thinking, contemplating, and cle a r i n g of minds for a l l of us. This Holiday i s one of the most important i n the l i f e of my people. The prescribed Islamic r e l i g i o u s ceremony include a praying together and l i s t e n i n g to a sermon. Even the content of that sermon i s pres­cribed. On t h i s occasion we add one more aspect to the ceremony:that of r a i s i n g our f l a g with the f i t t i n g C a l l - t o - V i c t o r y (Azan) which I

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s p e c i f i c a l l y requested Dr. Zubir to do. I t so happened that a few days ago I was awaken one morning about 5 AM by hearing an un-usual-l y e n t h r a l l i n g C a l l by someone whose voice I d i d not recognized. I immediately asked whose voice was i t ? I was t o l d i t was the voice of Dr. Zubir. Then to Prayer. As I had mentioned e a r l i e r , on such an occasion, no one would stand up i n front i f I were present. I was condemned to do i t . The sermon was delivered by the Minister of Jus-t i c e , Tengku Hadji Ilyas Leubê.

Appropriately he r e c a l l e d the struggle of the Prophet Muhammad when he started to preach the Islamic teachings, a l l alone, having to hide himself i n the caves near Mecca, f i n a l l y had to move away to Medina, before he ultimately managed to organize, mobilized, and fought h i s way back v i c t o r i o u s l y to Mecca. I t was an apt and timely reminder to us a l l . You should remember that Muhammad founded a r e -l i g i o n and a state at the same time. Islam i s a complete system re -qui r i n g t o t a l submission from the believers to A l l a h and His laws without any concessions to the ceasars. There was no need to sepa­rate "what belonged to Ceasar from what belonged to God" tecause a l l belonged to God alone! Islam teaches that men and states must submit to the laws of God. I t considers separation between church and state, between morality , p o l i t i c s and economics as symptom of schizo-phrenia because Islam aims at producing moral men and moral socie-t i e s . To separate state from r e l i g i o n means to negate the whole con­cept of Islam.

Can t h i s means that an Islamic State i s a t o t a l i t a r i a n state i n ­tolerant of other r e l i g i o n s ? On the contrary! Islam accords the same rig h t s to other r e l i g i o n s . This i s also a part of God's law. "There should be no coercion i n matter of r e l i g i o n To you, your r e l i g i o n and to me, my r e l i g i o n . " (The Quran)

(SEPTEMBER 4, 1977)

Today i s my birthday, the 47th. I had never thought that I would be celebrating i t here, i n Alue Puasa Camp and i n t h i s circumstance. I started t h i s journey one year ago today, when I l e f t my wife and son i n New York, on September 4, 1976. Can I c a l l t h i s one year of achievement, or of f r u s t r a t i o n , or of f a i l u r e ? Only histo r y can t e i l . But I w i l l be s a t i s f i e d i f I had kindled new p o l i t i c a l con-sciousness i n my people's hearts, i f I had reawakened my people to thei r great hist o r y and to the i r proper destiny i n the a f f a i r s of our country, i n short, i f I had managed to impart into t h e i r hearts and rainds what was i n my heart and mind. That would be a sufficiënt j u s t i f i c a t i o n for having l i v e d , i n my humble judgement. Without at least that, I would f e e l that my l i f e would have been u t t e r l y use-less and meaningless to myself and to my people. Self-determination and independence are no longer possible for those peoples who have l o s t t h e i r i d e n t i t i e s and group consciousness. With the i r i d e n t i t i e s and consciousness restored, I know that my people w i l l be able to get back t h e i r independence, i f not now i n my l i f e time, i n the f u ­ture. "Already", as someone had said, "my opinion, my conviction, gains i n f i n i t e l y i n strength and sureness, the moment a second mind has adopted i t . " And more so i f a m i l l i o n other minds have adopted

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i t also. That what I thought did happen.I managed to make i t happen. "So wondrous i s the communion of soul with soul as directed to the mere act of knowing!" I try to pass the flickering torch to the new generation. That i s my mission. That i s why I am here at Alue'Puasa! To do this I have risked everything!

(SEPTEMBER 5, 1977)

Today i s our national holiday to commemorate the BATTLE OF PUTJOK ALUE SIMI that took place on September 5, 1910,between the Dutch and the Achehnese forces. My grandfather, Tengku Tjhik Mahyeddin (Mayed) d i Tiro, then Head of State of Acheh Sumatra, f e i l in that battle, with two Dutch bullets i n his heart. The Dutch soldier who shot him was personally decorated by the then Dutch Queen. The Dutch thought that the last shot had been fired to end their longest colonial war in history. But i t was not to be, because the Achehnese people elec-ted Tengku Tjhik Maat d i Tiro, his nephew, to replace him, and the struggle continues.

When my grandfather's dead body was brought for burial to Tangsé, thousands of mourning Achehnese followed the cortege. The Dutch doc­tors had tried to "save" my grandfather's l i f e by bandaging his wounds to stop the blood flows - or that was merely a gesture of co­l o n i a l i s t s ' "humanity" - but the people saved some parts of that bloodstained bandages and they cut them into small pieces and only the most privileged among the mourners were allowed to keep a piece of the bandages as a remembrance of him.

The Dutch commanding officer who led the attack against us at A-lue Simi, Colonel H. J. Schmidt, wrote in his Memoirs:

"Today, September 5, 1910, my troops achieved a great victory at the Battle of Putjok Alue Simi. We got Tengku Tjhik Mahyed­din d i Tiro. We celebrated our victory by singing Wilhelmus (Dutch national anthem) throughout the mountains of Tangsé. Hopefully the war i s over. Tengku Tjhik Mahyeddin i s an able, shrewd, and determined leader.He i s a man sets right with his God. He has been called by the Achehnese the " Tanglong Nang­groë " - The Light of the Land.No one can replaced him since no one has as great an influence as he has. So the Battle of Alue Simi i s a military as well as a p o l i t i c a l victory for us. The soldiers responsible for the shooting of the Tengku w i l l be brought to Holland, to be promoted and decorated personal­ly by Her Majesty Queen Wilhelmina."

H. C. Zentgraaff, the Dutch historian, wrote in his books, Atjeh and Sumatraantjes:

"The Achehnese saved parts of the bloodstained bandages that was used by the Dutch doctors to stop the blood flows from the body of Tengku Tjhik Mahyeddin d i Tiro and cut them into small pieces and only the most privileged could received a piece of this blood stained cloth, a remembrance to the last leader of this family of great fighters. These bloodstained cloths are s t i l l being secretly kept in Tangsé by the people

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u n t i l t h i s day as a costly r e l i e s of the l a s t leader of the d i T iro family. Witnessing t h i s , who would not be reminded of the unrivaled eulogy of Mare Antony before the body of dead Ceasar and the whole drama involving i t , two-thousand years ago i n the forum of Rome?

"And they would go and k i s s dead Ceasar's wounds And dip the i r napkins i n h i s sacred blood Yea, beg a hair of him for memory And dying, mention i t within t h e i r w i l l Bequeathing i t as a r i c h legacy Unto t h e i r issue."

I t i s noteworthy that the Dutch, although they fought against us they did not i n s u l t us. They granted that our motive was r i g h t , a l ­though not convenient for them. The code of c h i v a l r y was preserved at least at the o f f i c e r s ' l e v e l . This i s very d i f f e r e n t with our present enemies, the Javanese indonesians, who have no honers and know no c h i v a l r y . They have come to rob us and they insulted us and c a l l i n g us with unspeakable names for refusing to cooperate with them. The same thing happened during the war of confrontation between Javanese indonesia and Malaysia i n the 1960s. The Javanese indonesians then c a l l e d a l l sorts of d i r t y names against the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tengku Abdul Rahman.who refused to eapitulate to the Javanese. When asked about the Javanese name-calling by f o -reign j o u r n a l i s t s , Tengku Abdul Rahman replied:"What do you expect from pigs but grunts?" I had endorsed that then, as now, whele-heartedly, although some people i n Kuala Lumpur have short memories that i n the long run w i l l be very c o s t l y .

Another s i g n i f i c a n t lesson for us from the Battle of Alue Simi was that we must carry on t h i s struggle i n our time j u s t l i k e our fathers had carried i t on i n t h e i r times with absolute determina-t i o n . I f we were not free i n l i f e , l e t us be free i n death. We do not compromise about our freedom. As Tengku Tjhik Mahyeddin had said:"We are not i n t h i s war on account of ourselves.We are i n t h i s war on account of our martyred fathers, and on account of our yet unborn children. On account of our past and our future. To secure the r i c h legacy from the past generations to the future ones." At the Battle of Alue Simi our fathers hadshown us how they had car­r i e d that determination without any doubt or hesitation. The Dutch commander, Colonel H.J.Schmidt reported that he found i n the jacket pocket of Tengku Tjhik Mahyeddin d i Tiro an un-answered l e t t e r from the Dutch Government addressed to him promising him everything i f he would be w i l l i n g to stop the war and making peace with Holland. He never r e p l i e d . They found the l e t t e r on h i s dead body. That was a very eloquent reply indeed.

Today we raised our ancestors' f l a g i n a solemn ceremony i n ho-nor of those who f e i l at the Battle of Putjok Alue Simi,and we l e f t i t at h a l f - s t a f f . Tengku Hadji Ilyas Leubè, the Minister of Justice presided over the f e s t i v i t i e s .

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(SEPTEMBER 8, 1977)

Today I received a deputation from every d i s t r i c t of West Acheh and South Acheh provinces composed of members from Lam No, Tjalang, Meulaboh, Blang P i d i e , Labohan Hadji, Tapak Tuan and S i n g k i l . The group i s headed by Teuku Ismail. We had established the NLF there at almost the same time we had established i t i n Pidie province. On­l y the Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t o f f i c i a l s who did not know what was go-ing on around them, because of the language barriers and because they were ostracized by the people and would not know anyhting un-less someone deli b e r a t e l y reported to them. In most cases they are treated as foreigners by the population. As usual with other depu-tat i o n s , the whole group had come by means of public transportation passing through nominally enemy controlled t e r r i t o r i e s such as Kuta Radja (Bandar Acheh), S i g l i , etc. Our people can use these means of transportations f r e e l y to move around a l l over the country. The Ja­vanese indonesian regime cannot d i s t i n g u i s h who are members of the NLF and who are not. When they arrived i n any town, anywhere i n the country, our people need only to ask any shop keepers to put them into contact with the "mountains". In no time they w i l l be on the jeep, or a minibus, or motorcycles to the nearest points tothe moun­ta i n s . And when they arrived i n the v i l l a g e nearest to the forest, they w i l l become the guest of the v i l l a g e chief, who w i l l see to i t that they arrivé at my headquarters safely. When the c i t i z e n s had "conspired" to such an extent against a regime of force, how would one describe the situation? Is there a terminology for i t ? I do not know one right now. What has happened i s that the entire population has come to f e e l that the re g ime that pretends to rule over them i s simply an i l l e g i t i m a t e bunch and without prestige i n thei r eyes. A l l t h i s has been effected by a movement p r a c t i c a l l y without means of coercion - without guns! I f we had guns also we would have swept a-way the Javanese indonesian regime overnight!

This has happened almost as a spontaneous response of the people to our presence i n the mountains, after they read our educational materials, brochures and books, - "reems of useless papers" said one ignoramous Western j o u r n a l i s t - and i n some cases after they hear our representatives speak d i r e c t l y to them, or i n the majority of cases after our c a l l reached them by words of mouths. But the most important thing i s the fact of our presence i n the mountains, being dramatized to them when they heard the sound of enemy's machine­gunning us, bombing us, s t r a f i n g us, helicopter-gunships droning over t h e i r heads, days and nights, searching to k i l l us; troops mar-ching and blocking the roads or searching every pot and pan i n every house throughout the country. Our mysterious presence thus f e i t and heard, but not often seen, has excited the people's imagination:they are no longer a f r a i d of the Javanese indonesian regime and no longer intimidated by i t s paraphernalia of power. We have restored t h e i r f a i t h i n themselves, we have t o l d them what to do, how to think, and so the hope of everyone for a better future has been revived.

Our National Liberation Movement anchored i n our glorious natio­nal h i s t o r y , clothed with our legendary past, has brought back too many memories to the yearning hearts of the i r r e p r e s s i b l e people of Acheh. You w i l l r e a l i z e that when you have attended an NLF public

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meeting; when you have seen what happened when the people encounter-ed our boys i n Achehnese m i l i t a r y uniforms: they w i l l hug, k i s s and fete them; when you have seen how the people wept openly when the f l a g of Acheh was raised! I t was no accident that the Achehnese f l a g had f l u t t e r e d over t h i s Land of ours for one-thousand years i n the past. That was why the Dutch couldnot p u l l down that f l a g a fter one-hundred years of continuous war! I t i s here to stay! Our Plag! The national l i b e r a t i o n of Acheh i s the recovery of t h e i r h i s t o r i e perso n a l i t y by the people of Acheh. This i s our return to our history.For that we must destroy every vestige of Dutch and now Javanese domina-t i o n over t h i s Land of ours.

(SEPTEMBER 10, 1977)

Today i n a Cabinet meeting we decided to establish a University of Acheh i n the mountain region as the f i r s t i n s t i t u t i o n of higher learning i n the liberated t e r r i t o r y to t r a i n our cadres for the f u ­ture. I t was decided that I w i l l be the f i r s t president of the Uni­v e r s i t y of Acheh. I t was decided to open immediately a Faculty of Medicine, of Public Administration, of Law, International A f f a i r s , and a M i l i t a r y Academy. To s t a r t with, I w i l l give a series of Inau-gural lectures beginning next month i n a place to be chosen, and to be attended by a l l Cabinet members and members of the Central Com-mittee of the NLFAS.

(SEPTEMBER 15, 1977)

A meeting of Pawangs was c a l l e d to consider a safe and secluded place to s t a r t the inaugural lectures of the University of Acheh.Se-ver a l places were considered.Finally the decision was taken to esta­b l i s h the f i r s t campus at Alue Kujuen (Lemon Spring) on the Northern slope of Mount Alimon, about two days walking distance from Alue -Puasa Camp to the Southeast. The choice was made also because of the consideration that the campus can be supplied from Geumpang or Tang­sé regions. And i f necessary also from Tiro region although a l i t t l e f ar.

(SEPTEMBER 17, 1977)

As i f to deny that any move from one camp to another has ever been made for other than security reason, we begin to see accelerat-ed enemy a c t i v i t i e s close to Alue Puasa Camp, during the l a s t two days, as i f our presence had been detected. Helicopter-gunships have overflown us during the l a s t two days. And i t i s discomforting to know that the helicopters can e a s i l y landed on the open grassland on the o u t s k i r t of our camp and disgorge enemy troops who then can en-c i r c l e us i n 15 minutes time. In view of the increasing enemy a c t i ­v i t i e s we decide to move out ahead of the scheduled time to Alue Ku­juen.

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(SEPTEMBER 18, 1977)

Today we dismantle our Alue Puasa Camp very early in the morning. I always feel a l i t t l e sad to leave a place where I had been. I have grown quite attached to the pleasant surrounding of Alue Puasa. But there i s nothing to do. We must move on. F i r s t , we must go to the Eastern direction passing the grassland. If the enemy helicopters happened to be over-flying the area at the time of our passing, they can easily see us. After about 20 minutes of walking we re-enter the thick forest area again, the safest place on this planet for gueril-las. Then we follow the path to Simpang Djeumpa, heading East, that by now has become our "highway". We spend the night in Simpang Djeum­pa again. Because there was no water, even i n the animal "swimming pool", we have to send an expedition to fetch the water down h i l l that turned out to be very d i f f i c u l t because the terrain i s almost not passable. The area i s characterized by high ridges and deep ra-vines. Some of the men were so exhausted that they decided to sleep on the bank of the river because they were unable to climb back to Simpang Djeumpa. The strong ones managed to bring back some water up h i l l for cooking.

(SEPTEMBER 19, 1977)

In the morning we continue our march. The Pawang found an easier way to descend and i n no time we find ourselves on the bank of the source of the Tiro River. From there to Alue Kujuen i s only 2 hours walking distance. We arrived at the "campus" spot at about 11 AM. The f i r s t impression i s what a cold place i t i s !

The spot chosen for our f i r s t campus i s truly magnificent, because we found a terraced bank on the Southern side of the spring, one on the upper level, and another one on the lower level, and both are ve­ry f l a t as i f had been bulldozed just for our purposes. So we esta­blish a two-level campus. On the higher level there w i l l be two hou-ses, one for my guarters with a " l i v i n g room" large enough for a lec-ture h a l l , and the other, a long house to accomodate the Ministers and members of the Central Committee of the NLFAS. In the f i e l d be­tween the two houses a small park w i l l be created with the flagpole i n the middle. On the lower level there w i l l be b u i l t two houses, one for the dining h a l l and the kitchen, and one for hospital with sepa­rate check-up and consultation rooms. To go up and down between the two levels, a magnificent Roman steps are being carved, reminiscent of the Piazza d i Spagna, with hand r a i l s added, also suggestive of Roman architectural style. Everyone wish we w i l l never have to move out a-gain from here!

About a mile down stream where the spring discharges i t s water into the Tiro River which at this height i s f u l l of innocent fish that have not yet learned to fear human beings. They do not run av/ay when they see human beings - a rare sight up here - and so they can be caught with bare hands. Therefore, here i s plenty of fresh f i s h for everyone. However, i t i s so c h i l l y at night, that soor overyone b u i l t his own personal f i r e place. To add to the serenity of this f i r s t campus of the University of Acheh, there are Mger cups coming down every mor-

10

ning to play with the younger sets of our entourage. A l l are t i g e i of Acheh here although some have learned to walk on two feet.

Abou Baka, my young guardian, had decided on h i s own to make i "residence" even more handsome by creating a second l e v e l low f l o o r and he planted flowers along the edge of the steps. He wou! sometime sleep there instead of at the guard house. The campus : well protected. There are guardposts at a l l approaches sever< miles around the compounds.

(SEPTEMBER 20, 1977)

Today we begin the inaugural lectures of the University of Acheh at the Mount Alimon Campus. The lectures are attended by about 50 p a r t i c i p a n t s , among them: 10* doctors of medicines, 10* engineers, 15* lawyers, 40* teachers, 20* college graduates and 5* of other backgrounds including fishermen and mountaineers. A l l have prover themselves to be capable leaders and exceptional cadres of the NLF. These men are the backbone of the present Revolution i n Acheh Suma­t r a . They are among the authors of everything that has been writter i n t h i s Diavy, from day one to the present and the years to come. They had a hand i n a l l that had happened i n Acheh Sumatra since the formation of the NLFAS. Their median age i s about 30. I have a de-f i n i t e objective about the lectures that I am going to give to then - to make them even better revolutionaries than before. The cominc lectures are not designed to give them licence and j u s t i f i c a t i o n for non-action and p a s s i v i t y , to say "perhaps" or "maybe" and th<= long etcetera of the academicians' selfdoubt that supposed to s i g -n i f y "open minds" which more often than not being used as an excuse for being non-committal to the moral issues of the day. My purpos« i s to make them f e e l strong enough to make decisive choices and tc make them able to commit themselves to the r i g h t things, and to saj a resounding "no" to the wrong things. My purpose i s to broadej t h e i r horizon, to give them a better understanding of national an< international a f f a i r s and the strategy of the National Liberatioi Movements.

I organize the lectures under these headings: (1) Internationa: Af f a i r s ; (2) P o l i t i c a l Theory; (3) Comparative Governments;(4) Eco­nomie Systems; (5) National Liberation Strategy.

The study of International A f f a i r s i s divided into three parts (a) International Law; (b) International Organizations: The Unite. Nations and i t s sub-divisions such as the International Court o J u s t i c e , the Decolonization Commission, the UNHCR, etc; and othe regional groupings; (c) Diplomatic History; (d) Treaties,Protocols Conventions, Etiquettes, etc. The study of P o l i t i c a l Theory includ the o r i g i n of the states, i n Western thought and i n Islamic though The study of Comparative Governments include the USA, the USSR, an any numbers of governments including Achehnese governmental and l e gal system, the well-known Code of Iskandar Muda. The study of th economie systems include capitalism, socialism and Islam. The stud of the National Liberation Strategy include analysis of supportiv

- i i . ^ i "1 T Tw» «-«r» +- •» n n a 1 / V / f a n ^

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z a t i o n s , and i d e n t i f y i n g f o r c e s t h a t are f o r or a g a i n s t n a t i o n a l l i b e r a t i o n i n t e r e s t i n the world today.

Since we have no textbooks a v a i l a b l e a t the Mount Alimon Campus, I have t o r e l y s o l e l y on my memory. I have had the o p p o r t u n i t y to study these s u b j e c t s under great a u t h o r i t i e s of our time, i n c l u d i n g a former P r e s i d e n t o f the I n t e r n a t i o n a l Court of J u s t i c e . So I should be able t o r e t a i n some of t h e i r teachings. Every morning be-f o r e the l e c t u r e I would prepare a one-page s y l l a b u s l i s t i n g t e r m i -n o l o g i e s i n the r e l e v a n t s u b j e c t s as pegs t o hang ideas on. Every­one would then copy t h a t s y l l a b u s t o complete h i s own notes of the l e c t u r e s .

We begin the l e c t u r e s everyday a t 8 AM u n t i l 12 PM. Then resumé a t 1 PM u n t i l 5 PM. And a t n i g h t from 8 t o 10 PM we have a f r e e f o r a l l q u e s t i o n and answer's time. We continue t h i s heavy schedule f o r 3 weeks without i n t e r r u p t i o n . A t the end of the session,now we c a l l the Seminar, as i t were, everyone r e c e i v e s a C e r t i f i c a t e , the f i r s t ever issued by the U n i v e r s i t y of Acheh, Mount Alimon Campus, and signed by me as P r e s i d e n t of the u n i v e r s i t y . I t looks not beneath the d i g n i t y of the parchments t h a t I had r e c e i v e d from American u-n i v e r s i t i e s .

L a t e r I heard the enemy has gotten a glimpse of the C e r t i f i c a t e when i n one b a t t l e f i e l d he managed to capture the l o s t b r i e f c a s e of Army Commander Daud Husin.

Although t h i s p l a c e i s very t r a n q u i l and f a r away from immediate danger, i t has become obvious t o us t h a t the l o g i s t i c people who have t o b r i n g a l l the food and other n e c e s s i t i e s here have had t o work extremely hard. The men had t o s t a y one n i g h t on the road t o b r i n g food here, t h a t i s two f u l l days of c l i m b i n g and descending high mountains. One day r e c e n t l y I p e r s o n a l l y saw them c l i m b i n g ve­r y h i g h r i d g e s w i t h b i g bags of r i c e on t h e i r shoulders w i t h t h e i r c l o t h e s soaked wet by t h e i r sweat. And t h a t was a l r e a d y t h e i r se­cond days on the road c a r r y i n g the load l i k e t h a t . I s a i d t o myself again and again, can you f i n d anybody elsewhere i n the world t o do t h a t without g e t t i n g p a i d a t a l l and r i s k i n g t h e i r l i v e s f o r doing i t ? The p l i g h t of the food s u p p l i e r s - the most important members of any g u e r i l l a o r g a n i z a t i o n - must be reconsidered, and even i f we l i k e to s t a y here, we o b v i o u s l y cannot do so, u n t i l we f i n d a way t o b r i n g food supply here i n a l e s s energy consuming way. Therefore I have t e n t a t i v e l y decided i n my mind t h a t as soon as the Seminar i s concluded we have t o move out of Mount Alimon Campus t o a lower ground.

E x a c t l y three weeks from the time we began, we concluded the Se­minar w i t h an appropriate p a r t y today. I t so happened t h a t we had j u s t r e c e i v e d p l e n t y of s p e c i a l g l u t i n o u s r i c e (breueh leukat) from Geumpang which i s very s u i t a b l e f o r making s p e c i a l r i c e , bu leukat,

104

that Achehnese eat on special occasions. And to make the occasion perfect, we also received many boh drien (durian fruits) which are famous produce of Geumpang D i s t r i c t . Achehnese always eat boh drien with bu leukat on special occasion. After the party, i t was announ-ced that we would move out from Mount Alimon Campus to Alue Djok, tomorrow, one day marching down h i l l , an announcement which was greeted with boos. Mount Alimon Campus w i l l be kept as a transit camp for people going to or coming from Geumpang.

(OCTOBER 12, 1977)

Today we arrived at Alue Djok (Djok Spring), one f u l l day march from Mount Alimon Camp. In fact i t i s not far from Alue Puasa which i s on the North bank of the Tiro River while Alue Djok i s on the South bank.The place i s very well protected by natural barriers and by very t a l l trees a l l around. The atmosphere here i s rather somber and darker than usual. Sun light cannot penetrate the dense foliage. My altimeter shows 690 feet above sea lev e l . So we have descended quite much and the a i r i s considerably warmer than at Mount Alimon Campus. A long "L" shape camp i s planned to be established on the narrow top of the ridge because no other f l a t surface i s available on these ruggedly undulating h i l l s .

(OCTOBER 15, 1977)

My men have become real experts i n building camps by now. They knew the right size and types of trees to cut for columns.roofings, floors.walls, etc, and they get to work without asking any questi-ons to anyone.When a l l the trees they have cut are brought together big and small,short and long, they can just assembled them together like parts of prefabricated houses and then the new camp i s stand­ing right before our eyes. Although the exhaustion and fatigue as a result of marching i n the mountains are considerable.in addition to the feverish a c t i v i t i e s of establishing a new camp which must be gotten over with quickly, nevertheless l i f e for us returns to "nor-malcy" very quickly i n two or three days. It was i n this camp of A-lue Djok that I wrote and printed our p o l i t i c a l statement "ASEAN -Javanese Colonialist Instrument of Foreign Policy". In that state­ment I argued that the so-called Association of Southeast Asian Na­tions was established solely for the benefit of the neo-colonial interests of Javanese Indonesia which has no means to protect i t s ill-gotten, far-flung colonial empire that extend from Acheh Suma­tra to West Papua, covering 5000 kilometers of the earth surface that constitutes three-quarters of Southeast Asian territory. The remaining one-quarters of Southeast Asia i s being divided among the 8 remaining states: Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Burma, Thailand , Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and the Philippines. But the Javanese can­not protect their colonial empire on their own, without the help of the neighboring states. And the Javanese indonesian colonial system cannot stand without the acquiescence of the other Southeast Asian states. It was through ASEAN that the Javanese are trying to gain acceptance of their colonial system i n this region. In fact, other states i n this region have no comroon interests with the Javanese

10

c o l o n i a l i s t state. Other states' economie interests are competit^ rather than compiementarywith Javanese Indonesia. But Javanese inde nesia needs other Southeast Asian states' help to keep her colonit such as Acheh Sumatra, Borneo, the Celebes, the Moluccas, West Papi East Timor, e t c , from gaining the i r independence. Javanese Indont s i a i s i l l e g a l l y occupying and colonizing three-quarters of Soutt east Asia and i t has no c a p a b i l i t y to p a t r o l i t s c o l o n i a l boundarit which equal i n length from Lisbon to Moscow, and i n width from Rcc to Stockholm. C l e a r l y by accepting to associate themselves with Jas nese indonesian c o l o n i a l i s t regime, the other members of ASEAN hai been made to act against t h e i r own s e l f - i n t e r e s t s i n the econom: and p o l i t i c a l f i e l d s . These countries w i l l have more to gain econ< mically and p o l i t i c a l l y i f they cooperated with wealthier Acheh Sui t r a , Borneo, the Celebes, the Moluccas and West Papua than with i i poverished Java.

(OCTOBER 16, 1977)

In a Cabinet meeting today we decide that i t i s time to begi preparation to safeguard our natural resources that are being i r creasingly plundered by the Javanese and their foreign cohorts, es p e c i a l l y our o i l and gas. They i n f a c t , have made us pay for tt cost of our own oppression and colonization by Javanese Indonesië Without the money they are making from the i l l e g a l sale of our oi and gas, the Javanese w i l l never be able to finance the i r colonis war against us. Up to now we have done nothing about i t . The JAPA ECONOMIC JOURNAL (October 21, 1975) stated that "Arun Gas F i e l d - i Acheh - i s the r i c h e s t natural gas f i e l d i n East Asia located i North Sumatra. I t has one of the ri c h e s t natural gas f i e l d i n t l world." The journal reported that Mobil O i l Corporation had made i o f f e r to the Japanese to s e l l 37* of i t s concession of the Arun gé f i e l d at the price of US$450 m i l l i o n s . That "concession" no doul was an i l l e g a l piece of paper signed by some Javanese general wl has been bought by Mobil. Such i s the game of le g a l f i c t i o n the mu] tin a t i o n a l s - not ju s t Mobil - are playing while making money on n country. We have an eerie f e e l i n g to know how we, Achehnese, wl by a l l the laws i n the world, are the le g a l owners of t h i s lanc have been chased out of our own land by the Javanese soldiers \ make way for foreign corporations to exploit our ancestral land wil us s t i l l l i v i n g on i t , our land being sold and bought i n internatic nal market place at such prises, and we the legitimate owners c t h i s land do not know where our next meal w i l l come from. In fac1 we are being hunted down l i k e animals for daring to protest suc i n j u s t i c e s ! Can such things s t i l l happen i n the world? I t i s happei ing to us r i g h t now!

The NLF forces i n Pasè Province where Arun Gas F i e l d i s locat* are to make a " p o l i t e " show of force near the town of Lhok Seumawè with s t r i c t order not to shoot anyone. The action should be tak< simultaneously with a public advice to a l l foreign workers to quj

06

(OCTOBER 20, 1977)

Today I received a report from our Pasè Commander that the above order has been carried out successfully yesterday. Our troops had attacked and destroyed an elec t r i c power plant near Lhok Seumawè and Arun, closed down the highway to Medan for one night, destroyed several enemy motor vehicles and although there were some shooting, no one was hurt. And the following leaflets were distributed a l l o-ver the area:

"ATTENTION" "To A l l Americans, A u s t r a l i a n s and Japanese Employees o f Mobil and B e c h t e l : " I t i s w i t h the g r e a t e s t of r e g r e t t h a t we have t o a d v i s e you a l l , gentlemen,for your own s a f e t y , t o pack and leave t h i s coun­t r y i r m i e d i a t e l y , f o r the time b e i n g , f o r we cannot guarantee the s a f e t y o f your l i f e and limbs.Your employers,MOBIL and BECHTEL , have made themselves c o - c o n s p i r a t o r s w i t h Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t t h i e v e s i n r o b b i n g our unrenewable gas resources f o r t h e i r mutu-a l advantage. We,the N a t i o n a l L i b e r a t i o n F r o n t of Acheh Sumatra, the p r o t e c t o r and the defender of the r i g h t s of the people of t h i s c o u n t r y i s duty-bound t o stop t h i s highway robbery of s t a g ­g e r i n g p r o p o r t i o n p e r p e t r a t e d by the Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t s ,aided by MOBIL and BECHTEL. I f you s t a y e d , you are l i a b l e t o get s h o t by s t r a y bul I e t s aimed a t Javanese mercenaries who are a l l a-round you i n c i v i l i a n c l o t h e s everywhere i n t h i s p l a c e . "The Javanese mercenaries are going a l l over t h i s country in ci­vilian clothes murdering innocent Achehnese people. T h i s i s the way the Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t s are t r y i n g to hide the f a c t of the e x i s t e n c e o f the war o f independence and to camouflage t h e i r mi­l i t a r y movements from f o r e i g n eyes, thus p r e s e n t i n g the image o f f a l s e s t a b i l i t y and l u l l i n g you a l l t o s l e e p w i t h them on death bed i n a burning house. "We w i l l welcome a l l of you t o r e t u r n here a g a i n a f t e r the J a v a ­nese c o l o n i a l i s t t h i e v e s have left.We g e n u i n e l y r e g r e t t o i n c o n -venience you but our a d v i c e i s f o r your best i n t e r e s t . We Acheh­nese o u r s e l v e s are most inconvenienced of a l l , f o r i t i s Our emi­nent domain t h a t i s being r a i d e d by the Javanese, MOBIL and BECHTEL! "As t o MOBIL and BECHTEL they can remain i n t h i s c o u n t r y only u-pon c o n d i t i o n t h a t they d e s i s t from being mere obedient s e r v a n t s t o Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t t h i e v e s i n t h e i r highway robbery of the Land of Acheh.and upon MOBIL's and BECHTEL's p r e s e n t a t i o n o f the f a c t o f t h e i r innocence, t o the N a t i o n a l L i b e r a t i o n F r o n t o f A-cheh Sumatra, and t o the Government of the Sovereign STATE OF A-CHEH SUMATRA.

NATIONAL LIBERATION FRONT OF ACHEH SUMATRA

October, 1977.

107

(OCTOBER 21, 1977)

I was awaken very early this morning because I heard some argu-ments between the platoon commander who was given the duty to es­cort the men who are going to fetch food supply i n the countryside. I heard someone said very loud: - "I do not want to go before I see the Tengku! I may die on my

way without seeing the Tengku!" The problem seemed to be that the guard did not want to wake me up that early i n the morning, and that the men had to go that early i n order to cross the r i ­ver before daybreak.

- "No! I do not want to go before seeing the Tengku! I may die wi­thout seeing the Tengku! If I died at least I have seen him!" The man said again.

I got up and jumped to the ground from my bed i n my green fatigue - I always slept i n the camp with green fatigue for pajamas and a pi s t o l strapped on my waist. I asked the guard to bring the man to me. He came rushing to kiss my hand - and I embraced him. I did not try to stop this ancient custom of hand-kissing because i t would be just wasting my breath, the people would not stop i t any way. Besides, I have many more pressing things that I would like to stop, like the Javanese settlers from coming to Acheh, and to stop everybody from calling themselves that stupid name "indonesi­ans". My man's name was Taléb Abou Maè (Ismail). He had just come up to Alue Djok Camp yesterday and had not gotten the chance to meet with me, and i n the meantime had been given the duty to go back to the countryside to fetch the rice this morning. He was a-bout 30 years old, very distinguished looking, f a i r complexion and exuded great intelligence. A definite officer's type, I thought. He came from the famous militant village of Pasi Lhok. To his pro-fused apology for having wake me up, I replied that i t was my pleasure to see him at any time. Especially at that time the mis-sion to go to the village to take food supplies had èecome very dangerous indeed because of the enemy occupation of the villages and gun battles had taken place between the enemy and the guards of our supply lines.

This early morning encounter with Taléb Abou Maè was going to be unforgettable and especially sad one for me. He would be shot and k i l l e d by the Javanese troops a few days later during this mission. He l e f t a young wife and two l i t t l e children,and a griev­ing but a very proud father, who had advised him to go to the mountains to help the Tengku and whatever happened never to sur-render!

Shot and k i l l e d by the Javanese together with Taléb Abou Maè was Sulaiman Abdullah (33) the D i s t r i c t Head of Glumpang Lhèe, a b r i l l i a n t leader of the NLF. He also l e f t three l i t t l e children, and a young wife. They were ambushed by the enemy while walking i n the countryside, un-armed. Their dead bodies were cut into pieces by the Javanese.

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(OCTOBER 22, 1977)

A l t h o u g h t h e C a b i n e t o f t h e S t a t e o f Acheh Sumatra had been a n -nounced a t t h e same t i m e w i t h t h e D e c l a r a t i o n o f Independence on December 4, 1976, and i n d e e d h a s been f u n c t i o n i n g e v e r s i n c e i n v a -r i o u s p a r t s o f t h e l i b e r a t e d t e r r i t o r y t h r o u g h o u t A c h e h Sumatra,the C a b i n e t members had n e v e r been a b l e t o be t o g e t h e r i n one p l a c e f o r any l e n g t h o f t i m e e x c e p t t h i s one. T h e r e f o r e , we d e c i d e t o have t h e d e l a y e d s w e a r i n g - i n ceremony be done now w h i l e a l l o f u s a r e g a t h e r e d h e r e , e x c e p t t h e two M i n i s t e r s who a r e a b r o a d , namely M i ­n i s t e r o f T r a d e , A m i r R a s h i d Mahmud, a n d M i n i s t e r o f S t a t e , M a l i k Mahmud. I t was d e c i d e d t o make t h e s w e a r i n g - i n ceremony on Oc t o b e r 3 0 t h , t o c o i n c i d e w i t h t h e c e l e b r a t i o n o f t h e L a n d i n g Day, t h e óay I l a n d e d i n A c h e h i n 1976 t o l a u n c h o u r l i b e r a t i o n s t r u g g l e .

I t was a l s o d e c i d e d t h a t t h e ceremony w i l l t a k e p l a c e a t Lhok N i l a m Camp, a b o u t 3 h o u r s w a l k i n g d i s t a n c e down h i l l s f r o m h e r e . T h a t camp i s c l o s e r t o t h e c o u n t r y s i d e , t h e r e f o r e e a s i e r t o s u p p l y w i t h f o o d and a l l t h e n e c e s s i t i e s f o r t h e o c c a s i o n . A l s o t h e Lhoh N i l a m Camp i s much b i g g e r . I t c a n accomodate more t h a n 300 people a n d t h e r e i s a f i n e p a r a d e g r o u n d o n i t . T h a t camp has been i n con-t i n u o u s use l o n g e r t h a n any o t h e r s . A t r o o p s o f 200 men a r e s t a t i o n -e d t h e r e . A s t h e d e s i g n a t e d d a y i s a p p r o a c h i n g , I was i n f o r m e d or t h e d a i l y b a s i s o f t h e p r o g r e s s i n t h e p r e p a r a t i o n . Meat, r i c e , f l o u r , s u g a r , c o f f e e , m i l k , honey, e g g s , g l u t i n o u s r i c e and a l ] s o r t s o f s p e c i a l t i e s were p o u r i n g i n . T h e s e a r e v e r y i m p o r t a n t items f r o m t h e g u e r i l l a s ' p o i n t o f v i e w . These a r e " s t r a t e g i e " s t u f f s , i i y o u w i l l . And d u r i n g t h e l a s t f e w d a y s a l l s o r t s o f c a k e s and pas-t r i e s baked b y t h e women f o l k s f r o m a l l p a r t s o f t h e c o u n t r y wer« b r o u g h t i n . The p e o p l e , men and women, p a r t i c i p a t e d and worked hare t o make o u r ceremony a s u c c e s s . I t was no s e c r e t i n t h e countrysidï t h a t we w i l l have a C a b i n e t S w e a r i n g - i n Ceremony o n O c t o b e r 30,197" We wonder how was i t p o s s i b l e t h a t t h e enemy's i n t e l l i g e n c e agente c o u l d f a i l t o p i e k up t h e news i n t h e c o u n t r y s i d e . B u t even i f the^

(OCTOBER 30, 1977)

Today I and a l l t h e M i n i s t e r s p r e s e n t a t A l u e D j o k Camp descen f r o m our m o u n t a i n r e s i d e n c e t o Lhok N i l a m Camp. A f t e r a b o u t 2 hour o f w a l k i n g we a r e i n t e r c e p t e d by honor g u a r d s who c o n d u c t u s t o t h main g a t e , o n t h e S o u t h s i d e o f t h e p a r a d e g r o u n d . We a r e f l a b b e r g a s t e d t o see how g r a n d i s e v e r y t h i n g h a s been a r r a n g e d . •Jjnf*'e; ij» v e r y b i g p l a c a r d on t h e t o p o f t h e g a t e saying:"WELC0ME T0 THE WAL NEUGARA T0 THE LIBERATED TERRITORY OF LHOK NILAM".The p a r a d e g r o u r i s w e l l m a n i c u r e d . A podium has been s e t up on a r a i s e d p l a t f o r n I n f r o n t o f i t , a f l a g p o l e . T h e s u r r o u n d i n g i s b e a u t i f u l and d r e n c r ed i n h i s t o r y . To t h e N o r t h , down s l o p e , y ou c a n see t h e wa t e r c t h e T i r o R i v e r f l o w i n g u n h u r r i e d l y . B e h i n d t h a t r i s e s t h e peak c t h e T j o k k a n H i l l , where we had made t h e D e c l a r a t i o n o f Independenc on December 4, 1976. On t h e r i g h t hand s i d e , t o t h e E a s t , on t l bend o f t h e T i r o R i v e r you c a n see t h e r o c k o f E a g l e C l a w s , whei Tengku T j h i k d i T j o t P l i e n g , my g r e a t u n c l e . f e l l i n t h e b a t t l e w i t

109

We proceed to the main building of the camp where everyone has been standing i n l i n e s at attention to greet us. Since i t i s alrea-dy time for lunch and we are hungry, and the foods are ready, we proceed with the lunch f i r s t . This i s a magnificent feast. There i s nothing lacking. The people i n the country who sent up a l l these nice food must have worked very hard. I have never had a nicer meal i n my l i f e , anywhere i n the world, even at Maxim's i n Pa r i s , or at Mirabelle i n London, or Le M i s t r a l i n New York. After lunch I d e l i -ver the inaugural speech for the f e s t i v i t i e s .

I congratulate everyone who had worked hard to make our day's f e s t i v i t i e s possible. We are engaged i n a grand adventure to redeem our past and to preserve the future of our people. And we have put our own l i v e s on the l i n e . The Government which we have established i s for the leve of our people. The order that t h i s Government i s giving i s because of that love, and i t w i l l be taken by the people also because of that reason. To be free and independence we have to know how to command, and how to accept that command;we have to know who can command, and who must obey, and why they command, and why they obey. The concept that makes a l l of us equal. That i s what we are setting up here today. The concept of love and s a c r i f i c e i s i n -separable. I f you t r u l y loved then you would be w i l l i n g to s a c r i ­f i c e your own l i f e for the sake of the loved one. I f you loved your Fatherland Acheh, then you must be w i l l i n g to die for i t . L e t no one t e i l us that he loves Acheh but he i s not w i l l i n g to die for i t : that he i s a f r a i d of t h i s and that. He i s not an Achehnese. And he i s not belonged with us!

Once upon a time our people have forgotten t h i s , especially at a decisive moment of hist o r y , such as at the end of World War I I . Because of that, we l o s t our chance for independence i n 1945, and because of that also we have to do what we are doing here today.The Javanese could not have gotten here to colonize us i f we were con-scious of our hist o r y at that time, and i f we knew how to govern ourselves.In 1945 our people have forgotten how to honor themselves and they had honored other people - the Javanese - more than our own. They have l o s t the concept of who can command and who must o-bey on t h i s Land of Acheh. That was why our country has become a Javanese colony.

Now l e t us hear how our Ministers swear l o y a l t y to our State, to the nation's past and to i t s future: the Minister of J u s t i c e , Tengku Ilyas Leubè, who happens to be the most senior, administers the oath of o f f i c e which i s repeated by every Minister, one by one:

"In the name of A l l a h , the Corapassionate, the M e r c i f u l , I swear: - to obey the Commandments of A l l a h and the Prophet Muhammad; - to continue the struggle of Sultan Iskandar Muda and Tengku

Tjhik d i T i r o ; - to obey the order of my Chief, the Head of State (Wali Neuga-

ra) of Acheh, Sumatra; - to protect and to preserve the Constitution of Acheh Sumatra. So help me, God."

The oath i s f i r s t taken by Dr. Muchtar Hasbi, Minister of Internal A f f a i r s and Deputy Minister of Foreign A f f a i r s ; followed by Dr. Hu­s a i n i M. Hasan, Minister of Education and Information; Dr. Z a i n i

10

Abdullah, Minister of Health; Dr. Zubir Mahmud, Minister of Social A f f a i r s and Governor of Peureulak Province; Tengku Muhammad Usman Lampoih Awé, Minister of Finance; Dr. Teuku Asnawi A l i , Minister of Public Works and Industry; Mr. Amir Ishak, Minister of Communi­cations; and Army Commander, Muhammad Daud Husin.

Then a Blessing Prayer was invoked by Tengku Ilyas Leubè to so-lemnize the occasion.Then we proceed to the parade ground for f l a g r a i s i n g ceremony.In the back of the podium stand a l l the Ministers and Governors,and members of the Central Committee of the National Liberation Front. Facing them on the opposite side are long l i n e s of our troops i n t h e i r best uniforms and smartly d r i l l e d . I have not seen my men that many i n one place before. I am proud to look at them. As usual, the f l a g i s raised accompanied by the C a l l - t o -Victory. As the f l a g flutters,every Minister gives a short speech.

Excellent speeches are delivered. Tengku Ilyas Leubè who i s the main speaker, de l i v e r s an unheard o f f harangue to the troops. He c a l l s the s p i r i t s of our ancestors to come down to bless us and to embrace us, their children who have r i s e n to brave the enemy b u l -l e t s i n order to redeem them. Everyone knows that a l l around us are past battlegrounds i n the long war against foreign invaders. There are tears on everyone's eyes. I am the l a s t speaker of the day. As there i s nothing more to say af t e r the s t i r r i n g speech of the esteemed Minister of J u s t i c e , I go to the podium j u s t to take the salute. I f e e l silence would be more eloquence than any ut t e r -ance . So I stand there on the podium saying nothing, looking at the men as tears dropped from my eyes, happy and sad at the same time. When can I give arms to my men! I know everyone shed tears with me!

Just then Dr. Muchtar Hasbi walks over to the troops crossing the small space that had separated the two l i n e s and embraces the men one by one, followed by other Ministers, and the emotions wel-led up when Muchtar begins to weep very loud as he embraced the men, then soon everyone i s crying and embracing each others around me, s t i l l standing high on the raised podium, watching them and being watched by them. We a l l have become blood brothers, as i t were, united by past, present, and future - whatever that future may be.

We part company with Dr. Muchtar and Dr. Zubir a t Lhok Nilam Camp, from where they proceed to return to t h e i r respective r e g i -ons: Dr. Muchtar to the Pasè Province, and Dr. Zubir to the Peu­reulak Province. By g u e r i l l a route i t would take two months to walk to Pasè, and three months to Peureulak. But they w i l l take a semi-guerilla route, by car, passing through the so-called enemy controlled t e r r i t o r y - i n r e a l i t y there i s no such t e r r i t o r y l e f t i n Acheh Sumatra - that w i l l bring them home within 5 and 7 hours respectively.

(NOVEMBER 1, 1977)

We are back at our Alue Djok Camp. As i t i s not far from the grassland where the deers are grazing, we are assured of meat. The troops would go hunting for deers when they have no mission to

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carry. Although most of the time the troops are on the move p a t r o l ­l i n g the so-called enemy controlled areas, and i n s t i l l i n g some fear of God i n the hearts of the Indonesians, they also go to make pro­paganda works near the enemy camps.Where our c i v i l i a n propagandists cannot go, I send the armed ones. Our g u e r i l l a troops have been our most e f f e c t i v e p o l i t i c a l weapons. Their missions, most of the time, are to go to show the f l a g ! Sometime they go by foot, sometime by motor vehicles, sometime by boats, and sometime even wearing enemy uniforms i n order to confuse the invaders.

(NOVEMBER 10, 1977)

Immediately after the f e s t i v i t i e s at Lhok Nilam, I ordered our troops to disrupt the enemy communication l i n e s , the most important one,connecting his p r o v i n c i a l headquarters i n Kuta Radja with the r e s t of Sumatra. This was accomplished immediately.Our troops occu-pied a strategie section of the highway between Kuta Radja and Me­dan i n the Seulawah mountain region. A l l motor vehicles were i n t e r -cepted and inspected. C i v i l i a n t r a f f i c s were allowed to pass unmo-lested after being given some lectures and l i t e r a t u r e s about our cause. Our objective i s p o l i t i c a l . O n l y Indonesian m i l i t a r y vehicles were destroyed. As a r e s u l t , the enemy sent a massive motorized force to dislodge us involving several thousands of his men. But whatever happened thereafter i s not very important for us, because we had achieved our p o l i t i c a l objectives. While our troops made the withdrawal there was nevertheless a f i r e f i g h t with the enemy deve-loped i n Padang T i d j i area where one of our men, Pawang Léman (Su-laiman) was martyred. The enemy suffered 5 casualties,dead or woun-ded. As a r e s u l t of that encounter, however, our forces were scat-tered three ways: one group with Army Commander retreated to Paya Reubèe swamp; one group retreated to Padang T i d j i town; and another group to Grong-Grong v i l l a g e . The men being r e c r u i t s from other r e ­gion were not familiar with t h i s area but they had to melt r i g h t a-way with the population before daybreak. They simply knocked at the door of the f i r s t house they encountered and announced themselves and asked for help. In no time they were taken to a secluded house by the l o c a l population, given a complete change of c i v i l i a n c l o t h ­es while t h e i r weapons were hidden by the people.They spent one day that way. By the next evening they were put i n the car and were driven to our nearest mountain post.By the next morning they a r r i v ­ed at Alue Djok Camp to report to me before the Army Commander him-se l f arrivés. He had the bad luck of being detained i n the swamp for two more days before finding h i s own motor vehicle for a r i d e back to the headquarters; he was so re l i e v e d when he found out that instead of the bad news he thought he had to report to me about the l o s t of h i s troops, he was welcomed by them on a r r i v a l . We are a l l sad about the l o s t of our brother, Pawang Léman, the guide from Pa­dang T i d j i , who had volunteered that night to show the way.I record t h i s incident to show how the people cooperated with the NLF i n t h i s people's struggle to free our country from Javanese Indonesian occupation. With such popular support, the NLF cannot possibly l o s t i n t h i s struggle.

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(NOVEMBER 12, 1977)

Today we are s u r p r i s e d t o d i s c o v e r t h a t the enemy troops had camped a t e x a c t l y the opposite s i d e of our camp on the bank o f the T i r o R i v e r . They had p i t c h e d t h e i r t e n t s on the g r a s s l a n d of our hunting grounds. The d i s t a n c e t h a t separates them from us cannot be more than 2 m i l e s . Between us l i e s the deep gorge of the T i r o R i v e r . The way they were behaving, they do not seem t o know t h a t we are ob-s e r v i n g them nearby. I f we had enough f o r c e , t h i s i s the chance t o ambush them. But, a l a s , j u s t a t t h a t time we do not have sufficiënt f o r c e w i t h us, because our troops are doing p a t r o l works somewhere e l s e i n the c o u n t r y s i d e . As u s u a l , I do not use the f o r c e t o guard myself i n the mountains. The f o r c e s t h a t are l e f t w i t h me o n l y the minimum we need f o r s e l f - d e f e n c e and t o permit us t o withdraw i f there were enemy encirclement. I t i s p o s s i b l e t h a t the enemy had managed to tracé the l o c a t i o n of our Alue Puasa Camp which i s not f a r from the p l a c e where he i s camping now. I t i s about 3 m i l e s t o the West and on the same h e i g h t . Although we have no way of mak­i n g sure of t h a t , but we must assume t h a t c o n c l u s i o n . I f t h a t i s so then the enemy might c r o s s the r i v e r t o search t h i s s i d e of the r i ­v e r . They might have strong temptation t o do so because not f a r be-low i s the Eagle Claws" c r o s s i n g . And i f they d i d t h a t , there i s a strong p o s s i b i l i t y t h a t they w i l l f i n d the f o o t p a t h l e a d i n g t o our camp, because there have been heavy t r a f f i c s between our Alue Djok Camp and the Lhok Nilam Camp below. I f our access t o the c o u n t r y s i d e was blocked t o the North and t o the West, then we w i l l have d i f f i -c u l t y i n o b t a i n i n g our p r o v i s i o n s . Therefore we decide t o move away from Alue Djok Camp. The meeting o f Vawangs i s c a l l e d . I t i s decided t o move t o Alue Bambang ( B u t t e r f l y Spring) t o the West, about 2 days march from here, and out o f the area of the T i r o R i v e r , and i n t o the area of Krueng Meuk R i v e r ( F i r e f l y R i v e r ) .

(NOVEMBER 14, 1977)

We l e f t Alue Djok Camp e a r l y t h i s morning marching South-wester-l y d i r e c t i o n . T h i s i s a very d i f f i c u l t t e r r a i n t o c r o s s . I t i s e i t h e r c l i m b i n g h i g h r i d g e s or descending steep r a v i n e s . Therefore, our march i s a t the pace of a s n a i l . There was a 15 minutes r e s t f o r e-very one-hour of marching t o conserve energy when the going i s t h i s rough. And t h a t h e l p s . We must reach the R i v e r Krueng Meuk by 6 PM, i n order to be able t o c r o s s i t i n the dark of the n i g h t . T h i s i s the area o f such pri m e v a l f o r e s t s t h a t a f t e r 6 PM i t becomes so dark t h a t you cannot see your own f i n g e r t i p s . And u s i n g any k i n d of l i g h t i s a b s o l u t e l y f o r b i d d e n f o r s e c u r i t y reasons. We a r r i v e d at the bank o f the r i v e r a t 5 PM. We have t o w a i t u n t i l 6 PM t o c r o s s because we do not know i f the enemy was not there w a i t i n g as some­time he d i d i n the past i n t h i s area. A f t e r the guards had checked the area, one m i l e above and one m i l e down the r i v e r , t h e f i r s t group o f armed guards crossed the r i v e r to e s t a b l i s h strong p o i n t s on the other s i d e . A f t e r they g i v e " a l l c l e a r " s i g n a l , the group i n the middle c r o s s e s . Krueng Meuk i s known f o r i t s s w i f t c u r r e n t and s l i p p e r y pebbles w i t h s l i p p e r y r o c k s . Therefore we make the c r o s s i n g by h o l d i n g each other's arms f o r support e i t h e r a g a i n s t s w i f t c u r -r e n t s or a g a i n s t f a l l i n g down because of the s l i p p e r i n e s s of the

bottom of the r i v e r . The rear guards are the l a s t group to cro: make sure that no one follow us behind.

We sleep the night on the bank of Krueng Meuk River, abou mile's from the water's edge, another precaution.I was so exha today because of a l l those climbing and descending.and I sweat fusedly. I f e e l l i k e taking a bath i n the r i v e r . I usually t r y void that because my guards w i l l never l e t me go to the rive: thout at least one mile up and down the r i v e r are guarded by I know Geutjhik Uma w i l l frown at the mere mention of my goi swim i n the r i v e r , but nevertheless I decided to do i t t h i s because of the increasingly rare opportunity to do so. As I soaping and rubbing myself i n such clean cool water,a thought sed my mind, that at least the water I bathed with w i l l go passing the estates of my houses i n Tiro and Tandjong Bungong Flower);both are located on the bank of the Ti r o River, wher spent my childhood years. Perhaps the water would r e a l l y anno that I was back home! The water of Krueng Meuk joins the wat the Tiro River at a point about 10 miles down stream. And i t w long the bank of the Tiro River also that my father, mother, s and brother were buried. I used to swim i n the r i v e r near my h when I was a boy.

(NOVEMBER 16, 1977)

In the morning we continue our march to Alue Bambang. The rains became even more d i f f i c u l t . I have never seen the conce t i o n of d i f f i c u l t terrains i n such a small space. I t i s l i k e terhorns a l l around you. You have to walk on the top of the r which are no wider than one foot, l i t e r a l l y t i p -toeing, and o ther sides of you l i e steep ravines, about 900 feet deep to you can f a l l down i f you made the s l i g h t e s t misstep.And the pa very slippery when r a i n s . After endless climbings and descen we f i n a l l y reached our destination by nightfall.Alue Bambang i feet above sea l e v e l . The spring i t s e l f i s wonderful. I t ha smooth, f l a t rock bottom on which the c r y s t a l clear water i s c ding down h i l l . We picked up a spot to establ i s h our camp o only f l a t surface available there. But for today, the only t h i

(NOVEMBER 17, 1977)

As usual,the men want to f i n i s h the new camp as soon as poss Two houses are b u i l t : one for my quarters,on the upper terrace, another one on the lower terrace for the men.In three days the w i l l be ready for occupation. The f i n i s h i n g touches, such as p] ing the flowers, carving the steps, making handrails on the s to go down to the spring, and making shower by di v e r t i n g son the water u t i l i z i n g bamboo or bark pipes, w i l l be done withir f i r s t week. After I had the chance to insDect the area, i t tv

/ery deceptive oecause we came down rrom the high mountain side, i n srder not to be seen by the enemy. In f a c t , i f you came up from the tor t h e m approaches then Alue Bambang i s on the f i r s t promontory of :he mountain ranges immediately f a c i n g the countryside. But to climb ip t o i t i s very d i f f i c u l t and would take many hours, but i n f a c t i t Ls very clos e to T i r o . Our camp i s protected on a l l sides by high ridges, and from the top of the ridge where our look-out post i s l o -:ated, some of my men can p r a c t i c a l l y see t h e i r houses down below, jven without using b i n o c u l a r s . The v i l l a g e of Blang Kedah i s j u s t on :he foot of the h i l l . F r o m the look-out post Geutjhik Uma can see h i s farm house where he was e n c i r c l e d and almost captured by the enemy some months ago. Abou Baka, my personal aide, can a l s o see h i s house md likewise dozens other men from Blang Kedah. So i f we could keep the secret of our presence here, we w i l l have no food problem at a l l .

Today a r r i v e d a group of representatives of the people of the d i s t r i c t of Beungga, about one day walking distance t o the Southwest from Alue Bambang. They brought gcod news that the d i s t r i c t has a l -ready been l i b e r a t e d , and every person has been indoctrinated i n t o the NLF ideas. To sweeten the news they also brought a l o t of food-s t u f f s , cakes, p a s t r i e s , and a l l so r t s of d e l i c a c i e s . You should r e -i l i z e that the peaceful take-over of t h i s d i s t r i c t by our forces has ^een done while we were busy moving from one place to another i n the oountains, having hardly any time to think of contacting the people :>f Beungga D i s t r i c t . But t h i s i s t y p i c a l of how our movement has 5een expanding a l l over the country. The f a c t that we e x i s t i n the nountains and a v a i l a b l e to those who want to get i n touch with us ïas given courage to the people and release such revolutionary f e r -rox i n the whole country, some i n d i r e c t contact with us, some not ;ven i n contact with us. In many cases the contacts are made with us i f t e r everything had been accomplished by the people themselves l i k e •fhat happened with the Beungga D i s t r i c t . And there are thousands of sther Beunggas.

These people have come to see me with t h e i r own eyes, to ask some juestions t o erase some doubts i n t h e i r minds, to be convinced ever oore about our j u s t cause,and when they return home they have become sven more determined than ever before.I would explain to them i n the simplest terms the purpose of our l i b e r a t i o n movement:I would r e c a l l to them our great h i s t o r i e past; I would describe to them our great future, i f we would a c t now to l i b e r a t e ourselves l i k e a l l peoples the world over are doing. And the d i r e consequences to our nation i f *e dared not act now. Besides, we have an o b l i g a t i o n to redeem our mcestors by corapleting t h e i r works. I found no Achehnese that can-ïot be s t i r r e d up by such ideas. I saw tears i n t h e i r eyes as they cissed my hand to say goodbye. I am confirmed now i n my be l i e v e that I can r a i s e one m i l l i o n men volunteers army i n Acheh Sumatra t o f i g h t ilong my side, now, for our independence. My problem i s now reduced to armaments. With guns to defend our r i g h t s , nobody around here can natch Achehnese fo r c e s . Dutch generals had already s a i d that! Our l i s t o r y i s my witness. We are the f i r s t nation i n East A s i a to de-Efeat the European c o l o n i a l i s t power i n the battleground. And I have low witnessed with my own eyes that Achehnese characters, by and

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large, have not changed since: these people are s t i l l the sons of their proud fathers!

(NOVEMBER 19, 1977)

Having been able to see my place i n Tiro, through binoculars from the look-out, and especially the Tjot Rheum H i l l , my family burial ground, where my mother, father, brother and ancestors l i e buried, I feel a very strong urge and nostalgia to v i s i t my family graves and to see my uncle,Tengku Umar d i Tiro and other members of the family. I t e i l of my wish to make the v i s i t to my security people. Unfortu-nately, after they had their own meeting, my security people vetoed my wish. They think they cannot guarantee my security because the e-nemy has been watching the house since my return to Acheh just for a chance that I might come home like that. The enemy has put a post near the estate and he sends regular patrols, days and nights, to watch a l l approaches to the family compound. They think i t would be a mistake to take such risk for our cause. They think i f the enemy captured or k i l l e d me, our cause would be lost, and our present struggle would be over. They send my elderly relative, Tengku Sheikh Ibrahim to dissuade me from the idea of going home. I have to ac­cept their judgement.

(Now with a hindsight, I think i t was a mistake on my part to be too cautious. I should have been more reckless. I should have con-trived to arrivé home at that time when I was closest and meet my uncle who was like a father to me. Later he was arrested by the Ja­vanese because he was my uncle, ja i l e d , tortured, and died i n Indone sian prison i n Kuta Radja on July 26, 1980.When his body was brought back for burial on Tjot Rheum H i l l , the entire people came to pay their respect for him, a show of defiance against the Javanese Indo­nesian regime. People took pieces of the ground of the Tjot Rheum H i l l which they considered holy as remembrance of him u n t i l guards had to be posted lest the h i l l disappears. I t shows the -révérence and the love the people have for him and the family u n t i l today even under the Javanese Indonesian bayonets. I was very sad to have miss-ed seeing my uncle and mentor - who was a very great man - when I had the chance to do so. He wholeheartedly approved of my action, without my having to explain anything! My uncle was present and took part at the Battle of Mount Alimon, age 6, and was captured by the Dutch i n the batt l e f i e l d with a carbine i n his hands. The Dutch com­mander, Colonel H. J. Schmidt, described my uncle's capture i n the heart-rendering story i n his Memoirs and i n H. C. Zentgraaff, Atjèh).

(NOVEMBER 20, 1977)

Today a group of Geutjhik (head of village) came together to talk to me. They have a simple proposition: they f e i t that what we need now i s more guns to fight with.The men have become weary with having to move constantly, and are tired of it.They want to fight. At least to have enough guns to defend ourselves, so we do not have to move so often. The enemy w i l l not dare to come to the mountains when he sees resistance. We should buy the guns aow wherever we can find.

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They o f f e r e d t o s e l l t h e i r l a n d s and p r o p e r t i e s t o g e t t h e money t o buy t h e guns. What was my answer t o t h a t ? I t o l d them: I a p p r e c i a t e t h e i r d e c i s i o n , and I p r a i s e them f o r i t . F o r t h e t i m e b e i n g , how-e v e r , i t was n o t y e t n e c e s s a r y , and I s t i l l p r e f e r f o r them t o keep t h e i r p r o p e r t i e s . The k i n d o f money we need f o r armament i s s u c h t h a t maybe i t i s u s e l e s s t o r a i s e i t t h i s way.There a r e s t i l l o t h e r ways t o r a i s e t h e money o r t o g e t t h e g u n s . P e o p l e s a r e f i g h t i n g f o r t h e i r l i b e r a t i o n a l l o v e r t h e w o r l d now and I am s u r e no one has t o s e l l a l l h i s i n n e r i t a n c e t h e way y o u a r e o f f e r i n g t o do i t now. So t h e r e f o r e keep y o u r l a n d s f o r t h e t i m e b e i n g . I have o t h e r means t o g e t what we need. I f t h a t f a i l e d t h e n I w i l l come back t o y o u .

( W i t h h i n d s i g h t , I now t h i n k t h a t I made a v e r y b i g m i s t a k e b y d e g -l i n i n g t h a t o f f e r a t t h a t t i m e . I s h o u l d have a c c e p t e d i t f o r t h w i t h , and t h a t w o u l d have s t a r t e d t h e movement a l l o v e r t h e c o u n t r y t o do t h e same. M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s c o u l d have been c o l l e c t e d t h a t way and would have b e e n enough t o buy s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d s o f guns my gue-r i l l a s need. Was i t n o t t h e p u r p o s e o f a l l o u r p o l i t i c a l i n d o c t r i -n a t i o n t o make p e o p l e s t a n d up and o f f e r t o do j u s t t h a t ? Why had n o t I t h o u g h t i t o v e r h a r d e r a bout t h e m a t t e r a t t h a t t i m e ? I c o u l d have t u r n e d t h a t o f f e r t o becorae t h e b e g i n n i n g o f o u r t u r n i n g p o i n t . The l e s s o n i s never t o t r e a t i m p o r t a n t m a t t e r c a s u a l l y w i t h o u t c a r e -f u l e x p l o r a t i o n o f t h e a d v a n t a g e s and t h e d i s a d v a n t a g e s o f i t . A t l e a s t I s h o u l d have p o s t p o n e d t h e d e c i s i o n and a s k i n g f o r t i m e , a n d d i s c u s s t h e m a t t e r w i t h o t h e r l e a d e r s . )

(NOVEMBER 27, 1977)

A l u e Bambang Camp, s i t u a t e d as i t i s , means impro v e d Communica­t i o n s f o r u s w i t h a l l p a r t s o f t h e c o u n t r y and t h e w o r l d . L e t t e r s f rom Dr. M u chtar H a s b i who i s i n Pasè P r o v i n c e , and f r o m D r . Z u b i r Mahmud f r o m P e u r e u l a k P r o v i n c e c a n r e a c h me on t h e s econd day; f r o m S i n g a p o r e , 3 d a y s ; f r o m E u r o p e , 7 d a y s ; f r o m A m e r i c a , 10 d a y s . From K u t a R a d j a , A cheh Sumatra "s o c c u p i e d c a p i t a l , t h e same day. By t h i s t i m e I have r e c e i v e d d e p u t a t i o n s o r messages o r l e t t e r s f r o m a l l p r o m i n e n t Achehnese d e c l a r i n g t h e i r a l l e g i a n c e t o t h e s t r u g g l e o f t h e NLFAS and t h e i r r e a d i n e s s t o e x e c u t e whatever o r d e r s g i v e n t o them i n t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e a r e a s . These a r e p e o p l e who s t i l l l i v e i n t h e enemy o c c u p i e d t e r r i t o r y . I t c a n d e f i n i t e l y be s a i d t h a t t h e J a v a n e s e - i n d o n e s i a n c o l o n i a l i s t r e g i m e e x i s t s i n Acheh o n l y as an o c c u p a t i o n f o r c e and would v a n i s h o v e r n i g h t w i t h o u t i t s g a r r i s o n s and gendarmes whose f u n c t i o n s a r e t o t e r r o r i z e t h e p e o p l e .

(NOVEMBER 30, 1977)

Today we c o n c l u d e two weeks s t a y i n A l u e Bambang C a m p . E v e r y t h i n g i n d i c a t e s t h a t t h i s has been a good c h o i c e . The enemy has n o t been a b l e t o l o c a t e us a l t h o u g h h i s t r o o p s have been everywhere a r o u n d u s . An i n d i c a t i o n o f t h i s r e l a t i v e " t r a n q u i l l i t y " i s t h a t I have been a b l e t o w r i t e an e s s a y d u r i n g t h e s e two weeks h e r e . The Com­mander o f t h e enemy f o r c e s i n A c h e h , R i v a i Harahap, a mercenary wor-k i n g f o r t h e J a v a n e s e has i s s u e d a pamphlet i n w h i c h he denounced t h e NLF.I t h o u g h t i t was a good i d e a t o r e p l y t o d e m o l i s h t h e s t a n -

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d a r d f a l s e h o o d o f t h e J a v a n e s e propaganda a b o u t a l l t h e I n d o n e s i a n n onsense. I c a l l e d t h e e s s a y : "A R e p l y t o R i v a i Harahap".

Harahap m a i n t a i n e d t h a t Acheh Sumatra had become i n d e p e n d e n t b y j o i n i n g i n d o n e s i a ; t h a t we have had " f r e e " e l e c t i o n s , j u s t t h e n ( 1 9 7 6 ) ; and t h a t i n d o n e s i a i s n o t r u l e by t h e J a v a n e s e b u t b y " i n ­d o n e s i a n s " . I r e j e c t e d Harahap's t h e s e s one by o n e : f i r s t , Acheh Su­m atra has n o t and c a n n o t become independence through i n d o n e s i a b e ­c a u se as c l e a r l y s t i p u l a t e d by t h e d e c i s i o n o f t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l C o u r t o f J u s t i c e , on O c t o b e r 16, 1975, i n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h t h e UN G e n e r a l A s s e m b l y R e s o l u t i o n 1514, on t h e G r a n t i n g o f Independence t o C o l o n i a l C o u n t r i e s and P e o p l e s , t h a t f o r a c o l o n i z e d t e r r i t o r y - such as A c heh Sumatra - t o become i n d e p e n d e n c e , i t must go t h r o u g h one o f t h e s e s t e p s : (a) by becoming a s o v e r e i g n , i n d e p e n d e n t s t a t e ; (b) by a s s o c i a t i n g , on its own free will, w i t h an e x i s t i n g i n d e p e n ­d e n t s t a t e ; (c) by i n t e g r a t i n g freely w i t h an e x i s t i n g i n d e p e n d e n t s t a t e . Acheh Sumatra s h o u l d have been by r i g h t an i n d e p e n d e n t s o v e ­r e i g n s t a t e a l r e a d y a s a l l o t h e r c o l o n i a l t e r r i t o r i e s i n t h e whole w o r l d . B u t t h e D u t c h c o n s p i r e d w i t h t h e J a v a n e s e t o d e f r a u d t h e peo­p l e o f A c heh Sumatra f r o m t h e i r r i g h t t o be f r e e and i n d e p e n d e n t by t h e illegal t r a n s f e r o f s o v e r e i g n t y o v e r Acheh Sumatra t o J a v a n e s e i n d o n e s i a , on December 27, 1949, w i t h o u t t h e c o n s e n t o f t h e p e o p l e o f Acheh Sumatra. There was no eleotion and no referendum. Now, a c -c o r d i n g t o I n t e r n a t i o n a l Law, t h e D u t c h , as a c o l o n i a l i s t power had no s o v e r e i g n t y o v e r t h e c o l o n i a l t e r r i t o r y (Acheh S u m a t r a ) , had no r i g h t t o t r a n s f e r s o v e r e i g n t y over a c o l o n i a l t e r r i t o r y t o anyone e l s e , and more o v e r , t h e D u t c h were no t even p r e s e n t i n A c heh Suma­t r a a t t h e t i m e t h e y d i d t h a t f r a u d u l e n t " t r a n s f e r o f s o v e r e i g n t y " t o J a v a n e s e - i n d o n e s i a . How c a n anyone t r a n s f e r a n o n - e x i s t e n t , i l ­l e g a l s o v e r e i g n t y o v e r a f o r e i g n n a t i o n in absentia l i k e t h a t ? Then any n a t i o n c a n s e l l o u t o t h e r n a t i o n s . And t h e whole t r a n s a c t i o n s were i n c l e a r v i o l a t i o n o f I n t e r n a t i o n a l Law and D e c o l o n i z a t i o n Law.

R e g a r d i n g p o i n t (b) and ( c ) , t h e r e have never been any "free as-sooiation" o r "free integration" between Acheh Sumatra and J a v a n e s e i n d o n e s i a . The p e o p l e o f A c h e h Sumatra have n e v e r been g i v e n any o f t h e s e f r e e c h o i c e s e i t h e r b y H o l l a n d o r by J a v a n e s e - i n d o n e s i a : o u r c o u n t r y was t r a n s f e r e d fraudulently by H o l l a n d t o i n d o n e s i a w i t h o u t p l e b i s c i t e , e l e c t i o n s o r any k i n d o f r e f erendum.Those who opposed J a v a n e s e t a k e - o v e r were m a s s a c r e d i n 1945 and d u r i n g t h e 1950s.A-che h Sumatra has even more r i g h t t o become independence t h a n a n y c o l o n i a l t e r r i t o r i e s i n t h e w o r l d , b e c a u s e we had a l w a y s b e e n i n d e ­p e ndent b e f o r e D u t c h i n v a s i o n , and we had p u t up a one-hundred y e a r s r e s i s t a n c e a g a i n s t t h e c o l o n i a l i s t s l i k e no one e l s e had done w h i c h i n i t s e l f a form o f v o t e a g a i n s t c o l o n i a l i s m t h a t i s l e g a l l y r e c o g n i z e d by t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l C o u r t o f J u s t i c e .

R i v a i Harahap t a l k e d about t h e "free" e l e c t i o n s under J a v a n e s e -i n d o n e s i a n c o l o n i a l i s m . L e t u s see t h e r e c o r d : t h e r e was "eleotion i n A c h eh Sumatra e a r l y t h i s y e a r (1977).The p e o p l e i n A c heh gave a n o v e r w h e l m i n g m a j o r i t y t o t h e M u s l i m P a r t y and t h e y d e f e a t e d t h e i n ­d o n e s i a n r e g i m e "s p a r t y , t h e s o - c a l l e d G o l k a r . But what happened t h e n ? The J a v a n e s e - i n d o n e s i a n "government" i n Acheh i s s t i l l c o n -t r o l l e d by t h e m i n o r i t y p a r t y , t h e p a r t y t h a t had lost t h e e l e c t i o n , t h e p a r t y o f t h e J a v a n e s e m i l i t a r y . So what i s a l l t h e t a l k s a b o u t J a v a n e s e - i n d o n e s i a n "free'' e l e c t i o n s ?

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And f i n a l l y , we t o t a l l y rejected the notion of the existence of an "indonesian nation" on h i s t o r i c a l , cultural, sociological, econo­mie and p o l i t i c a l grounds as has been clearly stated i n the Declara­tion of Independence of Acheh Sumatra. "indonesia" i s nothing but a new label to replace the old, the "Dutch East Indies", and to jus-t i f y Javanese perpetuation of Dutch colonial administration for Wes­tern co l o n i a l i s t economie interests. "Indonesia" i s an a r t i f i c i a l nation, fabricated to serve imperialistic economie interests under their Javanese puppets. A l l colonial empires everywhere else i n the world have been dismantled and divided into so many new national states. Why only the Dutch colonial empire has been kept intact and not return to the r i g h t f u l peoples? The Western imperialists ganged up to keep the so-called "unity" of Indonesia, but they did not ma­nage to gang-up like this elsewhere i n Africa, Latin America or in other parts of Asia because of the militancy of the peoples there i n contrast to the d o c i l i t y of many "indonesians". But the Achehnese -as their history has proven - have had nothing i n common with these docile and domesticated "indonesians".

(DECEMBER 3, 1977)

Today i s a national holiday, TENGKU TJHIK MAAT DAY, commemorating the death of Tengku Tjhik Maat d i Tiro, the last Head of State of Acheh Sumatra, on December 3, 1911, at the Battle of Alue Bhot, Tangsé, against the Dutch invaders. The ceremony begins at 9 AM with the raising of the flag. As usual, the flag i s raised to the sound of the Call-to-Victory. It is raised by a member of my senior staff, Tengku Aneuk (Mahmud Walad). He has gained a certain s k i l l i n flag raising to the cadenz of the C a l l , as the flag must reach the summit of the flagpole by the time the last sentence i s finished. Otherwise the dramatic effect w i l l be gone. Tengku Aneuk i s a handsome man in his early 5Cs, with f a i r complexion and aqualine nose. He looked ve­ry sharp i n his officer's uniform. He had joined me the f i r s t day I arrived back i n Tiro from Panton Wéng, and has been with me ever since. He i s experienced in guerilla warfare as most Achehnese his generation. Once i n the 1950s he was sent as chief of an expedition to West Acheh during the armed struggle against the Indonesian re­gime. He would t e i l with great pride, a l l his exploit during that expedition to anyone who care to l i s t e n . As more and more new re-cruits arrived, the senior staff l i k e him becomes more and more ho-nored, and as such he had developed his own l i t t l e legend. One day I overheard his penchant for boasting to junior sets:"When the Teng­ku f i r s t returned here, nobody i n Tiro knew about i t . We had to keep i t very secret. When people asked me, I said: I had no idea. While the fact of the matter was I kept the Tengku hidden under my arms' p i t . "

After the flag was raised to the top, i t was slowly lowered down to half staff and was l e f t there i n that position. Dr. Husaini Hasan acted as Ceremony Master. I was the last speaker for the occasion.

The g i s t of my speech was to remind everybody never to forget how Tengku Tjhik Maat di Tiro had lived and died for the cause of his people. He had died at the age of sixteen ; a mature leader inspite of his age. He was born i n the forests, grew up i n the forests, edu-

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cated i n the forests, and grew old prematurely because he l i v e d with death and with the Standard of un-compromising high ideals.He became mature at an age when others were s t i l l adolescent. He knew how to l i v e and how to die. There i s no merit i n long l i f e . What i s merito-rious i s what di d you do with your l i f e , i n your l i f e time. Tengku Tjhik Maat concluded a glorious l i f e at 16 years of age.What have we been doing since we were 16? Why did not we die at 16, l i k e Tengku Maat? Every year above 16 that we have l i v e d i s a waste i f we were un-able to show what we have accomplished during that time and what we have done with that accomplishment. This i s a basic c a l c u l a t i o n that everyone i n t h i s country must make: what he has accomplished for h i s people since he had passed 16 years of age? Why i s he s t i l l a l i v e while the Achehnese nation has died or i s dying? Tengku Maat preferred himself to die so that Acheh may l i v e ! I t i s not too late for us to emulate him. That i s why we are here today. We are among those who know how to keep our books properly: we do not count i n pennies and dimes; we count i n m i l l i o n s and b i l l i o n s -the wealth and the worth of t h i s Achehnese nation. We do not count i n minutes and hours, we count i n years of l i f e t i m e s : 16 years are enough l i k e Tengku Tjhik Maat d i Tiro, and every year that passed the 16th, we ought to be able to give account f o r , and after 16th we are ready to die anyday for the redemption of our people and our country . Tengku Tjhik Maat had shown the way, 66 years ago, today!

There i s only one man here who i s 66 years old today, Ku Bén Da-déh. The indonesian regime had given him a pension of 50,000 Rupees a month. And yet he refused to accept that money and instead joined us to l i b e r a t e his country from Javanese-indonesian colonialism! Here i s a man worthy of Tengku Tjhik Maat d i T i r o . I t i s a l l r i g h t to be 66 years old that way! And yet there are so-called i n t e l l e c t u a l s i n the world who i n s i s t e d that revolutionaries are those who have nothing to lose.

You knew the Dutch had offered everything to Tengku Tjhik Maat i f he would j u s t stop f i g h t i n g them. But he rejected a l l t h e i r over-tures and he t o l d the Dutch that he would f i g h t them u n t i l Acheh i s liberated from them or u n t i l he dies i n the pursuit of that freedom, l i k e his forefathers before him!

Nevertheless, the Dutch t r i e d everything to persuade him to sur-render. In that e f f o r t s they presented e n t i r e l y d i f f e r e n t c a l c u l a -tions and motivations. Zentgraaff had thus written:

"Too much blood of the d i Tiro family had been s p i l l e d j t h e method of the destruction of these men was so merciless that Schmidt wanted to make another attempt at saving the l i f e of t h i s sixteen years old boy. This was not easy: the i r r e c o n c i l a b i l i t y of these men did not leave any space for compromise. And i f l e t t e r s were sent to them i n which the safety of t h e i r l i v e s were guaranteed and a treatraent according to the i r s o c i a l status was promised i f they would give up, no reply was received, <^d l a t e r the l e t t e r s were found on t h e i r dead bodies. Whatever the outcome, another attempt had to be made: the courage and the unlimited steadfast­ness of these enemies impressed us too, and one thought i t had been enough, more than enough." (H C Zentgraaff, Atjèh)

A l l the Dutch e f f o r t s i n that d i r e c t i o n , however, were to no a v a i l .

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At the Battle of Alue Bhot, 66 years ago today, there was no A-chehnese survivor.. Everyone fought to the death. Everyone was k i l l ­ed and no one was l e f t to identify the dead. The Dutch Commander, Colonel H. J . Schmidt wrote about the death of Tengku Tjhik Maat d i Tiro, and about how his troops identified him:

"From the seal-ring of his belt, they learnt he was Tengku Tjhik Maat d i Tiro, k i l l e d l i k e his father, who died at the Battle of Aneuk Galong, i n 1896. He was a young man with a very f a i r skin and very distinguished aristocratie appearance; he wore a black silver-embroidered trousers and a black jacket with golden but­tons. The red s i l k head-gear was s t i l l on his head, and his right hand s t i l l , i n death, holding the revolver. One of the shot had gone through his heart, and i t seems that his broken eyes s t i l l gazing at the free sky, above him. "So his hope was f u l f i l l e d : to die a hero death, like his father. His death closed the epic of the d i Tiro dynasty: the irreconci-lable and strongmen, who humbled us i n the days of our weakness, and who were put down, as they had lived, proud and inflexible when our army had regained i t s self-confidence."

(In H C Zentgraaff, Atjèh)

H. C. Zentgraaff related that after the battle, "Schmidt and his men stood there and looked for a moment i n respectful silence at the corps of "the son of his father", a right-minded Achehnese, like ma­ny others to whom goes too the homage and the admiration of the con-querors."

After his death, there was no adult l e f t alive i n the d i Tiro fa­mily. A l l was finished - for the time being. The only survivors were small children, too young to understand the magnitude of the tragedy, or, the triumph. But, the family survives, and perhaps "the epic of the di Tiro family" i s not yet "closed" because i t was the epic of freedom, of loyalty, of sacrifice, of greatness - that w i l l l i v e forever, immortalized, as long as the human race s t i l l inhabit the earth.

What a splendid picture he painted, i n death, i n the canvas of history, that at a glance, summarizes, for ever, what i s good i n us Achehnese, as a people, a culture, a society and a philosophy of l i f e . What a majestic symbolism he projected i n his untimely death. What a legacy he l e f t for us to ponder. It ca l l s for a Velasguez to paint him; for a Shakespeare to dramatize him; for a Federico Gar-cia Lorca to lament him. Here was an Achehnese national tragedy that transformed i t s e l f , instantaneously, into a national glory; i t was a dramatic affirmation of his race's capacity for sacrifice , and therefore, for greatness. He was young, handsome, pure,brave, determined, loyal to his family, to his people, and to their ideals. He put the national interest above his own.He could have lived, for, the Dutch had promised him everything, i f "only" he would stop fighting them. But he was representing the idea and the principle of Achehnese inalienable right to sovereignty and independence that could not be compromised i n anyway whatever. By his deed he redeemed the past and j u s t i f i e d the future of his people. In Friedrich Nietz-sche's words:"He did not learn how to surrender. He knows better how

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to die and to l i v e . Free to die and free i n death, able to say a ho-ly "NO" when the time for "YES" has passed: thus he knows how to die and to l i v e . I love him who ju s t i f i e s future and redeems past gene­ra tions: for he wants to perish of the present.Loving and perishing: that has rhymed for eternities. The w i l l to love, that i s to be wil­ling also to die."

Referring to the death of Tengku Tjhik Mahyeddin d i Tiro and the death of Tengku Maat di Tiro, two Dutch historians, Goudoever and Zentgraaff t e s t i f i e d together:"The history of the f a l l of the last Tengku d i Tiro l e f t such materials for a novel, and so buried in the history of Acheh War the stuffs for an heroic epic, the greatest.the most overpowering, and so formidable, as has not been seen elsewhere that make for the pride and the glory of a people." (Sumatraantjes)

(DECEMBER 4, 1977)

Today i s our INDEPENDENCE DAY. It was a year ago today that we re-declared our independence. And since then the whole world has known i t . The Javanese colonialists had tried to block the news but they failed utterly. Our Declaration of Independence has been pu-blished a l l over the world. Today, i n a solemn ceremony we raised the flag from half staff - where i t was l e f t since yesterday -to the summit again. It was a majestic and dramatic symbolism of our re­naissance. It has been made possible partly by the blood shed by Tengku Tjhik Maat d i Tiro. What other people in the world has such dramatic history?

Today's ceremony was presided over by Tengku Muhammad Usman Lam-poih Awé, the Minister of Finance. After the flag was raised, the Declaration of Independence was read by Dr. Zaini Abdullah, the Mi­nister of Health. There was no more speeches necessary. After the flag raising ceremony we have a marvelous feast that had been prepa-red for days.

On this occasion, Achehnese Sumatran flags were raised every-where in the countryside, even i n the enemy controlled territory. At Kuta Radja, students raised our flag on the flagpole of the e-nemy's headquarters. Our flag was raised also at the University in Kuta Radja, the enemy occupied cit y where his provincial military command is located. The flag was l e f t to flutter almost the whole day while thousands of people watched. The enemy did not dare to pull i t down unceremoniously for fear of antagonizing the people. Later on i t was ceremoniously removed by a large column of enemy troops. But they did not dare to dishonor our flag. They knew where the people"s sentiments were.

(DECEMBER 5, 1977)

By now I have received a l l the reports about celebrations of De­cember 4th throughout the country. This matter i s very important for us to measure the degree of awareness and enthusiasm of the people towards our liberation movement and the independence idea. After a l l this was not dreamt by anyone over a year ago. From the reaction of the people we can say that we have achieved a tremen-

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dous success i n reviving the historie consciousness of the people of Acheh Sumatra to their past and to their appropriate future December 4th was celebrated a l l over the country, occupied t e r r i ­tories no exception. Students, including those in indonesian re­gime "s schools played important role. Posters and placards laud-ing the NLF were everywhere. Each province issued i t s own pam-phlets. Poems were written and published to commemorate the Inde­pendence Day. Flags were hoisted everywhere. It was magie, as far as we are concern. We never anticipated the Achehnese flag can invoke such deep emotion i n the hearts of our people. Indonesian flag had never enjoyed such acclaimed because i t was a flag wi­thout history, without glory, without identity; i t belongs to no one, and cared for by no one; i t symbolizes no past glory as a flag ought to be. You cannot hoist a piece of cloth and c a l l i t a flag . After a l l that what indonesian flag i s ! By now i t has a l -ready acquired the notoriety i n the eyes of millions of peoples i n Acheh Sumatra, Borneo, the Celebes, the Moluccas, West Papua and East Timor as the flag of murderers, k i l l e r s , corruptors and barbarians!

(DECEMBER 6, 1977)

Today I received a distressing news from Pasè Province about an incident that w i l l have an unfortunate international repercus-sion. An American worker was reportedly k i l l e d and another one wounded by stray bullets i n the fighting between our forces and thè indonesian colonialist troops.This was the sort of thing that we have been trying to avoid for months. It was precisely in or­der to avoid such an incident that we had issued a public announ-cement i n October, 1977, - please see the text on page 106 - ad-vising American and other foreign workers to leave the area tem-porarily because we cannot guarantee their safety i n the event that fighting might take place between Achehnese Sumatran defen-ders and the Javanese-indonesian invaders which is inevitable, Unfortunately, however, they have totally ignored our friendly warning although i t was issued repeatedly!

The immediate cause of this incident - which took place yes-terday - was the betrayal by the local manager of Mobil O i l Com-pany in Lhok Seumawè, Pasè Province of Acheh Sumatra. He was i n -vited by the local Commander of the NLFAS for a confidential mee­ting i n a designated place i n the area to discuss ways and means to protect the LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) plant in Aron (Arun) , Lhok Seumawè, from possible damage from the raging guerilla war-fare around i t . He was advised not to inform the indonesian colo­n i a l i s t authorities about the meeting. Unfortunately, however, that was what he exactly did. Not only did he leak the meeting, but he participated i n laying ambush against our troops with the indonesian colonialist forces in the area i n an attempt to cap-ture the local Commander of the National Liberation Front Acheh Sumatra. While the NLFAS' local Commander was waiting for the Mo­b i l local manager to come at the designated place for the meeting and at appointed time, he suddenly realized that he and his party were surrounded by the enemy troops who had made the encirclement.

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There was nothing else to do for self-defence except to f i g h t . I n the ensuing b a t t l e two Americans who happened to be nearby were wounded - not even necessarily by our b u l l e t s . One reportedly f a t a l .

Now, we have no interest i n antagonizing any foreign powers,espe­c i a l l y not the b i g powers, such as the United States. Our enemy i s Javanese-indonesian c o l o n i a l i s t regime who has come to occupy our country, and to plunder our resources. But there are thousands of Americans and other foreign nationals who are making t h e i r opulent l i v i n g on our troubled s o i l . Under the present s i t u a t i o n our people themselves - the legitimate owners of t h i s land - have no protection from sudden death at the hands of the Javanese-indonesian invaders. How can we protect these foreigners amidst us? How can we be respon-s i b l e for the i r safety? The best we can do i s to advise them to leave our country for a while u n t i l we have liberated ourselves from our oppressors. That was exactly what we have done! But they s t i l l d i d not want to leave despite our repeated warnings. Therefore,their governments should not blame us for what happened, i f they were f a i r .

What I am concerned i s that the Javanese-indonesian c o l o n i a l i s t regime w i l l use t h i s incident as an excuse to ask for more m i l i t a r y aid from the United States to suppress our just struggle,in the name of "protecting American l i v e s " although the indonesian themselves who might have shot the men. The NLF troops were under s t r i c t order not to do so because we knew the indonesian regime can e x p l o i t such incident to i t s advantage. I t might even have planned i t that way.

(DECEMBER 15, 1977)

Two days ago, on December 12, a group of a c t i v i s t s led by Muham­mad Taib Hasan, Head of the D i s t r i c t of Simpang Lhèe, l e f t Alue Bambang Camp for the countryside to do t h e i r duties. To descend, the group took the Western e x i t from the camp involving 3 to 4 hours more of walking than i f they took the d i r e c t Northern e x i t . But t h i s short cut was prohibited to use by our security people except at night time and for emergency matters only, i n order not to leave any traces of footprints there. Abo'-it four hours a f t e r they l e f t the camp, we heard heavy f i r i n g from the Western d i r e c t i o n approximately near the route our people would be taking. I t lasted for hours. Because we are on the higher ground we could hear i t very c l e a r l y . We were a l l very worried about what might have hap­pened to our comrades. Especially Muhammad Taib Hasan i s a very special kind of man. Burly and over s i x feet t a l l , age about 34, he i s as brave as a l i o n , but as gentle as a lamb. He i s one of the most important pioneer of the NLF. His knowledge on how to win friends and influence people i s attested by his enormous success i n making his d i s t r i c t a t r u l y liberated t e r r i t o r y , r i g h t under the nose of the enemy. The D i s t r i c t of Simpang Lhèe - with Iboih Mukim i n the middle - i s the centre of our early p o l i t i c a l a c t i v i t i e s where public meetings were held, indoctrination eentres established and delegates from a l l over Acheh came there. The l o s t of him i s something the NLF cannot afford, and I personally cannot afford e i t h e r , even to think of i t . But the r a t t l i n g of the enemy machine guns and hand grenades '^xplo^ic-ns are sobering sounds. Just at that time - time of great distress - I f e i l back into my people's custom.

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I made a vow or a promise to God that i f He saved the l i f e of n friend, Muhammad Taib Hasan, I w i l l sacrifice a b u i l at my grea grandfather*s tomb in Mureue. Is not that what everybody vows to c i n Acheh when a dear one i s i n danger? I want so much for Muhamma Taib Hasan to li v e that I would do anything for him. Since I can back to Acheh and I lived so close with the people I found out man interesting things about the people that I had not known before or have forgotten since my 25 years i n America. For example, peopl i n Acheh do make such vows very often for the benefit of the love ones or dear friends. And the people believed i t works. Anyho there would be no harm done, and the beneficiary would be greatl touched by i t when he or she knows about the vow that was bein offered on his or her behalf. I have heard thousands of such vow offered on my behalf for my safety, and I was touched when I kne about i t . And I have indeed been saved so far! I found my peopl are true believers of Islam who rely on the ultimate grace of A l l a

Everything i n Acheh i s judged by Islamic Standard. Islam i s a inseparable part of Achehnese identity. As far as my people i s con cerned Acheh and Islam have the same meaning. If Acheh i s a coin,I lam i s the other side of that coin. Acheh i s a nation founded o Islam and lives by the law of Islam. It has been like this for th most part of our recorded history.Ibnou Khaldun had commented i his Prolegomena that i n his time (15th century AD) Acheh was th strongest Muslira State i n East Asia. Although we have lost ou State and our independence for some time on account of Dutch an Javanese-indonesian imperialisms, the Achehnese people have no-changed their commitment to Islam. Even our National Liberatioi Front must be an Islamic Movement i n the f i r s t place. Otherwise ni Achehnese would want to risk his l i f e for i t . The f i r s t questioj asked by every Achehnese about any movement i s : "Is this i n accord-ance with the law of Islam?" If i t i s , he w i l l join i t whole-heart-edly. If i t ' i s not, he wants no part of i t . There i s a very broac grass root consensus of this kind i n Achehnese Islamic society The rule i s "No obeying man i n denouncing God". That i s to obe? authority's order if i t was lawful and not to obey i t i f i t was nol lawful according to the law of Islam. It took World War II for th« Western WorM to recognize this wisdom when they enacted almosl identical rule, for the f i r s t time, at the Nuremberg T r i a l of th< Nazi leaders, the so-called Nuremberg Principle: that orders oughl not to be obeyed i f they were i l l e g a l and that each person must usi his own judgement and i s responsible for i t . However, they s t i l ] l e f t out the guestion as to who should decide the ultimate i n "legé l i t y " and " i l l e g a l i t y " - being lacking i n one unified legal systei lik e we Muslims have - that l e f t them subject to the charge of le-galizing the barbaric concept of the vanquished being at the merc> of the victors. Islam condones no such barbaric concept. In Islai

(DECEMBER 17, 1977)

I found out that Muhammad Taib Hasan was saved when his par-was ambushed by the enemy on the way down from Alue Bambang Camj A l l were saved and no one got hurt. It was a miracle considerij

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merely one night late arriving at his home. But the attack on his party and the place i t occurred shows that the enemy i s closing i n on us. Our security problems became more acute by the day.

(DECEMBER 25, 1977)

Today our Tengku Aneuk Mahmud Walad, my senior staff member, our flag raiser, was shot and k i l l e d by the indonesian troops while he was on his way to return to Alue Bambang Camp, on the Northern sec­tor, not far from his own v i l l a g e . Several important letters from Dr. Muchtar and from Dr. Zubir, and probably from other Important sources were confiscated from his body by the enemy. Since he was on a peaceful mission, he carried no arm that day. The enemy sol-diers who surprised him, yelled:"Surrender!" To which he replied: "Never!" And he was gunned down right there. He was a great loss to the NLF and to a l l his comrades-in-arms whom he always regaled with his old time stories. He l e f t a wife and two l i t t l e children, a boy 8, and a g i r l , 12. When I saw his boy, I could not stop the tears from f a l l i n g from my eyes remembering my own son, Karim, who was also 8, I l e f t behind i n America. I wiped my tears quietly wi­thout anyone's notice because I had my sun glass on. I had visited his mountain farm house which was not far from Tjokkan H i l l Camp, last year, and met his charming family. His wife prepared the food for us. That was the only real house I had entered since I returned to Acheh. Later on, Tengku Aneuk told me that every time he came home, his small boy always asked him: "Papa, bring the Tengku Tjhik back home because I want to see him!" Somehow i t takes time for me to get use to be called the "Tengku Tjhik" - that untranslatable Achehnese t i t l e . L i t e r a l l y i t means the "Great Tengku" but to be "Tjhik" one has also to be old, learned, wise, and holy, and endow-ed with mysterious supernatural power that at times required to be proven! How can anyone do that i n this unholy time and age? But I had already several such "proofs" to my credit which my people kept good record, even i f I didnot. There was a long drought in Acheh, i n 1944, from March to August.People were worried about pos-sible famine.There had not been rain for so long and^ the r i c e -f i e l d s had dried up threatening to k i l l the whole season's crops. At such a time, there was an ancient tradition believed by the Achehnese that mass prayer for rain should be organized with men, women, children and animals should be brought together to the f i e l d to attend. So one day the entire population gathered at the big f i e l d near the Mosque of Mali Mukim. As I said earlier, at such an occasion no one else would stand for the Imam (leader) i f I were present, even when I was a boy. So I have no choice - a l ­though I d i s t i n c t l y disliked i t - but to submit to my fate - to be the leader, even i f I do not want i t . Before I started the Prayer self-doubt troubled my mind: what would happen i f the rai n didnot come after I lead the Prayer? That would not be good for my repu-tation, would i t not? Nevertheless I stoically performed my assign-ed duty. Before we finished the Prayer, the rain came pouring on us out of nowhere. I got soaked like everyone else. I couldnot believe that would happen, but i t did. There was no famine that year. From that moment on you can leave everything to the f e r t i l e imagination of the people to multiply the miracles - some I did not even know

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about i t . As has been said by a wiser man, whatever the people be-lieved that became parts of r e a l i t y , and even wrong shared be-comes h a l f - t r u t h s .

Tengku Aneuk was buried i n the v i l l a g e of Daya, by the people, who came by the thousands to show th e i r respect and sympathy for h i s cause, and of course, also ours. After the indonesian author-i t i e s saw what happened, they forbade the people from coming and they put t h e i r troops to block the roads leading to Tengku Aneuk's grave. You can see that our struggle has become a s o c i a l l y approv-ed movement, and our dead are treated as heroes by the people.

(DECEMBER 27, 1977)

Today i s a national holiday, ISKANDAR MUDA DAY, to commemorate the death of Iskandar Muda, on December 27, 1639.Iskandar Muda was the greatest King and Achehnese Sumatran statesman that had ever l i v e d . The golden age of Acheh was associated with h i s name.He was not only a powerful King but also a just one. During h i s r u l e the t e r r i t o r y of Acheh Sumatra extended to the Malay Peninsula, West Borneo, and the Banten region of West Java along the Sunda S t r a i t s making Acheh Sumatra c o n t r o l l i n g both Malacca and Sunda S t r a i t s at the same time. His Code of Law, the Sarakata Iskandar Muda, based on Islam, was so comprehensive and systematic that i t became the model of the century, widely imitated by other countries of South­east Asia. His sense of j u s t i c e was such that he permitted h i s on­l y son, the Crown Prince, to be executed for committing the crime of adultery with an o f f i c e r ' s wife whose husband demanded j u s t i c e i n the court of law.When the Court's decision was presented to him for h i s signature of endorsement to give the death sentence to his only son,before signing i t he said:"Mate aneuk mupat djeurat, maté adat ho ta mita" (If your son died, you can s t i l l f i n d h i s grave , but i f the law died where w i l l you f i n d the replacement?). I t was said that he f e i l i l l out of a father"s g r i e f after the execution of his only son, and died soon thereafter.

Today we celebrated t h i s great King's memory at a time when h i s once mighty and glorious Kingdom lays ravaged by barbaric invaders, when h i s once great people have been made dopes by the most stupid of a l l possible invaders - the non-descript Javanese"indonesians". But h i s memory and personal ego that s t i l l walks over t h i s coun­t r y "s h i l l s and v a l l e y s , that i s a l i v e i n the hearts and minds of every Achehnese, w i l l be a sufficiënt reminder to every Achehnese not to bow h i s head to the Javanese-indonesian invaders as he had not bowed h i s head to the Dutch invaders before. His memory w i l l help us to regain our freedom and to restore what i t was on the surface of t h i s land of h i s .

(JANUARY 1, 1978)

January l s t i s recognized by us as an international holiday and we honored i t as such because we are i n t e r n a t i o n a l i s t s . Our own New Year i s the l s t of Muharram on the Lunar Calendar. This day i s also the day for reckoning, for quiet thinking of the past and

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the future, of success and f a i l u r e , and on how to make the coming year a better one than the l a s t . We made our New Year Resolutions: to doublé our e f f o r t s i n every way possible to speed up the process of regaining p o l i t i c a l consciousness among our people, and to con-solidate the gain of l a s t year. For t h i s purpose a special team from the Headquarters w i l l be sent to every province to supervise t h i s p o l i t i c a l and educational e f f o r t s . The teams for Great Acheh and P i d i e provinces w i l l leave tomorrow, January 2nd. Other teams for other provinces w i l l leave a few days thereafter.

Later during the day, toward the evening, I received reports on the worsening security s i t u a t i o n around our camp because i t seemed that the enemy had moved h i s forces closer and closer to our de-fensive perimeters. We do not think that the enemy has known our exact location but c l e a r l y he i s making probes to fi n d out. But I refused to change any of our plans on account of the reports.

IJANUARY /, iy/ÖJ

At about 9 o'clock i n the morning, the teams that w i l l go down today, one for Great Acheh and one for Pidie came to say gooibye to me at my quarters. The two groups t o t a l l e d about 20 persons . Abou Baka, my personal aide, w i l l go down u n t i l Tiro to repair my tape-recorder that I brought back from New York. He takes several dozens of cassets down for safe-keeping i n case we have to move. The cassets mostly containing the music of Johan Sebastian Bach, Antonio V i v a l d i and Georg F r i e d r i c h Handel, my favor i t e s . As usual, I refuse to reconsider any decisions that had been taken. I f we be-gan to cancel the plans out of fear, there w i l l be no end to that u n t i l f i n a l l y we w i l l not dare to make any move any more. Danger there w i l l always be. I t has always been since I took the f i r s t step toward t h i s Revolution.Whatever happens w i l l happen.Allah i s my Shepherd. I s h a l l do what I have to do. A l l that crossed my mind as I embraced each man, and he kissed my hand.

At about noon time, we heard a l l h e i l broke loose. No doubt i t was the enemy f i r e power. We had nothing of the sorts.We heard hea­vy machine guns'fire, mortar s h e l l ' s explosions,and occasional hand grenades. There i s nothing we can do to help our men. In a f i g h t l i k e that, i n the thick forests, you cannot even send re-enforce-ment because i t i s impossible to see who are friends and who are foes.And since you cannot maintain a fix e d l i n e i n a g u e r i l l a war such as t h i s , you may end up shooting your own men. So we can only pray to God to protect our men, while making preparation for emergency evacuation, i f necessary. There i s nothing to do except to wait. The shooting died down i n late afternoon. There i s more waiting.

By n i g h t f a l l we received a f i r s t report from the countryside . Our party was ambushed by the enemy. Abou Baka and Usman A l i were dead. Tengku Darul Kamal was c r i t i c a l l y wounded i n the arm. The re s t of the group are not yet known what happened to them. I t was reported that when Abou Baka was shot, Usman A l i , who was his cousin, came to h i s side to help him and to cradle Abou Baka's head i n h i s lap saying:"I w i l l die with you! I w i l l not abandon you! Let them bury us i n one grave!" Just then, the enemy shot him too.

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They are both about the same age, i n t h e i r early 30s. They were buried by the people i n one grave, on the Tjot Beurandéh H i l l , on the West side of the bank of the Tiro River.So I had l o s t my Abou Baka, who always walked behip.3 me, who would wake up at night i n the forests to make sure that no mosquitoes b i t e me, and a l l the time sharing the danger with me. How do you repay such loyalty? I d i d not even know him personally before I came back to Acheh t h i s time. I t was a l o y a l t y innerited and transfered from fathers to sons. Few cultures possessed t h i s t r a i t . This was why the A-chehnese had been able to f i g h t the Dutch invaders for so long i n the past and for sure the Javanese-indonesian invaders i n the f u ­ture u n t i l t h e i r freedom i s again secured. My heart throbs when I think of Abou Baka's good wife, Hamidah, and h i s two young sons. What s h a l l I say to them? Abou Baka's father was shot to death by the Javanese-indonesians too during the 1950s armed struggle and he was buried not far away, on the East bank of the Tiro River. Usman A l i was equally brave and good. In fact he would have been safe i f he would have run for h i s own l i f e . But that he chose not to do, i n clear and present danger. He de l i b e r a t e l y chose to die with his cousin, Abou Baka. Usman A l i also l e f t a wife and small children. This was how Achehnese have been dying for two generations slaughtered by Javanese-indonesian c o l o n i a l i s t s .

Tengku Darul Kamal, who i s my cousin, was gravely wounded i n the arms, managed to arrivé home i n T i r o , i n blood bath, as i t were. He was taken to the ho s p i t a l i n S i g l i by my uncle, Tengku Umar d i T i r o , who i s h i s grandfather. We know nothing further a-bout him. This means he had f a l l e n into the hands of the enemy. A prospect that puts me i n great discomfiture. I had t r i e d to get him under our own doctors' care but i t was too l a t e . He had l o s t too much bloed at the time that i f he were not taken to the hos­p i t a l - even enemy hosp i t a l - he could have died. ( I t turned out l a t e r that the Javanese tortured him without mercy i n the hospi­t a l that h i s wounds were reopened many times. They brook and twis ted his arms every time the wounds were about to heal.)

When I enquired from my family what became of my cousin, Darul Kamal, h i s grandmother, my aunt, Tengku Nyak Khatidjah, sent me back t h i s Achehnese poem, for a reply:

"Ie udjeuen njang ka rhot Ka bitjah keunong aneuk batèe Teutapi alen pakriban nasib awan Njang mantong teungóh angèn badè ba". (*)

My aunt i s the daughter of Tengku Tjhik Buket d i Tiro ( A l i Zainul Abidin) who was the Achehnese Head of State who f e i l atthe Battle of Mount Alimon, i n 1910. She i s a remarkable lady who was a great beauty when she was young.

(*) "The r a i n drops that had f a l l e n Had crushed and broken on a stone But we are concerned what becomes Of the cloud s t i l l being tossed by the storms".

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We heard nothing about the 17 other members of the party u n t i l tomorrow. At 11 AM they returned back to the Alue Bambang Camp, including Tengku Muhammad Usman Lampoih Awe. That was the f i r s t time we heard first-hand reports of what had happened. I t was also a good p o l i c y for us not to have moved out from Alue Bambang r i g h t away because we thought of the p o s s i b i l i t y that some surviving members of the party might return here as i t happened.

(JANUARY 6, 1978)

After c a r e f u l analysis of the s i t u a t i o n , today we decide t o p u l l out of Alue Bambang Camp because i t would be very d i f f i c u l t to get out of the enemy"s encirclement there once he locates us. We decide to move to Panton Mesdjid (Valley of the Mosque) to the East, which i s not very far away, about 3 hours march. I t i s near the seat of an ancient g u e r i l l a f o r t and a f o r t i f i e d mosque during the war a-gainst the Dutch. I t i s a hidden place and d i f f i c u l t to be traced because i t i s located on a disappearing spring. The enemy had made systematic search by now of a l l springs disgorging to big r i v e r s . The camp i s located about 500 meters from the bank of the Krueng Meuk River. I t i s s t i l l i n the Tiro heartland. In three days the camp's "buildings" are completed and our l i v e s returned to "normal-cy". That i s , everyone has his own quarters, Communications with the country-side re-established, typewriters clicking, s t e n c i l machines r o l l i n g , people coming and going. In f a c t , these are the permanent a c t i v i t i e s of the camp that always remain the same no matter where we moved. The scenery and the surrounding changed but the o f f i c e works remain the same as though un-interrupted by those constant moving.

(JANUARY 10, 1978)

Today I received a group of people from Geumpang Region who came straight through the mountain paths to try to f i n d the best way for future communication. A rendezvous was made with them at Alue Pisang (Banana Spring) according to a prearranged sign to avoid any possibi l i t y of mistaking the enemy for fr i e n d . The test was thus success-f u l . By t h i s time, however, we r e a l i z e that the enemy has l a t e l y managed to follow us almost one step behind. Before, the enemy was three to s i x months behind us. I t took him that long to locate our new camp every time we moved. Now, l a t e l y , that time has been re-duced to one month on the average. Something have to be done to im-prove our security s i t u a t i o n .

(JANUARY 11, 1978)

Today i s our national holiday, the ASHURA, the lOth day of Muhar-ram, the f i r s t month i n the Islamic calendar, commemorating the Bat­t l e of Karbala, near the ancient c i t y of Babyion that took place i n 680 AD. I t was a milestone i n Islamic h i s t o r y : i t represents the height of human tragedy and the peak of heroism that d i f f i c u l t to f i n d i t s equal i n history. On t h i s day, 1298 years ago, Husein ibn

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A l i , then the only surviving grandson of the Prophet Muhammad,and a l l his male descendants except one small boy, his young son, was massacred by the order of the profligate Ommayad tyrant, Yazid ibn Muawiyah, under most appalling circumstances: where Husein showed utter defiance i n defeat that the defeat i t s e l f was transformed into a moral and spiritual victory.

The origin of this tragedy was rooted i n Muawiyah's successful rebellion against the Government of the Fourth Khalif, A l i ibn Abi Talib, the father of Husein.After A l i ' s death,murdered i n a mosque of Kufa by Muawiyah's machination, he put up his son, Yazid, to succeed him,thus changing the elective Khalifate system of Islamic Government into an hereditary monarchy. Husein ibn A l i refused to give his allegiance to Muawiyah as well as to Yazid,as a matter of principle. Thus the stage was set for the tragedy of Karbala.

After the martyrdom of Khalif A l i ibn Abi Talib, his family and the Prophet's own was persecuted by the new Ommayad regime. It was only 60 years after the Hegira and 50 years after the death of the Prophet who had brought the new religion, created the new state, conquered Mecca and a l l the territories between the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean. Muawiyah was the son of Abu Sufyan from whose family the Prophet had conquered Mecca. After the victory of Islam, Abu Sufyan and his children capitulated and embraced Islam, but after the Prophet's death they conspired to restore their an­cient regime with a l l i t s oppressions, corruptions and un-Islamic ways. It was against these that Husein acted when he refused to give his allegiance to such a regime. He, i n fact called for a re-volution!

Husein ibn A l i was forced to leave Medina upon his refusal to give the pledge of allegiance to Yazid. He took with him a l l his children and close relatives: sister, nephews, cousins and nieces. His sister Zainab divorced her husband i n order to leave with him and took her 3 young sons with her.lt was the making of the heart-rendering tragedy to i t s minutest details. They f i r s t went to Mec­ca. Not finding security there - where he was being pursued by Ya­zid 's agents - he proceeded to Kufa i n Irak, whose inhabitants had written to Husein asking him to come there. Kufa was the place where his father was murdered 20 years ago. But there was no place else to go. F i f t y years after the Prophet's death a l l his descen­dants had become fugitives i n their own land. But Husein was s t i l l determined not to give allegiance to the profligate Yazid. When they arrived at the Plain of Karbala on the 2nd of Muharram, the 72-men caravan excepting women and children was surrounded by 30,000 soldiers of Yazid ready for the k i l l . The caravan was cut off from the water of the Euphrates river. They suffered t h i r s t and hunger but their s p i r i t undaunted. Husein gave permission to his companions to leave him for their own safety, i f they so wish-ed, by using the darkness of the night to escape. He said Yazid wanted his head, not theirs. None deserted him; instead some con-scientious elements of Yazid's troops went to Husein"s side during the night to give their live s to protect his. It was a time of great extremes: of grandiose gestures of loyalty and unspeakable treachery.

Husein's young son, the only male survivor of Karbala, A l i ibn

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H u s e i n ( A l i Z a i n u l A b i d i n ) , t o l d o f what happened d u r i n g t h e n i g h t o n t h e eve o f A s h u r a a t K a r b a l a :

"On t h e n i g h t o f A s h u r a and t h r o u g h t h e n e x t d a y , w h i l e I l a j s i c k w i t h h i g h f e v e r , i n one o f t h e t e n t s , my a u n t Z a i n a b t o o i c a r e o f me. My f a t h e r , a f t e r g i v i n g a s p e e c h t o h i s companions went t o h i s t e n t . I h e a r d my f a t h e r murmuring a poem t o h i m s e l f

"Oh t i m e , I s p i t upon you and y o u r f r i e n d s h i p How many b r i g h t m o r n i n g s and d a r k n i g h t s Have y o u p a s s e d by t h e dead b o d i e s Of my companions and f r i e n d s ? I t i s t r u e , t h e r e i s no s u b s t i t u t e f o r t i m e B u t a l l a f f a i r s a r e i n t h e hands o f God A l l who a r e l i v i n g M ust p a s s by t h i s way."

"My f a t h e r r e p e a t e d t h i s poem s e v e r a l t i m e s u n t i l I s e n s e d wha he was r e c i t i n g . I h e l d b a c k my t e a r s b u t my a u n t c o u l d n o t c o n t r o l h e r s e l f when she h e a r d what I h e a r d , and she c r i e d o u l o u d . My f a t h e r r u s h e d t o w a r d h e r and a f t e r h e spoke w i t h h e r she f a i n t e d . My f a t h e r p u t some w a t e r on h e r f a c e . A f t e r my aun r e g a i n e d c o n s c i o u s n e s s , my f a t h e r s a i d t o her:"My d e a r s i s t e r Take r e f u g e i n God. Be patiënt. Your patiënt i s f o r t h e sake o God. Remember t h a t a l l i n h a b i t a n t s o f heaven and e a r t h w i l l d i E v e r y t h i n g save He, w i l l p e r i s h . E v e r y t h i n g w i l l be d e s t r o y e e x c e p t God.Our g r a n d f a t h e r was b e t t e r t h a n u s and he d i e d . Ou grandmother was b e t t e r t h a n u s and she d i e d . Our f a t h e r and mc t h e r who were b e t t e r t h a n u s and t h e y d i e d . A l l o f u s must f o l l o w t h e way o f t h e P r o p h e t o f God." Then my f a t h e r made h i W i l l t o my a u n t Z a i n a b , t h e L i o n e s s o f K a r b a l a . My f a t h e r s a i t o her:"My d e a r s i s t e r , I want you t o p r o m i s e and t o k e e p yov p r o m i s e t h a t when I am k i l l e d , y o u w i l l n o t t e a r y o u r d r e s s c s t r i k e a t y o u r f a c e . Do n o t mourn. Do n o t c r y . Do n o t moan. Then my f a t h e r l e f t u s and went t o h i s own t e n t . From t h a t mc ment on no one e v e r see my a u n t c r i e s a g a i n . "

On t h e l O t h day o f Muharram, 61 AH (680 AD) t h e B a t t l e o f K a r b a l c t o o k p l a c e i n w h i c h a l m o s t a l l o f t h e male d e s c e n d a n t s o f t l P r o p h e t Muhammad was m a s s a c r e d , i n c l u d i n g c h i l d r e n and b a b i e s . I mong them t h e t h r e e young sons o f Z a i n a b ; t h e two young sons o f t l l a t e Imam Hasan ( o l d e r b r o t h e r o f Hus e i n ) aged 11 a n d 1 3 ; t h e s o i o f H u s e i n , t h e 5 y e a r s o l d A l i A s g h a r and h i s s t i l l s u c k l i n g b a l b r o t h e r . The o n l y s u r v i v o r was A l i i b n H u s e i n who was i l l and di n o t t a k e p a r t i n t h e b a t t l e . H u s e i n i b n A l i l e d h i s 72 l o y a l cot p a n i o n s , nephews, c o u s i n s , and c h i l d r e n f a c i n g t h e 30,000 t r o o ] o f Y a z i d i b n Muawiyah. They p u t up a h e r o i c f i g h t . J u s t b e f o r e 1 h i m s e l f was s t r u c k down, H u s e i n t o o k t h e b l o o d t h a t was f l o w i i f r o m t h e c u t t h r o a t o f h i s s l a i n 5 y e a r s o l d s o n , A l i A s g h a r (Ai t h e - l i t t l e - o n e ) and t h r e w i t t o w a r d t h e heaven c r y i n g : " A c c e p t t h ; s a c r i f i c e f r o m me. Be my w i t n e s s , O my God!" And t h e n h i s l a i f o r l o r n c r y , " I s t h e r e no one who c a n h e l p me?"

Today, 1298 y e a r s l a t e r , h u n d r e d s o f m i l l i o n s o f M u s l i m s " hear' a r e s t i l l b l e e d i n g and c r u s h e d by f e e l i n g s o f s o r r o w and g u i l t f< f a i l i n g t o answer H u s e i n " s c r y a t K a r b a l a . Today, warm t e a r s <

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men would weep un-ashamedly when the drama of Karbala i s being re-counted whether i t be i n Kuta Radja, Casablanca, Tetuan, Cairo,Ka-rachi or Teheran. The immediacy and the relevancy of this tragedy to the past, present, and future of the Islamic f a i t h i s beyond speculation. In h i s t o r i c a l perspective and s p i r i t u a l dimensions, the Battle of Karbala ranks i n significance with earlier battles in Islamic history fought by Husein's grandfather, the Prophet Mu­hammad, in defence of Islam, some of whose lessons had been for­gotten 50 years after the Prophet's death and the purposes for which they were fought were i n great need of re-affirmation by the time Muawiyah and Yazid had seized the power and corrupted the Is­lamic State. At Karbala Husein re-asserted - at what sacrificeJ -the value system and the irreducible principles of Islam: Faith, Jihad, Martyrdom! After Karbala, a Muslim can never again plead impotence i n the face of tyranny and oppression.Resistance against oppression and injustice must be offered even with bare hands, One must not live under the regime of oppression. It was time to die, martyred. Martyrdom i s a free death: the one freely and conscious-ly chosen. Ultimately, freedora depends on free death. When man no longer able to commit himself to free death, his freedom w i l l also be lost.

Perhaps Nietzsche can bring my reader one step closer to an un-derstanding of martyrdom in Islam in his explanation of the con­cept of free death:

"To die proudly when i t i s no longer possible to live proudly. Death freely chosen, death at the right time, brightly and cheerfully accomplished amid children and witnesses: then a rea l farewell i s s t i l l possible, as the one who i s taking leave i s s t i l l there; also a real estimate of what one has achieved and what one has wished, drawing the sum of one's l i f e - a l l i n opposition to the wretched and revolting comedy that Christian-i t y has made of the hour of death....Here i t i s important to defy a l l the cowardices of prejudice and to establish above a l l the r e a l , that i s , the physiological, appreciation of so-called natural death - which i s i n the end also "unnatural", a kind of suicide. One never perishes through anybody but oneself. But usually i t i s death under the most contemptible conditions, an unfree death, death not at the right time, a coward's death. From love of life, one should desire a different death: free, conscious, without accident, without ambush. (*) "I show you the death that consummates - a spur and a promise to the survivors. He that consummates his l i f e dies his death victoriously, surrounded by those who hope and promise. Thus should one learn to die; and there should be no fe s t i v a l where one dying thus does not hallow the oaths of the l i v i n g . To die thus i s best; second to this, however, i s to die fighting and to squander a great soul.....My death I praise to you, the free death which comes to rae because I want it.And when shall I want i t ? He who has a goal and an heir w i l l want death at the right time for his goal and heir." (**)

How much stronger i s this rational, no nonsense thinking when i t becomes sublimated with a fa i t h , a true religion? Khalif A l i ibn (*) Twilight of the Idols (**) Thus Spoke Zarathustra

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Abi T a l i b , Husein's grandfather, had said:"The best death i s to be k i l l e d . By A l l a h i n whose hands l i e s the l i f e of the son of Abu Ta­l i b , c e r t a i n l y a thousand s t r i k i n g s of the sword ou me are easier to me than a death i n bed which i s not i n obedience to A l l a h . "

The message of Karbala and Ashura was the message of how to l i v e and when to die. When to stake out a l l what you have i n defence of your f a i t h , r i s k i n g a l l : to be or not to be. I t was also a message for self-overcoming, for t o t a l s e l f - c o n t r o l , to be able to decide when to l i v e on and when to want to l i v e no longer, i n order to serve a higher purpose - while always submitting to Allah's w i l l . At Karbala, Imam Husein showed the p u r i t y of h i s f a i t h , the strength of his character, and h i s t o t a l s e l f - c o n t r o l under the d i r e s t of adver-s i t y . He had s a c r i f i c e d a l l h is worldly possessions, a l l what he had and hold dear i n t h i s world: h i s children, family members,loyal com­panions, for the sake of standing up for the p u r i t y of the Islamic f a i t h . His p l i g h t and s a c r i f i c e s had touched the heartstrings of the 1000 m i l l i o n Muslims on the earth, had released the torrent of tears every time h i s deed and tragedy was recounted, and i n turn producing new fresh resolutions to redeem and to emulate him. Thus he died i n order that true Islam may l i v e . But i s there anyone more a l i v e today than Husein? Would he be so well-remembered and ardently followed i f not for what he d i d at Karbala on Ashura? "Do not c a l l those w h o were k i l l e d i n the cause of A l l a h dead but a l i v e . " (The Quran) Here i s a l i v i n g witness of the meaning of martyrdom i n Islam.

In Acheh Sumatra we celebrate Ashura i n a l l i t s tragedy and glory. Faith, Jihad, and Martyrdom as exemplified by Husein at Karbala had become the hallmark of Islam i n Acheh Sumatra and had become the most d i s t i n c t i v e feature of our culture and way of l i f e . The 100 years war against the Dutch i m p e r i a l i s t s was a l i v i n g proof"of t h i s . A l l h i storians are agreed that the Muslims of Acheh had been able to f i g h t that long because they had thoroughly embraced the concept of Jihad and Martyrdom. I t i s here that the contrast of our l i f e s t y l e with the Javanese-indonesians was complete: as there was no Javanese leader who had ever died a martyr, there was no Achehnese leader who had ever l i v e d who was not a martyr! I t i s no exaggeration to say that we are a nation of martyrs. Nearly one-third of our people had l a i d down their l i v e s as martyrs i n the long f i g h t to defend our f a i t h and homeland against the attack of the Dutch c o l o n i a l i s t s and i m p e r i a l i s t s . Tengku Tjhik Muhammad Saman d i T i r o , the r u l e r and the suprème commander, a swordsman with even sharper pen, was credited for t h i s , at least for that period of our h i s t o r y , the period of the c o l o n i a l war with Holland. To guide and encourage h i s army of Islam, o f f i c i a l l y c a l l e d then Muslimin, he wrote several books i n the form of poetry with the t i t l e of Eikayat Prang Sabil ( The Story of the Holy War) i n which he exstolled the concept of martyrdom with such effectiveness that anyone who reads or l i s t e n s to h i s poetry would be possessed with the idea of seeking martyrdom with such enthusiasm that he would seek combat with the enemy, even alone.ültimately t h i s poetry became a part of our f o l k - l i t e r a t u r e memorized by hearts by the people. I t became the most e f f e c t i v e means to mobilize the peo­ple against the invaders. As i t happened, the Dutch would threaten anyone i n possession of t h i s book with l i f e imprisonment or e x i l e .

In Acheh Sumatra we ccmmemorate Ashura with special solemnity and

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polgnancy befitting with the somber and serious message of Karbala. Even the month of Muharram was also called the month of Hasan-Huaein i n Acheh (Hasan was the older brother of Husein who was k i l l e d ear-l i e r by Muawiyah's agents). On this day women would wear black and prepared a distinctive special commemorative food, the apam, a kind of unleavened bread, a return to the basic, to denote to the severi-ty of the occasion. Then there are traditional processions held in many d i s t r i c t s where the celebrants join together i n praying and l a -menting the victims and heroes of Karbala.

What we are doing today i n Acheh Sumatra, i n declaring ourselves independence again, i n re-establishing our historie Islamic State, i n fighting against the oppressive neo-colonialist Javanese-indone­sian regime of usurpers, almost with our bare hands, without any outside supports, we are following the footsteps of Husein. This place i s our Karbala as we contemplate the Ashura. We derived consi-derable s p i r i t u a l strength from i t .

(JANUARY 12, 1978)

Something funny and tragic at the same time also happens here. One of our boys captured a baby monkey that cried so loud at the lost of i t s mother. My inclination was to order the boys to release the baby monkey forthwith. However, I decide to l e t them have fun with the monkey for a few days before ordering them to do so. But the baby monkey refuses to eat and drink. It i s on a hunger strike of a sort. S t i l l , I thought that i t would eat when i t would be hung-ry enough. I miscalculated i t s determination. In the meantime the boys had made a nice cage for the monkey that i t can jump around with relative freedom. The cage was put on the crossroad of the camp where everyone had to pass. Monkey being a genus of phithecantro-pus erectus, better known as "Javamen" - although a very distant re­lative - the boys decide that everyone who passes the cage must sa-lute the monkey with the word "Pak" (meaning "father",Javanese style ofsalutation), to remind everyone that when you salute a Javanese invader you should know whom you are saluting: an ape-man! The joke maybe too strong for the sensitive readers, reading this in a liv i n g room, but none too strong to the Achehnese boys in the Panton Mes-djid Camp who are being hunted like animals and would be shot to death on sight by the Javanese in our own country. Unfortunately, however, the baby monkey died the day after because i t absolutely re fused to eat anything. I should have ordered the boys to release the monkey right away. I had such a remorse about this especially when I remember seeing the mother monkey came to try to rescue her child several times with impressive courage. Today, a l l animals i n the fo­rests of Acheh Sumatra, tigers, deers, birds or monkeys share the fate of a l l Achehnese: liable to be shot dead by the Javanese-indo­nesian invaders who seem to feel to have licences to do so.

(JANUARY 13, 1978)

Today our guards at the advanced post saw the enemy troops had pitched their tents on the river bank about a mile away from us.

13

They would not have done that i f they knew we were so close. In any event i t was too close for comfort. A decision was taken i n a hur-ry that I should move out immediately from Panton Mesdjid Camp tc Alue Pisang Camp, about four hours march to the Southeast The can* had already been prepared for such emergency. One half of the staf! w i l l be l e f t at Panton Mesdjid to observe the enemy while prepa­r i n g for a l l eventuality.

So I departed that day to Alue Pisang Camp. The t e r r a i n that ha: to be passed i s extremely d i f f i c u l t involving climbing high ridgei and descending steep dangerous ravines that seems to be e ^ l e s s And for climax, we have to descend steep precipice to Alue Pisang then crossing i t - always a danger point - and then to have t climb almost perpendicularly again. The Alue Pisang Camp i s i n t e r e s t i n g because i t was b u i l t on top of f l a t rock formation tha gives the impression as a concrete f l c o r , and on a l l s i d e s a r e run ning water, a sort of a v i l l a i n the middle of a r i v e r The runnin water had carved the rocks into terraces and at the edge o f e v e r terrace there i s a mini w a t e r f a l l that i n turn had created severa mini pools. So we have designated a pool for bathing, a pool tc d r i n k i n a . a txDol for washing clothes, and a pool for sewerage.

(JANUARY 14, 1978)

On my second day at Alue Pisang Camp, at about 10 AM I heard th« sound of gun f i r e from the Western d i r e c t i o n , that i s from Pantoi Mesdjid-s d i r e c t i o n . The enemy must have attacked our camp there just one day after I had l e f t , and while my men are s t i l l there This i s the f i r s t time ever happens. In the past, the enemy ca, f i n d our camps only after we had abandoned them for months. NeveJ „hen we are s t i l l occupying i t . There i s nothing I can do except t, wait to have reports coming. The problem i s that no one l e f t ther. knew where Alue Pisang Camp i s . We overlooked to think the unthink able. Lesson for today: always make provisions for the unthinkables At l e a s t the men should know where to retr e a t . Nothing can be don now. Only hoping for the best and wait.

At about 5 o'clock i n the afternoon I saw Tengku Muhammad Usma Lampoih Awe emerged from the forest with Commandant Rashid of Geum pang next to him and then followed by others. I t was the presenc of Commandant Rashid among those who were l e f t behind that save the day. The greatest Pawang a l i v e i n Acheh today, he needs only t know the name of the Alue, or the mountain, the r e s t leave to hin he knows how to get there. The enemy troops that had camped neart several days ago had stumbled into our camp i n th e i r "search ar destroy" operations and attacked our p o s i t i o n t h i s morning. One c our men from Geumpang, Usman, was k i l l e d . The others were unhurt Two enemy soldiers were shot. As usual, the enemy l e t our woundt died by withholding any medical a i d . In f a c t , when the enemy attacJ ed, the camp had already been evacuated. Our man was k i l l e d becau!

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(JANUARY 15, 1978)

After everyone has arrived and losses counted, I c a l l for an e-mergency meeting of Pawang and Ministers present to appraise the s i t u a t i o n . Everyone feels that for the time being at least we should move out of the Tiro Region, without leaving any tracé, i f that i s possible. I t was decided to go to Tangsé Region with the p o s s i b i l i -ty of going to Geumpang l a t e r . We should cross the mighty Mount Meureuseue, 3000 feet high, that r i s e s very abruptly almost perpen -d i c u l a r , that separates T i r o Region from Tangsé Region, and to es­t a b l i s h our camp on the other side of Mount Meureuseue at Alue Seupot (Dark Spring). That i s , back to our ancestral t r a i l s !

Mount Meureuseue, Mount Alimon, Alue Seupot, Alue Simi, Alue Bhot, Tangsé, Geumpang, e t c , these are great names i n Achehnese histor y where many batt l e s had been fought, and where my own fore-father s had l i v e d , worked, and fought i n the One Hundred Years War against the Dutch invaders. I t i s l i k e going to places I always wanted to go, to retracé the footsteps of my ancestors whose j u s t struggle I now continue. I t i s not at a l l l i k e going to strange places, or to uncharted t e r r i t o r y , but rather l i k e going home, to walk i n the same footsteps that my fathers had walked before me. We follow a d e f i n i t e precedent. We are doing what had been done before. To go to Mount Meureuseue or to Tangsé or Geumpang i s not for us a ret r e a t , but a pilgrimage, that even without any reason we should have found excuses to do so. I hope my readers can grasp the meaning of our history for us. Achehnese revolutionaries who are i n f a c t being cornered to a dead end by the enemy who has the abso­lute superiority i n f i r e power over us, but our sense of history and d i r e c t i o n protected us from any sense of panicky retreat that the e-nemy might have thought he had managed to create among my men. That has never happened. Our history is an active as welt as a retro-aative force.' And he who is sure of his motive can adoance or re­treat with confidence. We decide to cross the Mount Meureuseue to-morrow.

We leave Alue Pisang Camp today as a mid-way station for future use. I t i s i d e a l for that purpose because i t i s located i n the middle of the road to go to Geumpang, Tangsé, and Ti r o . As i t i s s i -tuated d i r e c t l y on the Northern slope of Mount Meureuseue, we have to begin climbing immediately after we leave Alue Pisamg Camp toward Southern d i r e c t i o n . I t i s a straight climbing to the height of 3000 feet. For every hour of climbing we stop for 15 minutes r e s t . There i s no water up there, so everyone must not use h i s water unless ab-solutely necessary. The climbing i s always between 45 and 7 0 degree grades and at times even steeper. We reached the summit of Mount Meureuseue at about 4 PM, and we had to stop for the night j u s t be-low the peak on the mountain's Southern slope. I t was very cold up there where we can see the Malacca S t r a i t s to the North and a l l the high peaks of other Achehnese mountains a l l around us. To the North­west we can see the summit of Mount Seulawah, a perfect cone i n dark blue color; to the East the peak of Mount Alimon, Mount Peuet Sagoe and dozens of other high peaks. They are so densely placed that they

13

remind me of New York's sky-scrapers, a l l belonged to the Teng> Tjhik d i T i r o Mountain Range. I must come back here with a good cc mera someday to take r e a l good p i c t u r e s . There i s no water a t thi height. We have to cook and make coffee with the drinking water coi t r i b u t e d by everyone. We have a good meal and a good night sleep b< cause everyone i s exhausted. Intermittently a heavy fog would blan] e t us that we can hardly see one another.

(JANUARY 17, 1978)

Descending the Mount Meureuseue on the Southern slope i s muc easier than climbing i t from the Northern side because the mountai i s receding to the high plateau of Tangsé gradually and not abrupt ly like on the Northern side. I t i s a fantastically beautiful fc rest land up here. Sometime we find miles and miles of flatlar covered by most colorful trees. The orderliness of the primeva forests i s beyond description. Perhaps no one has been here i n r« cent time since our fathers were here during the last war agairu foreign invaders. During the 1950s armed struggle against the Je vanese-indonesians no one had to go this deep into the forests Those who would cut these trees the way the foreign timber compc nies have done somewhere else must be treated as criminals and pi nished as such.

We arrived at Alue Seupot (Dark Spring) at about 6 PM. It i already dark, just enough time to set up the tent to go to sleej Tomorrow we w i l l piek up a suitable spot to establish our camp. 2 i t i s January, the rainy season i s already upon us. We have bei l i i r V u t-hevo wae tin r a i n u h i l p WP a r e on t h e march.

(JANUARY 18, 1978)

As the r a i n continue to pour we decide to make only a tempora r y shelter f i r s t , j u s t sleeping on the ground. And the high bar of Alue Seupot i s quite dry. What the men have to do i s simply t f l a t t e n the ground as smooth as p o s s i b l e , lay a p l a s t i c mat on i to prevent the seepage o f water from the ground, and then l a y a di ramie mat over i t and whatever other c l o t h coverings t h e r e a f t e r . Fc the roof, other p l a s t i c sheets are hanged t e n t - s t y l e . I t makes a cc zy place i n the wilderness. Not that I have to sleep on the groui too. My people always b u i l t a s p e c i a l bunk bed for me to sleep on, foot high above ground, a t l e a s t . I t i s easier t o make one such bt but not one hundred. A f t e r the temporary l i v i n g quarters i s f i n i s h t the men immediately prepared a raake-shift o f f i c e : t y p ewriters' te b l e s , r a d i o communication center, p r i n t i n g quarters, e t c . Everyt h i i e lse can be postponed but not the o f f i c e work as t h i s i s the nex\ center of our Revolution: the whole country receives i n s t r u c t i o r u guidance, and orders from t h i s " o f f i c e " . In the meantime the securj ty guards check the t e r r a i n s , the communication people proceed 1 r e - e s t a b l i s h contact with the outside world, the supply people mal preparation to f e t c h the food, e t c .

That t h i s spring was c a l l e d Alue Seupot (Dark Spring) was by i

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rainy season. The foliage around the spring i s so thick that sun-shine cannot reach the ground, and you cannot see a man ten meters away from you especially i f he wore a camouflage suit. On account of the rain we had to stay on our ground floor "houses" for the whole week. Alue Seupot had entered Dutch military history too. Many Dutch military maneuvres had taken place along this Alue and the h i l l s surrounding i t . Colonel H. J. Schmidt, the renown Dutch gueri l l a ex­pert had practically made this area his abode. He had pursued my forefathers for years on this very ground. H. C. Zentgraaff, the Dutch historian had mentioned Alue Seupot i n his many writings along with Alue Simi, Alue Bhot, Alue Dodok, Alue Seukeue, etc. I feel i t i s a privilege to be here, to re-enter our history1

Because the easier approach to Alue Seupot i s through i t s mouth down streams which i s also approachable through a highway from S i g l i to Tangsé, Geutjhik üma and his troops had ensconsed themselves on a rock that looked no less impregnable than that of Gibraltar - where I had been too - and from where they can wipe out an enemy battalion i f they came. The other end of Alue Seupot i s guarded by Commandant Rashid and his men.

(JANUARY 20, 1978)

Today I received our f i r s t group of v i s i t o r s since taking up "re-sidence" in Alue Seupot. The vi s i t o r s are leaders from Tangsé and Blang Malo, the nearest town to Alue Seupot, about half a day walk­ing distance. They w i l l be our main liaison group with the outside world. The head of the group i s Zakaria Saman of Blang Malo, a young man of about 25, of small stature with a very keen intelligence.This was the f i r s t time I met him. He was a total stranger to me.But this i s the miracle of the NLF. How many strangers have become brothers since I inaugurated the Revolution. For his age, Zakaria i s a very successful businessman. He own a timber processing company and a timber concession i n Blang Malo area. This i s why he can go to the forests freely without being suspected by the Javanese colonialists as a member of the NLF. He and his friends,the school teachers, have mobilized the entire population of Blang Malo, even before meeting me. He was recruited to our cause through the ac t i v i t i e s of our un­derground organization in the enemy controlled territory. Zakaria handed to me one million Rupiahs (Javanese-indonesian currency).That i s a l o t of money to take to Alue Seupot. But Alue Seupot has become the seat of the Central Government of Acheh Sumatra, for now. He informed me that everybody i n Blang Malo wanted to come to meet me. That i s where our troubles started because when our simple folk be­come enthusiastic they cannot be discreet. That was how the enemy got to know where we were every time we moved. For the time being I allow only Zakaria personally and his colleagues to come here and no one else. There was no indication that the enemy knew about our pre­sence i n this new territory. There i s an enemy garrison i n the town of Blang Malo, and another one, bigger, i n the town of Tangsé.

(JANUARY 21, 1978) The men have picked up a spot on the high ground on the Northern

bank of Alue Seupot to establish our permanent camp. It was bordered

39

by h i g h c l i f f s on Southern and Eastern s i d e s , w i t h the s p r i n g running below. And a l l around are p r o t e c t e d by h i g h r i d g e s . With the l u l l i n the r a i n f a l l , the men begin c l e a r i n g the ground and c u t t i n g t he t r e e s . In a few days the camp w i l l be ready f o r occupation.While i n -sp e c t i n g the campsite I n o t i c e t h a t you cannot even see the water of Alue Seupot from the a i r because the f o l i a g e i s so t h i c k from both s i d e s of the banks of the s p r i n g t h a t i t j o i n e d together t o cover the s p r i n g a l l t o g e t h e r from above. The men are working hard to make the camp ready f o r occupancy by January 24, because there w i l l be a h o l i d a y on January 25th i n v o l v i n g some ceremony.

(JANUARY , l y / s ;

Today i s a n a t i o n a l h o l i d a y , the TENGKU TJHIK DI TIRO DAY, comme-morating the death of Tengku T j h i k d i T i r o the Great,Muhammad Saman, who d i e d on January 25, 1891, amidst the long war w i t h the Dutch, a t the F o r t r e s s of Aneuk Galong, i n Great Acheh p r o v i n c e . He l e d the country from 1874 to 1891, t h a t was immediately a f t e r the Dutch se­cond i n v a s i o n , the most c r i t i c a l p e r i o d i n our n a t i o n a l h i s t o r y . A l ­though the Dutch - with t h e i r Javanese mercenaries - managed t o oc-cupy our c a p i t a l c i t y , Kuta Radja, he s u c c e s s f u l l y blockaded them there f o r 17 years. The Dutch b a r e l y managed t o maintain themselves on the beachhead t o avoid second e x p u l s i o n from Acheh, as they had s u f f e r e d i n 1873. Even Dutch h i s t o r i a n of t h a t war acknowledged t h i s f a c t , as J . Kraemer d i d i n h i s book, Atjeh: "Tengku T j h i k d i . T i r o r a i s e d a very l a r g e standing army and he had imprisoned us i n our stockade w i t h i n Kuta Radja area w i t h the mighty f o r c e of arms-." He crushed a l l Dutch attempts t o invade other p a r t s of Achehnese t e r r i ­t o r i e s and i t was on the eve of h i s planned b a t t l e to oust the Dutch from Acheh th a t he d i e d , poisoned by a Dutch agent who managed t o put cyanide i n h i s food. H i s death saved the Dutch from second ex­p u l s i o n from Acheh, f o r the time being. With h i s g r e a t energy and t a c t f u l n e s s he had managed to u n i t e the people of Acheh, t o r e s t o r e t h e i r morale, and t o c a r r y out the war of n a t i o n a l l i b e r a t i o n a-g a i n s t f o r e i g n invaders. They c a l l e d him "Maulana, Al-Mudabbir, A\-M a l i k " t h a t i s "Our Lord, Our Law-Giver, Our King" Tengku T j h i k d i T i r o . His method of l e a d e r s h i p was f i r s t of a l l based on pe r s u a s i o n . He went a l l over the country t o preach the cause of n a t i o n a l l i b e r a ­t i o n t o the people. Second, by esteem.He esteemed h i s people,honored them, and loved them. "To esteem i s t o c r e a t e " . He never got mad a t anyone even a t t h e i r i d i o s y n c r e s i e s , and always addressed h i s people "dear one". T h i r d , by example. He simply t o l d h i s people:"Follow mei And they f o l l o w e d him t o the death.

He was a swordsman w i t h even sharper pen. He wrote marvelous poe­t r y , sometimes l i g h t - h e a r t e d l y , e x t o l l i n g m a r t i a l s p i r i t and Qon-tempt of death. The e f f e c t of h i s c o l l e c t i o n s of war p o e t r y , The Bi-kayat Prang Sabil, on the people of Acheh was e l e c t r i c . I t was the companion and entertainment f o r h i s r e v o l u t i o n a r y s o l d i e r s . T h e Dutch threatened e x i l e or l i f e imprisonment f o r anyone found i n possession of the books. A testimony of i t s e f f e c t i v e n e s s . He provided moral, p o l i t i c a l , r e l i g i o u s and m i l i t a r y l e a d e r s h i p t o a n a t i o n a t war w i t h the enemy on the door s t e p s . A t such a time, and a t such a war, one man means e v e r y t h i n g , many men means nothing. To r e a l i z e t h a t t r u t h

140

i s not Bonapartism although i t was Napoleon who had s a i d , "d la guerre, les hommes ne sont rien; o 'est un homme qui est tout." It was not the Greek s o l d i e r s who marched to t h e Indus but Alexander; i t was not the Roman troops who conquered Gaul but Ceasar; i t was not the Carthagenians who caused Rome to tremble but Hannibal.

I t i s d i f f i c u l t f o r me to assess h i s p l a c e i n Achehnese h i s t o r y because he was my great grandfather. But i t i s p o s s i b l e to say t h a t h i s s t a t u r e i n Achehnese h i s t o r y i s equal t o the e a r l i e r three most dominant f i g u r e s who had played g r e a t r o l e i n our h i s t o r y a t c r i t i -c a l stages: A l i Mughayat Shah,who establishedAchehnese u n i t y and l i ­berated the country from a l l f o r e i g n i n f l u e n c e ; Iskandar Muda, who had extended the s o v e r e i g n t y of Acheh t o a l l o f Sumatra,Malay Penin-s u l a , West Borneo, and Banten i n West Ja v a , and e s t a b l i s h e d a Code of Law t h a t l a s t e d f o r c e n t u r i e s ; Mahmud Shah, who as a matter of p r i n c i p l e , honor and d i g n i t y of the n a t i o n had r e j e c t e d Dutch demand to surrender the country t o them i n order to become p a r t of Dutch East I n d i e s or " i n d o n e s i a " , and decided t o put up the s t r u g g l e , ne matter whatwere the consequénces, a t the age of 27, r e s u l t i n g i n our great v i c t o r y a t the B a t t l e of Bandar Acheh, on A p r i l 23, 187 3. The m e r i t of Tengku T j h i k d i T i r o ' s s t r u g g l e was i n s u c c e s s f u l l y defend-i n g and p r o t e c t i n g the achievements of the other t h r e e s , the s u r v i ­v a l of Achehnese S t a t e , n a t i o n , and c u l t u r e from f o r e i g n i n v a s i o n , and he d i d a l l t h a t under overwhelming odds, s u c c e s s f u l l y , i n h i s l i f e time. One i s r e s p o n s i b l e only f o r one's l i f e time. L i k e every­one of us today must take r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r our l i f e time. For se-venteen years he h e l d the Dutch a t bay i n Kuta Radja,imprisoned them t h e r e , as i t were, as admitted by many Dutch g e n e r a l s , i n c l u d i n g Ge­n e r a l Van Swieten, who was the Dutch commander of the second i n v a s i ­on. He openly confessed of the i m p o s s i b i l i t y t o d e f e a t the army of the Tengku T j h i k d i T i r o and he advised the Dutch government t h a t i t was b e t t e r t o withdraw from Acheh and t o s i g n a peace t r e a t y recog-n i z i n g the independence of Acheh again. That was a measure of the success of Tengku T j h i k d i T i r o ' s l e a d e r s h i p .

Even more remarkable, Tengku T j h i k d i T i r o the Great ( Muhammad Saman ), succeeded i n l a y i n g the foundation f o r f u t u r e r e s i s t a n c e a-g a i n s t a l l i n v a d e rs, i n g a l v a n i z i n g the s p i r i t of martyrdom i n the Achehnese consciousness u n t i l i t became a n a t i o n a l credo t h a t sus-t a i n e d the s t r u g g l e f o r decades a f t e r h i s own martyrdom.Most leaders i n h i s t o r y ceased t o matter a f t e r t h e i r deaths. Tengku T j h i k d i T i ­ro's i n f l u e n c e remains as strong as ever among h i s people because he i s the guardian of the s p i r i t of shahadah, of martyrdom, i n our po­l i t i c a l c u l t u r e . I t was he who had sublimated t h i s i dea w i t h pen, sword, and blood i n t o our p o l i t i c a l c u l t u r e from which we draw our s t r e n g t h r i g h t to t h i s very day. We couldnot have done what we are now d o i n g without h i s i n s p i r a t i o n . Iskandar Muda had shown one s i d e of the c o i n of the Achehnese c h a r a c t e r : magnanimous i n v i c t o r y . I t took Tengku T j h i k d i T i r o the Great to demonstrate the other neces-sary, a l b e i t more d i f f i c u l t , s ide of t h i s c o i n : d e f i a n t i n defeat! These two-sided c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s must be proven - cannot be claimed - by j u s t anyone. These two halves make us whole. These t r u t h s de-mand c o n s i s t e n c y : the one i s naught without the other. Today each member of the N a t i o n a l L i b e r a t i o n F r o n t of Acheh Sumatra or Atjeh Meurdéhka, i s the s p i r i t u a l descendant o f S u l t a n Iskandar Muda and Tengku T j h i k d i T i r o the Great who cannot be enslaved or otherwise c o l o n i z e d .

MAULANA ALMUDABBIR ALMALIK TENGKU TJHIK DI TIRO MUHAMMAD SAMZ

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1

A f t e r h i s d e a t h , the n a t i o n a l s t r u g g l e t o defend our independe was con t inued under the l e a d e r s h i p , s u c c e s s i v e l y , o f h i s f i v e so Tengku T j h i k d i T i r o Muhammad Amin (d ied a t the B a t t l e of Aneuk l o n g , 1896); Tengku T j h i k d i T i r o U b a i d u l l a h (d ied a t the B a t t l e Lhok P a n a i h , 1899); Tengku T j h i k d i T i r o Lam Bada (d ied a t the B t l e of Keunê , Geumpang, 1904); Tengku T j h i k d i T i r o Muhammad A l i n u l A b i d i n or Tengku d i B u k é t (d ied a t the B a t t l e o f Mount Al imon 1910) and Tengku T j h i k d i T i r o Mahyeddin (d ied a t the B a t t l e A l u e S i m i , 1910). Then the s t r u g g l e was con t inued under the lead s h i p o f h i s grandson, Tengku T j h i k Maat d i T i r o (d ied a t the Bat o f A l u e Bhot , 1911). These were g rea t men, i n t h e i r own r i g h t , l i v e d and d i e d a c c o r d i n g t o the s t r i c t p r e s c r i p t i o n o f our Achehr n a t i o n a l and mora l code t ha t i s I s l a m ; men o f s t e e l y nerves g rea t c o n v i c t i o n who knew how t o l i v e and when to d i e ; who knew v to s take out e v e r y t h i n g , to be o r not t o be , and a b l e t o go thrc w i t h t h e i r d i f f i c u l t d e c i s i o n s . They were g rea t men who had the wer and the s e l f - c o n t r o l t o say when they want t o l i v e on and v they do not want to l i v e any l o n g e r . " I t t akes more courage t o o an end than t o make a new v e r s e : a l l p h y s i c i a n s and poets know t l Only those who have done so have passed the u l t i m a t e t e s t o f grc ness .

H. C . Zen tg raa f f wrote i n h i s book, Atjeh: "Whi le one can cr j c i z e the sons o f the Grea t Tengku d i T i r o and t h e i r d e f e c t s , o n e i however, i n order t o remain honest and f a i r , has ten t o add they ) how t o d i e as he roes . Be ing k i l l e d i n the b a t t l e f i e l d s i t s e l f i s a m e r i t bu t a war r i s k ; i t i s no t a c o n s c i o u s l y sough t -a f t e r sa< f i c e , but a consequence o f war which has t o be accep ted .But t h i s d i f f e r e n t w i t h the d i T i r o f a m i l y : i n the f ree cho i ce between or d e a t h , they choose the l a t t e r , and thereby they made ^gr e a t p r e s s i o n on the Achehnese ." He added:"The courage and the u n l i m s teadfas tness o f these enemies impressed us t o o ! "

I t i s i n a sense absurd f o r us who i s s t i l l a l i v e , and poss: c l i n g i n g t o l i f e d e s p e r a t e l y , to s i t i n judgment of these g rea t who had the power and the courage to squander g rea t s o u l s . I n t l presence we are d i s q u a l i f i e d . We are not t h e i r peers to judge t l Death , e s p e c i a l l y h e r o i c dea th put a f i n a l , e t e r n a l and i r r e v o c i stamp t o e v e r y t h i n g . I t was a l r e a d y a judgment o f h i s t o r y . Those have j u s t been e l e v a t e d by the f i n a l judgment of h e r o i c death he roes . They are beyond d e t r a c t i o n . What i s m e r i t o r i o u s i s t o ' i n t h e i r f o o t s t e p s . That i s why we are here i n A l u e Seupot,away our wives and c h i l d r e n and o ther l o v e d ones .

Today a t 10 AM, i n a s imple ceremony we r a i s e d the f l a g and i t a t h a l f - s t a f f , to commemorate the Tengku T j h i k ' s dea th . I t wa yea r s ago today . I d e l i v e r e d a sho r t speech t o remind the men today we are c o n t i n u i n g the s t r u g g l e o f Tengku T j h i k d i T i r o . I a c o i n c i d e n c e t h a t I happened t o be h i s a r e a t grandson bu t h i s 1 cy belonged t o a l l our p e o p l e . I f I am not w i t h you today som-e l s e must take my p lace and t h i s s t r u g g l e must c o n t i n u e . The con ousness of h i s t o r y , o f the e x i s t e n c e o f g rea t precedent t o ev t h i n g we a re d o i n g now, the f e e l i n g t h a t we are f o l l o w i n g our f

142

(JANUARY 26, 1978)

Today our radio transmitter for broadcasting arrived together with the necessary power plant at Alue Seupot Camp. It was brought in a l l the way from Medan. Everyone was delighted and with great ex-pectation. Soon we w i l l be able to open our radio receivers and hear our own broadcasting station. The whole country has been expecting this for a long time. And we know that the effect w i l l be electric in the country. We wonder what the Javanese are going to do or what can they do? Nothing. The transmitter was hooked up right away to the antennae. Two of our men climbed the t a l l trees in the back of the camp to hoist the antennae. The electric power plant was switch-ed on. Our f i r s t test was a success. We can hear THE VOICE OF FREE ACHEH SUMATRA clear and strong. The range i s one-thousand kilometers, But there are much works that have to be done.Programs must be writ­ten i n three languages: Achehnese, Malays and English. And newscast-ers must be selected and trained, We set the date for the f i r s t broadcast to be the day after tomorrow.

The a r r i v a l of our radio transmitter to Alue Seupot Camp reveals something about our movement also. The chase that the Javanese colo­n i a l i s t s i s mounting against us i n the mountains i s no longer rele­vant to the p o l i t i c a l situation i n the country as a whole because the a c t i v i t i e s of the NLF are no longer i n the mountains but i n the countryside a l l over Acheh Sumatra right to the doorsteps of every Javanese garrison. Things are happening i n the countryside, i n the c i t i e s and towns that supposedly under Javanese-indonesian "control? So what i s so much fuss about chasing us in the mountains? What good does that do for the Javanese-indonesian colonialists? Although our headquarters have had to be moved around i n the forests and mountain the way i t was, our Organization and i t s works i n the country are spreading like wild f i r e from one end of the country to the other without interruption. The Javanese-indonesian regime i s increasingly l i v i n g i n a fool's paradise. The countryside i s where p o l i t i c a l ac-tions are really taking place, not i n our guerilla camps in the moun tains. Only orders are given from here.

(JANUARY 23, 1978)

Today i s another national holiday, SULTAN MAHMUD SHAH DAY, comme-morating the death of Mahmud Shah on January 28, 1874, at the age of 27th. He was the King of Acheh Sumatra when the war with Holland started. Despite his youth, he took the courageous decision, in fact the only one possible for the King of Acheh, to reject the Dutch u l ­timatum, presented on March 26, 1873, demanding Achehnese surrender to them without resistance and to become part of Dutch colony of'in-donesia." His rejection of the ultimatum resulted i n the Dutch dec­laration of war against us that brought the f i r s t Dutch invasion of Acheh Sumatra leading to the Battle of Bandar Acheh where we gained our biggest and most glorious victory! (See page 59 of this Diary).

Without His Majesty's principled stand there would have been no Victory at Bandar Acheh1 About Sultan Mahmud Shah,THE NEW YORK TIMES wrote:"The Sultan i s showing diplomatic as well as military capacityï Mahmud Shah was the man who gave us that victory at the Battle of Bandar Acheh!

143

(FEBRUARY 1, 1978)

A f t e r broadcasting s e v e r a l days d i r e c t l y from Alue Seupot Camp we make a d e c i s i o n t o separate the b r o a d c a s t i n g s t a t i o n from the Head­qua r t e r s f o r s e c u r i t y reasons because of some f e a r s that the enemy might be able t o l o c a t e our t r a n s m i t t e r without too much d i f f i c u l t y . Therefore the t r a n s m i t t e r w i l l be set up a t another mountain top se­v e r a l m i l e s away. A group was organized f o r r a d i o o p e r a t i o n w i t h Dr. Husaini Hasan, the M i n i s t e r of Education and Information i n charge. They w i l l leave f o r the new p l a c e tomorrow, and there w i l l be d a i l y contact between Alue Seupot Camp and the r a d i o camp. The b a s i c pro­grams have already been taped i n the c a s s e t s . When we replayed some of the taped programs we are amused t o hear the v o i c e s of monkeys and other f o r e s t d w e l l e r s ' f r i e n d s of ours i n the background ofthe programs t h a t had been picked up by the s e n s i t i v e microphones of the tape-recorders. A t l e a s t the a u t h e n t i c i t y and the o r i g i n a l i t y o f our broadcast cannot be a s s a i l e d ! I t can only be done i n our s p e c i a l l y equipped f o r e s t " s t u d i o " .

(FEBRUARY 5, 1978)

We have not been able t o hear our r a d i o broadcasting s t a t i o n f o r a few days si n c e the r a d i o o p e r a t i o n group moved away. We begin t e f e e l concern f o r them and the p l a n i s made to send a p a r t y t o see them tomorrow. T h i s evening, however, Dr H u s a i n i Hasan and h i s p a r t y came back with a bad news: the power p l a n t had malfunctioned a f t e r the man who c a r r i e d i t on h i s back f e i l on the ground w h i l e c l i m b i n g a h e i g h t . What a s i l l y c atastrophe. And there i s no competent mecha-n i c among us who can r e p a i r i t . There i s nothing t o do but to send the power p l a n t back t o the c o u n t r y s i d e f o r r e p a i r . I t was such a brand new one. A c c i d e n t l i k e t h a t can e a s i l y happened i n themountain and i t can c r i p p l e v i t a l a c t i v i t i e s l i k e t h i s one. And i t a l l began because we were seeking a d d i t i o n a l s e c u r i t y , when the danger was not even present. We could have continued broadcasting from here. From t h i s bad experience we draw a c o n c l u s i o n : never seek e x t r a s e c u r i t y ; i t does not e x i s t ; never do anything f o r supposed danger u n t i l you have seen the danger coming.

(FEBRUARY 11, 1978)

Today i s our n a t i o n a l h o l i d a y , the DAY OF TEUKU UMAR AND TJUT M7AK DIEN, t o honor the memory of a husband and w i f e team, he, a he-r o , and she, a h e r o i n e , of the people of Acheh Sumatra. Teuku Umar an outstanding Achehnese m a r s h a l l f e i l a t the B a t t l e of Udjong K a l a , Meulaboh p r o v i n c e , on February 11, 1899. A f t e r her husband's death, T j u t Njak Dien took command of h i s f o r c e s and l i v e d i n the f o r e s t s f o r years to continue the s t r u g g l e a g a i n s t the Dutch invaders and t h e i r Javanese mercenaries u n t i l she became o l d , grey, and b l i n d . But her s p i r i t was undaunted. For many years, s t a y i n g a t the c l o u d -covered summits of mountains of Acheh, she h e l d h i g h the banner of r e s i s t a n c e and she became a powerful symbol of the indomitable Acheh nese p a t r i o t i s m .

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Her suffering was so great that a possibly well-meanlng but stu-pid member of her entourage, out of pity for her,secretly negotiated with the Dutch to deliver her on condition that they wouldnot harm her and would cure her illnesses, thus to save her from further suf­fering. When she found that out, her last act before she was captur­ed by the Dutch was to slay the man with her own hand i n the presen­ce of the Dutch commander and his troops. How a blind, sick, old l a ­dy could have done that? This was how i t happened:

The traitor, Waki Him, came close to her and standing right i n front of her to say: - "Please forgive me, Your Highness, I did this for your sake, so

that you suffer no more. Your illnesses can be cured. You w i l l not have to suffer hunger anymore!"

- "I do not ask for your pity!" Tjut Njak Dien replied."Do you think we are domestic animals whose primary requirements are only f u l l bellies? No, Waki Him, we are Free Achehnese, free human beings whose primary requirements are not f u l l b e l l i e s but f u l l honor and dignity. We die for honor and dignity, and not for food i n the belly!"

- "Oh, please forgive me, Your Highness!", said Waki Him. - "No forgiveness for you!", said Tjut Njak Dien. "What you betray

and k i l l today i s not only us. You have also k i l l e d an example of the suprème sacrifice that we hold out for the future generations of Achehnese to see and to follow i n defence of our Faith and Fa­therland! For that crime you now receive your punishment!"

Swift as lightning, Tjut Njak Dien pulls her renchong ( Achehnese dagger ) from i t s scabbard and thrusts i t into the heart ofthe t r a i ­tor who f a l l s right there near her feet, engulfs i n a pool of blood.

Her husband, Teuku Umar, had an equally fascinating story and has made his marks on Achehnese history. He had made a great mistake but he had also made amends for i t by dying a martyr i n the process of doing i t . It showed how great a character he was.Teuku Umar was o r i -ginally i n command of Achehnese forces i n West Acheh. Later he was transferred to Great Acheh province to command the Western Sector of the Aneuk Galong front. After the death of Tengku Tjhik d i Tiro the Great, however, he f e i l out with Tengku Tjhik d i Tiro Muhammad Amin because of some personal differences. It was at that time that he began to toy with the idea of an independent stance to pretend to co operate with the Dutch i n order to be able to get away with their guns. He acted upon that policy in 1893. That move cost him dearly i n the lost of people"s confidence i n him and the resulting great schism in Achehnese ranks that caused irreparable damage to the na­tional cause. Tjut Njak Dien vehemently opposed her husband's move and was universally credited for changing his mind later. After the great Battle of Aneuk Galong, where Tengku Muhammad Amin d i Tiro f e i l , Teuku Umar made good his promises and got away with a l l the guns the Dutch had entrusted to him and turned them against the i n ­vaders. He reconquered the fortress of Aneuk Galong for the Achehne­se. His subsequent military actions shook the Dutch positioh i n A-cheh to the ground, requiring the Dutch Suprème Commander, General Vetter, to come to Acheh to take personal command ofthe Dutch forces to try to salvage their position from the pincer movement of Umar. The Dutch had to reorganize their whole military structure and they

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suffered very heavy losses. The Dutch "governor" of Acheh, General Deyckerhoff and his military staff were dismissed. It was a new war in Acheh, a l l over again, for the Dutch. When Teuku Umar f e i l at the Battle of udjong Kala, Meulaboh, on February 11, 1899, he had proved himself to be truly a grand aapitaine to the end. His opponent onthe Dutch side was General Van Heutz who later became Governor General of the Dutch East Indies alias "indonesia".

The legacy of Teuku Umar i s an eternal vigilance against any kind of compromise with the invaders of our fatherland because such act i s destined to be detrimental to our national cause. He was lucky to have a chance to correct some of his mistakes - thanks to the good wife - and indeed absolved himself by dying martyred i n the f i e l d of battle. It was a sufficiënt proof of the sincerety of his repentance and of his patriotism. Today we remember him for his heroism, and we remember also his mistakes i n order not to repeat them ever again. This w i l l guarantee that he had not lived and died i n vain. The ne-cessary lesson has been purchased and paid for, as i t were.by blood. The only daughter of Teuku Umar and Tjut Njak Dien was Tjut Mirah Gambang who was my grandmother.

(FEBRUARY 15, 1978)

Our lives have returned to more or less complete "normalcy" again since we moved to Alue Seupot Camp. We have had a respit from our pursuers. For how long? That i s anybody's guess. But we do not care anyhow. Our duty i s to carry on our works without interruptions no matter where we are. I have to write at least a dozen letters a day and received many times more from a l l over the country, and fxom a-broad. My internal letters concerned fine points of our struggle: I have to explain again and again that our struggle at this stage i s p o l i t i c a l , ideological, and cultural before i t w i l l be military. I have even written a special brochure to explain that. But that was obviously not enough. I have never used the typewriters so much i n my l i f e like i n these forests! The typewriters are our machine guns for now - that i s what I told the people. They do not seem to be ve­ry convinced about that.

At Alue Seupot Camp, our source of international news i s foreign radio broadcasts such as: the BBC, Radio Australia, Radio Hilversum (Holland), Radio Deutsche Welle, Voice of America, Radio Moscow and others that can be heard very clearly and we have come to appreciate their news bulletins and conflicting commentaries. We also received foreign newspapers and magazines. This week I was happy to read a special a r t i c l e i n Time magazine featuring the Free Quebec Movement - naturally we sympathised with the PQ, as with any freedom fighters in the world. i t contained a review of the play, La Complainte des Hivers Rouges, by Roland Lepage that striked a cord in our hearts, especially the refrain of a song, referring to their ancestors, that says:

"You have taught us how to scale the heights Although i t took us a long time But now we are following you...."

It was after reading that story that I thought of writing a play a-

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bout Achehnese history.Quebec...Acheh...Sumatra...Alue Seupot...Time - could there be more disparate elements to bring the message of freedom?

(When I visited Canada i n the Spring of 1980, I purposely went to Montreal with the intention to meet M. Lepage to compliment him for his work but I did not succeed to make the contact. I got a copy of his play from the publisher, Bditions Lemeac, which I v i s i t e d . I was enthralled to read the play, but at that time I had already finished writing my Drama of Achehnese History.)

(FEERUARY 28, 1978)

Today I received a report that Tengku Muhammad Daud Beureuéh, a very highly respected Achehnese leader, who i s i n his 80s, has been abducted by the Javanese-indonesian regime i n the most dastardly manner. In fact he was kidnapped by Suharto's special commando unit sent from Java just for the purpose. They came to his home in Beure-éh, Pidie province, one evening last week. They entered his house without permission, seized him by force i n front of his wife and children, without any court warrant whatsoever. After they grabbed him, they forcibly injected him with intoxicant to make him lost consciousness. After he lost consciousness they dumped him i n their truck and drove with him to Medan, some 250 miles away. There they put him on a military plane and flew him to Java. We do not know his whereabout i n Java u n t i l today. The happening was nowhere reported i n the Javanese-indonesian press, nor i n international news media.He was abducted because the Javanese-indonesian colonialist regime sus-pected him of sympathising with the National Liberation Front.

This has been done by the regime at the same time when i t s propa­ganda machine was publishing news that Tengku Daud Beureuéh opposed the NLF, thus supporting the Javanese-indonesian colonialist regime.

The arrest of Tengku Beureuéh, moreover, shows more about the true Javanese characters than anything else - an insolent people who know no gratitude - because this man had done more for the Javanese than anyone else i n the world to help Javanese-indonesia became in­dependence when the Javanese were i n trouble i n the 1945-1949 strug­gle against the Dutch. As a l l the world knew, Acheh was free from Dutch occupation since March, 1942, when Achehnese Sumatran r e s i s t -ance movement ousted the Dutch from the territory, for the second time, since their f i r s t ouster i n A p r i l , 1873. And after the second World War, that i s since 1945, the Dutch did not dare to return to Acheh again although they had returned to re-occupy a l l other parts of their "indonesia", especially Java and Jakarta. When the Javanese leader, Sukarno, surrendered to the Dutch i n 1949, the so-called re-public of indonesia had lost everything and without an inch of ter­r i t o r y . At that time, a l l Javanese leaders who were not arrested by the Dutch run to Acheh where they were given protection by the Acheh nese leader at that time who was none other than Tengku Beureuéh.The Achehnese helped the Javanese-indonesian struggle against the Dutch mainly because Achehnese considered the Dutch as enemies.lt was Teng ku Beureuéh who gave financial help to enable the Javanese maintain-ed their mission to the United Nations i n New York and other places in the world. It was the Achehnese who gave the money to theJavanese

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to buy the f i r s t two planes for the Garuda indonesian airways for use to smuggle arms to Java from India, Burma and other countries. F i n a l l y the entire Cabinet of the indonesian Emergency Government fl e d to Acheh i n 1949, after Yogyakarta f e i l to the Dutch without a f i g h t . They a l l came to Acheh under protection of Tengku Beureuéh.

But when the Javanese leadership f i n a l l y cooperated with theDutch again, when they agreed to protect Dutch and other i m p e r i a l i s t eco­nomie interests i n indonesia, and agreed to accept what was i n f a c t a compromised "independence", the Dutch, en revanche, transfered t h e i r non-existent "sovereignty" over Acheh Sumatra to Javanese-indo nesia. At t h i s point, beginning from 1950,using Dutch i l l e g a l "tran­sfer of sovereignty" to them, the Javanese-indonesians began to co-lonize Acheh Sumatra and Tengku Beureuéh was persecuted by the Java­nese when they did not need him any longer. Now, for the l a s t r e ­maining days of h i s l i f e , t h i s what the Javanese d i d to Tengku Beu­reuéh - and there was no evidence of h i s support for the NLF. This i s the Javanese honor and gratitude for you! I f there was evidence of his support for the NLF, why the Javanese did not bring him to the court of law? Of course we know that Javanese-indonesia i s not a country ruled by law, as the case of Tengku Beureuéh proved i t .

Looking back at the objective p o l i t i c a l s i t u a t i o n of Acheh Suma­t r a i n the years between 1945 and 1950, when the country was, for f i v e long years, i n complete de facto control of ourselves,under the leadership of Tengku Daud Beureuéh, while Java and the rest of indo­nesia was again under Dutch de facto and de jure control,and by 1949 a l l Javanese-indonesian "revolutionary" leaders had surrendered to the Dutch, a l l without a f i g h t , and those who managed to escape from the Dutch were under our protection i n Acheh, and the Dutch did not even t r y to make any move to come back to Acheh because there was an open opposition i n Dutch Parliaraent against having to wage a "Second Acheh War" as many members put i t , there would have been nobody to stop us, neither the Dutch, nor the Javanese-indonesians, from tran-s l a t i n g our de facto independence into a de jure one, by taking a formal step to declare our independence again to the world.

The Dutch who had renounced any idea of waging a "Second Acheh War" would not have attacked us. The Javanese were i n such disarray. Their leaders were either refugees i n our house - whom we took very good care according to our best t r a d i t i o n - or Dutch prisoners i n Ja karta, including Sukarno and a l l h i s cohorts. We could have gotten back our de jure independence during that f i v e long years on a s i l -ver plate, something that now we have to f i g h t i t out a l l over again. I t was not because of lack of armed forces, but because of a f a i l u r e of national nerves! We could have made the Dutch's i l l e g a l transfer of "sovereignty" to Javanese-indonesia a worthless piece of paper i t was!

This i s what I am determined not to l e t i t ever happen again! This i s what the NLFAS i s a l l about: to restore the h i s t o r i e consci­ousness of the people of Acheh Sumatra, to re-establish contact with our great past, and on that foundation we can erect a better future. To bring back to l i f e the p o l i t i c a l theory of our independence to guide the s t i l l e x i s t i n g sentiment for national unity and the great character that i s s t i l l i n d e s t r u c t i b l e . To revive the precedent that had been established by our ancestors as guide to the present and

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f u t u r e generations t o f o l l o w i n our p o l i t i c a l , s o c i a l , economie and c u l t u r a l l i v e s . In s h o r t , t o make our people recovered t h e i r h i s t o ­r i e p e r s o n a l i t y .

I have combed the world i n search f o r our h i s t o r i e documents, f o r i n c o n t e s t a b l e records t o r e c o n s t r u c t our great h i s t o r y , and I have brought a l l t h a t back t o our f a t h e r l a n d , to pass them on to the new g e n e r a t i o n . For t h a t I have t o go t o l i v e i n the f o r e s t s w h i l e being shot a t w i t h i n t e n t t o k i l l by the Javanese-indonesian c o l o n i a l i s t s ! I f e e l l i k e Prometheus: I had brought back the f i r e t o my people a f ­t e r 25 years search i n Europe, America and a l l over the w o r l d . Now I have passed on t h a t f i r e , t h a t t o r c h , t o the new g e n e r a t i o n , t o l i g h t up our a n c e s t o r s ' paths a g a i n , so t h a t we can f o l l o w them. As f o r my s u f f e r i n g h e a r t , only another Prometheus can know t h a t . Even i f we cannot get back our independence r i g h t now, i f our people have reco­vered t h e i r h i s t o r i e p e r s o n a l i t y we w i l l get i t back i n the f u t u r e , because the Javanese can never mai n t a i n t h e i r c o l o n i a l i s m over our land - they have no power of t h e i r own t o do so.Javanese i m p e r i a l i s m i s an a c c i d e n t , e s t a b l i s h e d by connivance of o t h e r s . That i s a con-t r a d i c t i o n t h a t must pass. As long as our people are awake, i n poss-e s s i o n of the sentiment as w e l l as the theory of t h e i r independence, they w i l l be f r e e again a t the f i r s t o p p o r t u n i t y i n the f u t u r e , an o p p o r t u n i t y which i s as c e r t a i n t o be coming as the sun w i l l r i s e tomorrow!

(MARCH 1, 1978)

E v e r y t h i n g t h a t happened i n the camp d u r i n g the l a s t two weeks were r o u t i n e f o r us, t h a t i s everybody i s busy w i t h h i s own assigned d u t i e s . No one i s i d l e . Today I r e c e i v e d a group of f a t h e r s of seve­r a l youngmen who have been w i t h me f o r over a year. They happen t o own c o f f e e p l a n t a t i o n s i n Blang Malo d i s t r i c t , not f a r from Alue Seupot Camp. They brought w i t h them f r e s h l y roasted c o f f e e beans w i t h p l e n t y of f o o d s t u f f : cakes, p i e s , and other goodies they can c a r r y . (Remember, food i s the most p r e c i o u s item f o r us and the num-ber one p r i o r i t y . ) Most of them had known me from ch i l d h o o d but have not seen me f o r over 25 y e a r s . But l o y a l t y knows no t i m e - l i m i t s . As such the meeting tends t o be emotional and n o s t a l g i e . T e a r s are shed. They have come t o g i v e t h e i r sons f o r the cause, although i n Acheh­nese s t y l e of speech they say. "We have come to give our sons to the Tengku." T h i s was an Achehnese t r a d i t i o n a l way t o show t h a t the en­t i r e f a m i l y of the boys stood behind them and ready to s a c r i f i c e e-v e r y t h i n g f o r the cause. The f a t h e r s and mothers took p r i d e and r e s -p o n s i b i l i t y f o r t h e i r sons on such f a m i l y d u t i e s and i t i s common pla c e t h a t each time the boys v i s i t e d t h e i r mothers and f a t h e r s they were t o l d never t o f a l t e r and never t o give up the s t r u g g l e , and t h a t i f they f a l t e r e d , they w i l l be disowned by t h e i r f a t h e r s and mothers. The boys would u s u a l l y r e p o r t back i n the camp what t h e i r f a t h e r s and mothers were t e l l i n g them when they had the chances f o r leaves of absence from the camp.

(MARCH 7, 1978) I t h i n k I should enter here i n the Diary a word o f e x p l a n a t i o n a-

bout what I mean when I say " f o r e s t " and "mountain". These are two

PERIOD OF LOST 1945-1950

H i s t o r i e p i c t u r e that gave Javanese-indonesia i t s xndepen-dence - at the expense of Acheh Sumatra - taken i n January 1949 showing Tengku Daud Beureuéh(3rd from l e f t f r o n t row) when he r e c e i v e d the United N a t i o n s ' Fact F i n d i n g M i l i t a r y Commission i n Kuta Radja which was sent t o v e r i f y whether the s o - c a l l e d r e p u b l i c of indon e s i a was s t i l l i n e x istence or not, i n the face of Dutch c l a i m a t the UN i n New York t h a t a l l indonesian leaders had surrendered to them Cin­c l u d i n g Sukarno, Hatta, S j a h r i r , Sastroamidjo 3o, etc.) and t h a t J a k a r t a , Java and a l l i n d o n e s i a were back under Dutch c o n t r o l and t h a t the s o - c a l l e d r e p u b l i c of indon e s i a no longer possessed an i n c h of t e r r i t o r y . The Achehnese show of s o l i d a r i t y a t t h i s c r u c i a l moment saved the Javanese crumbling r e p u b l i c and kept i t a l i v e i n i n t e r n a t i o n a l f o r a and the UN Fact F i n d i n g Commission was able to c o n t r a d i c t Dutch c l a i m and as a r e s u l t the guestion of indonesian i n ­dependence was kept a l i v e i n i n t e r n a t i o n a l f o r a l eadmg t o A f r o - ^ s i a n pressure f o r Sukarno's r e l e a s e from Dutch cap-t i v i t y and a compromised independence. A f t e r Sukarno was re l e a s e d the Dutch recognized Javanese-indonesian repu­b l i c On' December 27, 1949, the Dutch t r a n s f e r e d t h e i r f i c t i t i o u s , n o n - e x i s t e n t , i l l e g a l l y claimed sovereignty over Acheh Sumatra - where they had no presence since 1942 - t o the Javanese r e p u b l i c of i n d o n e s i a . A f t e r i t s indepen­dence was i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y recognized and secured, the J a ­vanese regime sent i t s occupation troops to Acheh Sumatra and Tengku Daud Beureuéh was put under a r r e s t .

The moment of this picture-taking was c r u c i a l : it should have been the moment to declare Acheh independent again.

PERIOD OF LOST 1945 - 1950

Achehnese troops stage show of force parade Kuta Radja, i n Jan. 19 f o r the b e n e f i t of the F a c t F i n d i n g M i l i t a r y m i ssion i n support and l i d a r i t y for the Reput of Indonesia.At t h i s t Jakarta,Java and the r of indonesia have beer occupied by the Dutch. l y to Acheh they have dared to r e t u r n . Ins1 of d e c l a r i n g themse! independence , these '. Achehnese marched u: Javanese-indonesian f They had f o r g o t t e n t h i s t o r y ! They had for< ten t h e i r own f l a g ! t h e i r i n d i v i d u a l acts not annul the n a t i s o v e r e i g n t y of the Ac nese people!

Tengku Daud Beureuéh horseback) reviewinc troops of the l o s t c r a t i o n !

Leading Achehnese of of the p e r i o d marchi show s o l i d a r i t y f o r nese - i n d o n e s i a : e l e f t , M a j o r Hasbailah 3rd from l e f t , C o l . Mat Rahmany; extreme C o l . Hasan Saleh. i n d o n e s i a becomes ir. dence, they were a i missed and replace Javanese o f f i c e r s !

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very d i f f e r e n t things with very d i f f e r e n t consequences.We refer with "forest" that general thick jungle growth covering very large un-in-habited area invested with snakes, t i g e r s , boars, elephants, croco-d i l e s , swarms of leeches that would crawl to chase you the moment they smell human f l e s h and would suck your blood dry before you even know i t . They have a way of climbing and sneaking even to your under wear without you feèling them. After crossing a t r o p i c a l forest you have to undress to check i f the leeches had not reached your body. There i s no other way to make sure that you are free of them.In most cases you knew of the i r presence only after i t was too late,when you or someone near to you saw patches of blood on your body or c l o t h as i f you had received wounds from enemy bullets.because after the lee­ches had sucked your bloed, the opening they caused on your skin continue to bleed non-stop u n t i l you do something to stop i t by a bandage or other means. When you f i r s t come to l i v e with us i n the forest, leeches are your most dreaded enemy. This has been what most of us f e i t u n t i l we get use to i t . And there are so many kinds of poisonous snakes that stalk on your ways i n every conceivable man-ners. Sometime they hanged on the trees on your footpaths at just exact height to snatch at your eye b a l l s . The cobras w i l l chase you when they see you. We have to be quick with our swords or canes to beat them before they can reach us. And they are very f a s t runners. Their bites can be f a t a l . There are hornets' nests hanging a l l over the trees or even r i g h t on the ground that you cannot escape from stepping on them some time. I f you happened to step on them or even to touch them, they w i l l go after you l i k e swarms of enemy attack planes zooming at you and their stings are very p a i n f u l . If they b i t you on the face, you cannot be recognized for a few days because of the swollen face. And there are as many thorns as there are trees i n the forests. So there i s no escape from getting hurt by any one of these hazards. The l i k e l i h o o d i s that after one day march i n the f f -r e s t you w i l l have a l l your bare skin - including your face, not to speak about your hands, arms, e t c , w i l l be f u l l of cuts and scrat-ches. Added to that i s the discomfort of high humidity i n the low-ly i n g forests when i t i s h u r t f u l to breath and caused heavy sweat-ing that make your clothes smell bad after one day. There are many kinds also of poisonous leaves that are not easy to recognize that can cause serious skin rush upon mere contact, and i s very painfuJ,. Then sometime you have to pass swamplands that are so muddy and f u l l of water leeches that are ten times bigger and longer than the other types. These w i l l introducé you to the hazards of "normal" t r o p i c a l forests, generally situated on r e l a t i v e l y f l a t land and easy to walk upon. When we say we l i v e i n the forests, that i s where i t is,andhow i t i s l i k e . We have not said anything yet about the mountains.

When I said "mountains", I meant «ther series of hazards, and a t o t a l l y d i f f e r e n t concept of surrounding that require even more ener gy to survive. Only a f t e r you have l i v e d i n the mountains as g u e r i l -las w i l l you r e a l i z e what a pleasure i t i s to be able to walk on f l a t land. For i n the mountains of Acheh, where I now l i v e , only a-bout 5% of your walking i s done on f l a t surface. The remaining 95% of your walking i s done either climbing grade from 45 to 85 degrees, sometime up to 9000 feet high, and since what goes up must also go down, we have to descend that deep too. There i s no end to that exercise. Just to carry our own bodily weiqht i s exhaustive enough.

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You cannot imagine how t i r i n g i t i s to carry 20 kg of weight up h i l l u n t i l you have tried i t . That i s what my men are doing every time we move, and every time they go to take food supplies to the country­side, which i s daily a c t i v i t i e s . Why not somebody manufactured p i l l s that can support l i f e without eating? That w i l l be the greatest breakthrough i n guerilla warfare.

Therefore, at the ri s k of being redundant I had kept referring to both "forests" and "mountains" before, because I thought one term a-lone cannot cover for the other i n describing the hardships that we are accepting i n doing what we are doing.

(MARCH 10, 1978)

Today I heard the f i r s t tremor in our security situation since moving i n to Alue Seupot Camp. We received reports that the enemy was planning to come to patrol Alue Seupot area on March 20. He had gathered strength to do that i n S i g l i and Tangsé. Our security peo­ple advised that we should move out of the area before that date. Our men show a marked reluctance to move because everyone has got­ten so use to Alue Seupot Camp. Before taking any decision I order-ed verification of the report. In the meantime I c a l l the meeting of the Pawang anyway. The Pawang recommended that i f we had to move, we should move to Mount Seukeue area, South of Blang Malo town and West of Tangsé, the area where we have never been before. But that region was also a traditional guerilla ground used by our ancestors during the war against the Dutch. That ancient lure always works on me.

(MARCH 12, 1978)

. Today, 12 Rabiul Awwal i n Islamic calendar, i s our national h o l i ­day, the MAULUD or MO'LOT, the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. This i s the most public of a l l public holidays in Acheh because every household, r i c h or poor alike, i s participating in preparing the food for this nation-wide feast. It i s a centuries old tradition i n Acheh that on this day each village would act as the host, that i s , the basic unit of celebration. It i s an exemplary collective efforts. Each household prepared food for a complete feast enough for 20 or more celebrants. The village authorities, the Geutjhik and the Peutua Meunasah coordinated these resources into one pool and on the basis of that they decide how many neighboring villages they can invite to the MAULUD feast of their village com­munity. Such invitation w i l l be ceremoniously extended by the Waki (Deputy) of the Geutjhik to the Geutjh-ik of the invited villages.The verbal message of the invitation i s accompanied by ceremonial Ranub-Patè, a specially wrapped g i f t of betel leaves and nuts, a symbol of formal invitation i n Acheh Sumatran tradition. On the appointed day the entire male members of one village would go to the feast of the other village at the Meunasah of that village. Because such feast i s done i n every village throughout the country, the times and dates of each feast had to be graduated i n order not to be i n conflict with one another. Therefore, the MAULUD celebration had to be extended to

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the whole month of Rabiul Awwal which i n Achehnese has come to be c a l l e d the months of MO'LOT. The r e c i t a l of special prayers and the recounting of the story of the Prophet Muhammad's l i f e and teachings are part of the ceremony.

The l i f e of Muhammad ought to be the greatest revolutionary story of a l l . Here was a man of action and contemplation who had changed the surface of the globe permanently. He was a man of ease, wealth and standing i n h i s community of Mecca,who had achieved b l i s s i n h i s family l i f e but quit and went to l i v e i n the cave for an idea, and f i n a l l y was driven out and away to Medina i n a narrow escape. After horrendous t o i l s , sweats, and shedding of blood i n some 60 battles he returned to conquer Mecca and then showing unprecedented magnani-mity to a l l h i s vanquished enemies. Today, fourteen centuries after his death, 1000 m i l l i o n individuals of a l l races, colors and nation-a l i t i e s a l l over the world followed his d i f f i c u l t teaching of t o t a l submission to the W i l l of A l l a h as the only way to happiness and salvation. There has been no other human being to match h i s unexcel-led accomplishments i n world history.

In Acheh, l i k e i n a l l Islamic lands, the Prophet Muhammad i s the most important f i g u r e , teacher, guide, leader, Messenger of A l l a h whose teachings are followed and l i v e d up to: Islam i s the r e l i g i o n of A l l a h , the one and only God. I t i s the same true r e l i g i o n that had been propagated by e a r l i e r prophets from Abraham to Moses and Jesus. The Muslims accept them a l l . As Muhammad i s the l a s t of the prophets, the Quran i s the l a s t of the holy books, incorporating the teachings of the Taurah and the Bibl e . Islam i s given to a l l mankind regardless of race, color, or n a t i o n a l i t i e s . Those who have accepted Islam are brothers and s i s t e r s - with equal rights and duties.There­fore Muslims cannot be n a t i o n a l i s t s or r a c i s t s .

Each Muslim i s d i r e c t l y responsible and accountable to A l l a h , i n a l l h i s dealings, i n private and public a f f a i r s . There i s no i n -termediary between him and God. There i s no priesthood i n Islam, on­l y scholars. Pr i v a t e l y a Muslim i s responsible before God for the welfare of h i s immediate family, wives, children.parents and becomes Wali (guardian) to his other r e l a t i v e s . P u b l i c l y , he must j o i n with the righteous, defend j u s t i c e , oppose i n j u s t i c e , f i g h t the aggres-sor and oppressor, and i f he died while doing these duties he i s a martyr - the best death. Fighting a war for any other end i s un-Is-lamic and i s forbidden. War i s considered as murder on large scale and not "a continuation of p o l i c y by other means," as Western c i v i -l i z a t i o n has more or less defined i t .

By submitting to God and His laws, Islam has removed the center of gravity of world's a f f a i r s from the hands of men (creatures) and returns i t to the hands of God (Creator) because i f men were given sovereignty over the world he w i l l destroy i t due to h i s lacking i n moral stature to regard the whole as superior to the part especially his own part. Islam reduced the value of t h i s world to what i t i s : a perishable temporary abode i n man's s p i r i t u a l destiny to et e r n i t y , that i s not a bone of contention worth a war, much less a nuclear war. Islam adds t h i s extra dimension to understanding of human af­f a i r s that may yet save the world from the nuclear destruction by those who mistakenly took i t for such a bone of contention that they w i l l r i s k everything for i t s imagined control. Today humanity l i v e s

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l i t e r a l l y o n t h e b r i n k o f d i s a s a t e r , " t w o m i n u t e s t o m i d n i g h t o n t h e n u c l e a r c l o c k , " a s e v e r y o n e knows b e c a u s e t h e p e o p l e o f t h e g r a s p i n g m a t e r i a l i s t i c c i v i l i z a t i o n s have s t o c k e d up t h e n u c l e a r e x p l o s i v e s more t h a n e n o u g h t o k i l l e v e r y o n e o n t h e p l a n e t i n c l u d i n g t h e m s e l v e s t e n t i m e s , a n d t h e i r hands a r e now o n t h e t r i g g e r , e a c h c a l c u l a t i n g wha t "more a d v a n t a g e s " w i l l a c c r u e t o t h e f a s t e s t g u n s . A n y l i t t l e m i s u n d e r s t a n d i n g , m i s c a l c u l a t i o n o r a c c i d e n t c a n s t a r t a n u c l e a r war I f M u r p h y ' s l a w i s o f a n y g u i d e , w h a t e v e r c a n go w r o n g , w i l l .

(MARCH 15, 1978)

We have a c o n f i r m e d r e p o r t now t h a t t h e enemy i s d e f i n i t e l y p l a n ­n i n g t o come t o A l u e S e u p o t o n M a r c h 20. Our D i s t r i c t Head f o r Tang­s é had come two d a y s ago and he had p i c k e d u p s e v e r a l p l a c e s f o r u i o n t h e N o r t h e r n s l o p e o f M o u n t S e u k e u e , and t h e y a r e : B l a n g M a l o ;

Simpang A l u e D o d o k , A l u e D o d o k , and P u t j o k A l u e D u d o k . We c a i move t o a n y o f t h e s e p l a c e s d e p e n d i n g o n t h e s e c u r i t y s i t u a t i o n . I i t h e s e c u r i t y t h r e a t was n o t s e r i o u s t h e n we w i l l s t a y i n B l a n g Male a r e a , j u s t a l i t t l e t o t h e S o u t h o f t h e t o w n . O t h e r w i s e we w i l l mov< f u r t h e r u p h i l l whe re t h e o t h e r l o c a t i o n s a r e . W h i l e o n t h e s e l o c a t i -ons we c a n r e l y o n f o o d s u p p l i e s f r o m B l a n g M a l o , B e u n g g a and T a n g s é . We f i n a l l y d e c i d e t o move o n M a r c h 17.

(MARCH 17, 1978)

We m a r c h o u t o f A l u e S e u p o t a t a b o u t 7 AM t o w a r d W e s t e r n d i r e c ­t i o n , down s t r e a m . I n a b o u t two h o u r m a r c h we r e a c h e d t h e mouth o i A l u e S e u p o t where i t s w a t e r j o i n s a s m a l l r i v e r . On t h e bank o f t h a l r i v e r , I b e l i e v e d i t was c a l l e d K r u e n g S e u p o t , we saw e v i d e n c e o f e-nemy p r e s e n c e , t r a c e s o f s n o e s o f enemy t r o o p s , empty f o o d c a n s , u s e c p l a s t i c b a g s and r e m n a n t s o f f i r e w o o d s . A b o u t two weeks o l d . Fron t h e r e we p r o c e e d t o t h e S o u t h w e s t d i r e c t i o n , m a k i n g i m m e d i a t e c l i m b ­i n g a s s a u l t o n a v e r y h i g h h i l l , a b o u t 70 d e g r e e s g r a d a t i o n . When : see my men c l i m b i n g , one w i t h b i g s t e n c i l m a c h i n e o n h i s s h o u l d e r s , a n o t h e r one w i t h t h e h e a v y e l e c t r i c power p l a n t o n h i s b a c k , o t h e r ; w i t h h e a v y b u n d i e s , and I know how h a r d i t i s t o c l i m b e v e n w i t h o u l c a r r y i n g a n y t h i n g , my h e a r t m e l t f o r my men . A n d h a v i n g l i v e d i n mo­n e y m a r k e t , I a l w a y s remember : t h e y a r e d o i n g t h i s w i t h o u t be inc p a i d a p e n n y ! We have t o make many s t o p s f o r r e s t b e f o r e we c a i r e a c h t h e p e a k . F rom t h e peak o f t h i s h i l l we c a n s e e the town oi B l a n g M a l o , t o t h e S o u t h w e s t , w h i c h we a r e g o i n g t o p a s s t o n i g h t , T h e r e i s an enemy g a r r i s o n t h e r e . B u t t h e r e i s n o o t h e r way t o pass a s t h e t o w n o f B l a n g M a l o i s l o c a t e d o n t h e o n l y p a s s . A t a b o u t 2 o ' c l o c k we b e g i n o u r d e s c e n d . I t i s more d i f f i c u l t t o d e s c e n d t h a i t o c l i m b when y o u have t o t a k e c a r e o f t h e l u g g a g e s . Y o u c a n n o t put t h e s t e n c i l m a c h i n e o r o t h e r h e a v y l u g g a g e s o n t h e g r o u n d because t h e y w i l l be r o l l i n g down h i l l . E v e r y o n e h a s t o be so c a r e f u l n o t tc s t e p o n l o o s e r o c k s b e c a u s e t h e y c a n r o l l d o w n h i l l and c a n h i t s comrade who had d e s c e n d e d ahead o f y o u . We r e a c h e d t h e f o o t o f the h i l l , on t h e o t h e r s i d e , a t 6 P M , a l r e a d y d a r k . T h e r e a r e more c l i m b ­i n g and more d e s c e n d i n g b e f o r e we a r r i v e d a t a l o c a l camp a t 7 PM where many l o c a l p e o p l e s have b e e n w a i t i n g f o r us a n d f o o d a r e a l ­r e a d y p r e p a r e d .

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They are using a hurricane lamp to l i g h t the camp. I t could be seen from 50 miles i f set on high ground. But the camp i s so we 11-covered by dense foliage and the men f e e l safe. The enemy garrison i s about 4 miles away. I meet the people from the welcoming party. A l l the prominent c i t i z e n s of the Blang Malo town are there. Rich merchants, school teachers, land owners, coffee planters.farmers,etc. I give them a l i t t l e t a l k . I can see that they are happy by the twinkling i n their eyes. I show my great appreciation to each one of them.

By 9 PM we moved on> to cross the town of Blang Malo under cover of darkness, by walking i n the water i n the middle of a small r i v e r - i n order not to leave any footprints on the ground - passing under the bridge of the highway from S i g l i to Tangsé that i s frequently used by the enemy, without using any kind of l i g h t whatever. The e-nemy aarrison i s about 300 meters away.Many of our l o c a l members are at that very moment f r a t e r n i z i n g with the enemy soldiers i n the gar­r i s o n , playing bridges or chess to make sure that the enemy troops stay where they are, to insure our security. I t was such a pitched dark night that we cannot see anything: many f e i l into the water and soaking wet although we walked single f i l e and holding hands led by the l o c a l guides. I got my r i g h t eye stalked by a bamboo thorn.Luck-i l y i t was not very serious. While we were crossing, an enemy motor vehicle was passing over the bridge.They couldnot see us down below. After we crossed the town safely, we continue marching to Southern d i r e c t i o n toward the mountain range. Soon we are climbing again. But t h i s time i t was not too d i f f i c u l t , because we march along the trac­tor route i n Zakaria's timber concession's land.We continue marching u n t i l 3 o'clock i n the morning, s t i l l on Zakaria's timberland. We were so exhausted that we decided to sleep r i g h t there on the bend of the road. I was so t i r e d that I f e i l asleep r i g h t away.

(MARCH 18, 1978)

About 7 o'clock i n the morning we continue our march to the pre-selected area passing through and out of Zakaria's concession, i n order not to get him suspected by the enemy i f they found any tracé of our presence there. We reached the place at about 10 AM. I t was well-protected by high mountain ridges on a l l sides, and by great slobs of rocks behind which we establish our camp.The water i s crys-t a l clear. The place i s charming. Have there been any of our camps that were not? Never, i n my r e c o l l e c t i o n .

(MARCH 20, 1978)

The men worked so f a s t that i n two days we are already w e l l en-sconced i n our Blang Malo Camp. This i s the closestcarop we have to a town, and to an enemy garrison for that, except the camp of Panton Wéng, my f i r s t . I t may be not more than 6 miles to the town of Blang Malo and the road can be traveled by motor vehicles except for one mile at the edge of the camp. In two days we are here, we have rees-tablished Communications with the whole country already. Today I r e ­ceived v i s i t o r s who came from Kuta Radja, the c i t y where the enemy's

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d i v i s i o n a l headquarters i s located. We are not use to t h i s kind of speed anymore that we f e i t uneasy. We have gotten use to a l l sorts of d i f f i c u l t i e s so that when things go so smooth we are not at ease. Also i f the people can reach us t h i s quick, the enemy can also do so. Our security i s i n our un-approachability.

(MARCH 21, 1978)

There i s a very nice h i l l on the West side of our camp,an i d e a l place to set up our transmitter for broadcasting.This i s immediately t r i e d today. The transmitter worked for several hours although i n -termittently. We can v e r i f y the reception immediately.Our broadcasts can be heard loud and clear i n the provinces of P i d i e , Lingga (Gajo) Peureulak and beyond. That means nothing i s wrong with the transmit­t e r , but something i s wrong with the power plant. We should repair i t immediately while we are here when we can p r a c t i c a l l y go to Medan and back on the same day.

Today I received important v i s i t o r s from Tangsé, Bireuen, S i g l i , Lhok Seumawè and Kuta Radja. I have scheduled an a l l day and a l l night lectures and discussions for them, i n order that they can go back tomorrow and to be able to work independently i n t h e i r respect­ive areas.

(MARCH 22, 1978)

Five meritorious members of the NLF who have been staying i n th e i r homes' towns arrived today and requested to be allowed to stay with me i n the mountain on the ground that they are no longer safe i n the countryside. These are members who had helped the troops who got separated from the Army Commander several months ago. I was not convinced about t h e i r story. I suspected they simply l i k e d the ex-citement of the mountain headquarters where therewere so much coming and going and they did not know how hard i t can be at times. I asked Army Commander Daud Husin to persuade the men to go home. He f a i l e d to discourage them, so we have to accept them which means more peo­ple i n the camp, more d i f f i c u l t to move, impossible to hide, more mouths to feed, a pot e n t i a l danger that i s building up everyday. A l ­so I do not l i k e the ease the way the men can arrivé to the camp, just l i k e that. How that has happened? Usually a l l the t r i p s to the camp of the in v i t e d v i s i t o r s had to be planned ahead of time.But the f i v e men arrived on thei r own. When questioned about how they knew that we were here, t h e i r answers were: everybody knew i n the country where the Tengku was! I entertained some broading uneasiness. Not that I had any suspicions about the lo y a l t y of the men.But about how news got around i n the countryside about my whereabout, which i s of more than cursory i n t e r e s t to the enemy.

(MARCH 23, 1978)

The people of Blang Malo gave t h e i r hearts for us. Men, women, young and old, think of nothing else but how to make our stay i n

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their area most agreeable. They sent us plenty of food. The women baked a l l sorts of cakes and pies. Anything we desxre wxll be brought i n right away. Now came the fervent request: they want to come to see the Tengku. Men and women. The men said, women should not go to the h i l l s . Did not we work as much as the men? - the women replied. The question i s , i f we l e t this sort of thxng hap-pened, how can we keep i t secret from the ears of the enemy? T e i l them I w i l l come to v i s i t each one of them in their houses xn Blang Malo after we win, but not now," I said. But they i n s i s t ! They sxm-ply are unable to see the danger. And our D i s t r i c t Head of Blang Malo had to agree to the v i s i t . So I have to receive the people s v i s i t tomorrow. The numbers are liraited to 50, 40 men, 10 women; leaders only.

(MARCH 24, 1978)

Por security reasons - at this point i t i s a b i t s i l l y to talk about i t - i t was decided, nevertheless, not to bring the people to the camp proper, but that I w i l l receive them about one mile down h i l l , on the bank of a brook there. A l i t t l e ceremony was prepared to welcome them, including raising of the flag. When they arrxved they passedthrough a long line line of honor guards, then shaked hands with the members of the Central Committee of the NLF present, and f i n a l l y with me. As they kissed my hand, I embraced them one by one. By that time everyone i s already weeping because they say they fe e l very sad to see me live i n the forests - what are their houses for?

I gave a short speech to the v i s i t o r s . The essence of my remarks was that we were continuing the struggle of our fathers to get back our independence. What I did here i n the forests with the comrades-in-arms was as important as what they are doing i n the countrysxde. We couldnot stay i n the forests without them staying i n the villages doing what they were doing. It was very important to know who were "us" and who were "them" - the enemy, the Javanese-indonesian inva­ders. We had to watch out for any Achehnese who had made himself the agent of the invaders. Our struggle w i l l be long, but remem­ber our forefathers had done i t longer - for 100 years! Surely we w i l l not take that long, but even i f i t takes that long we w i l l do i t just the same, to continue the struggle of our fathers.

When the time to leave arrived there came the inevitable secret request, by a whisper, from the spokesman of the group: "We have a request to make, for the water the Tengku has used to wash hxs hands." That was the most precious g i f t they could bring home, they thought. It had always been like that for hundreds of years. My practiced aide brought soap and water and a clean towel. I washed my hands with soap and water while my aide poured the water. After I dried my hands with the clean towel, I dipped my index finger i n ­to the bowl f u l l of water that had been prepared, just to touch i t . It was siraply a symbolic gesture. "That was the water the Tengku had washed his hands with". My people believed that that water can now cured their illnesses. In fact that was my people's way of sayxng that they had complete trust and confidence i n their leader i n a l l matters, public and private, p o l i t i c a l and moral,and that they would

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go to the end of the earth or of l i f e with him. That was a way of i -dentification, a symbolic trust through the life-sustaining water that i s ever presence, cheap, and made dear and holy through mutual esteem, by the giver and the taker. That summed up my relations with my people. Just as I am willin g to die for them, they are willing to die for me, even f i r s t . The w i l l to love i s also to be willing to die. It has been like that for centuries before between my people and my fathers. Today, i n the mountain forests of Blang Malo, we re-enact that ancient r i t u a l s l i k e our forefathers did before us.

(MARCH 25, 1978)

Early i n the afternoon I received a very bad news that Zakaria Saman had been arrested that morning by the enemy soldiers and he had been taken to the enemy garrison i n Tangsé for interrogation. He was arrested while i n his own house i n Blang Malo. Now Zakaria i s a very v i t a l personality for our liaison i n Blang Malo area. We depend on him a great deal to organize supplies and other Communi­cations. He i s very knowledgable about mountain roads as well as about personalities i n his area. It was largely on the r e l i a b i l i t y of his contacts that we had moved here. Now he i s arrested by the enemy. There i s no way to find out right now what the enemy has discovered about Zakaria's a c t i v i t i e s for the NLF, or what the ene­my has been able to get from him, since his arrest. And above a l l we must know who betrayed him or what leads to his arrest. If the enemy knew i t , Zakaria i s a big catch for him. Also Zakaria's ar­rest has dangerous immediate conseguences. His second, third and fourth i n command i n Blang Malo had panicked and gone into hiding. That means our entire communication lines with Blang Malo are cut, although we have other reserves. And our camp might be i n danger also because i t takes less than one hour to reach here from the e-nemy garrison i f he knew where we were. Therefore, our security move i s to stop a l l Communications through Blang Malo right away. No one should take the Blang Malo road to arrivé i n our camp any-more. Such t r a f f i c must be diverted to Beungga, further down, or to Tangsé, farther up, or Ulêe Glé, the town between Tangsé and Blang Malo. Also food supply must be prepared i n Tangsé area. Eve­rything must be packed i n order to be able to move on short notice, although the decision to move has not yet been taken today.

(MARCH 26, 1978)

At about 5 PM today, after one night being kept under arrest and interrogated i n Tangsé, Zakaria escaped from enemy detention! It was a very narrow escape indeed.The enemy was to take him to S i g l i the seat of the enemy's d i s t r i c t command. To go to S i g l i from Tang­sé one must pass through Blang Malo. Somehow Zakaria managed to persuade his captors to stop their car for a few minutes i n front of his house on the side of the road to S i g l i i n Blang Malo with the excuse to take some clothes with him. They allowed him to do so. After he entered his house from the front door, he immediately made his exit through the back door and run as quick as he can to the forest behind the back lawn of his house. The enemy troops who

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followed him close l y shot at him with bursts of automatic r i f l e s but he was not h i t and made good h i s escape. We do not know yet where i s he now, because he cannot possibly come up here because his house i s on the other side of the highway. To come here he would have to cross the highway that by now must be guarded by the enemy. We think we know where he w i l l go for shelter on the other side of the high­way. While h i s escape i s the best news for us, but i t brings some immediate dangers as w e l l . Since the enemy knows where Zakaria" s timber land i s , where he has cairping f a c i l i t i e s for h i s workers, i t would be l o g i c a l to search for him there i n the f i r s t place. And i f the enemy did so, of course, he would be coming r i g h t over us.There­fore, our posi t i o n here i n Blang Malo becomes very untenable. We de­cide to move tomorrow to Tangsé region. I t w i l l be to Alue Dodok,the place we had already prepared just for such emergency.

Meanwhile t h i s i s a national holiday commemorating the BATTLE OF ANEUK GALONG that took place on March 26, 1896. We celebrate i t with a f l a g - r a i s i n g ceremony. For the story of the Battle of Aneuk Galong please refer to l a s t year's anniversary on page 52 of t h i s book.

(MARCH 27, 1978)

We leave the Blang Malo Camp at 7 o'clock i n the morning toward Southern d i r e c t i o n , to the higher ground. I t involved immediate climbing. We estimate that we w i l l arrivé at Alue Dodok at about 6 PM. The route i s not as d i f f i c u l t as the one between Alue Seupot and Blang Malo Camp. After a few hours of climbing we found f l a t tops of the ridges on which we can walk very f a s t without getting t i r e d too quickly. After stopping for lunch and re s t at 12 o "clock, we continue our march. Along the ridge we found some traces of enemy soldi e r s ' f o o t p r i n t s , may be about two weeks old . So we know we have to be ca r e f u l . Men are advised not to ta l k while walking. Also not to sraoke because the smell of tobacco can reach miles i n the for e s t . At about 6 PM we reached the spot that had been chosen by the Dis­t r i c t Head of Tangsé who i s accompanying us. We decide not to esta­b l i s h the camp too close to the Alue Dodok but about a mile from the water's edge and not v i s i b l e from the Alue. We knew that the enemy follows the Alue. We are very t i r e d to do anything anymore today, so we decide to just r e s t and to begin establishing the camp tomorrow.

(MARCH 28, 1978)

This i s the f i r s t time the men b u i l t the camp i n the form of a long house, following the configuration of the t e r r a i n , enough to accomodate about 120 people. That i s a l o t of people i n the forest to care f o r . This i s the f i r s t time also we moved t h i s far South from Tiro and Pidie Region. Before, a l l the water from the Alue and the r i v e r s we were using went down to the Malacca S t r a i t s on the Northern side of Sumatra. The water from Alue Dodok w i l l go to Tang­sé r i v e r that w i l l j o i n the Teunom r i v e r discharging to the Indian Ocean on the Southern side of Sumatra. Now we are about i n the mid-dle of the central highland of the Sumatran mountain range, one of the most impressive i n the world. Also we notice the temperature i s considerably cooler here than what we have been use to.

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(MARCH 29, 1978)

Today we received new permanent members for the camp, some came from East Acheh, North Acheh, and Pasè (Lhok Seumawè). Among those from Pasè was Asgadi who resigned his job at Mobil O i l Company in Aron gas f i e l d LNG plant to join us. Also Sjahbuddin, a school tea­cher from Peusangan (North Acheh) who resigned his post i n order to become active i n the NLF. "I have been teaching the wrong things to the children, a l l thosa indonesian nonsense," he said. "Now I want to teach them the right things but I cannot do that in indonesian schools." Asgadi was arrested once by the Javanese, j a i l e d and tor-tured i n Lhok Seumawè prison without any j u d i c i a l process whatever. He was betrayed to the Javanese-indonesian regime by an American ma­nager of Bechtel, the American construction company. In Lhok Seumawè prison he was tortured by the Javanese interrogators with electric shocks unt i l he lost consciousness several times. They also used ra-zor blades to cut his face and body and then they squeezed lemon juice on his wounds. The Javanese are true Oriental a r t i s t s of tor­ture chambers. They also put the legs of their chairs on his toe-nails while the pot-bellied fat Javanese pigs s i t on the chairs. He managed to escape from Lhok Seumawè j a i l and from there we took him to S i g l i and from there brought him here.Asgadi i s a handsome fellow with f a i r skin, aqualine nose, about 31, and could pass for a Medi-terranean, as many Achehnese are. He writes beautiful poetry. Later I appoint him as Secretary General of the Ministry of Information.

(MARCH 30, 1978)

Today Zakaria shows up i n Alue Dodok Camp. We are certainly very pleased to see him back. After his escape, he had gone for a few days of rést i n Beungga d i s t r i c t , just as we had thought, because he could not come to join us i n Blang Malo Camp right away. The enemy did not torture him yet while in captivity i n Tangsé, but he cer­tainly got a feeling that they have something in mind for him once they have brought him to S i g l i . He decided to escape while there was a chance, even i f he might get shot. But the enemy has not got­ten anything of value from him. I know Zakaria i s a strong charac­ter, very able and loyal. But I did not know that he i s also wily, decisive and possessed extraordinary courage. He w i l l do something i f he said so. He has already proven himself to be a formidable cad-re.

(MARCH 31, 1978)

Our security situation i s worsening because of the probability of stoppage of supply from Blang Malo due to the enemy' s build up of strength there. They must be up for something. In the meantime the Tangsé supply line has not worked out sufficiently well. And this i s a new untested area for us. And there has not been adequate preparation to mobilize i t because of the unexpected turn of events. Because Blang Malo has become a hot spot since Zakaria' s escape, and also the escapes of other Blang Malo prominent citizens, we can no longer depend on the supplies from Blang Malo for the time being. Therefore, we decide to move closer to Tangsé, near the o-ther branch of Alue Dodok. about half-a-day walk from here to the Southeast.

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(APRIL 1, 1978)

Today we move t o the Second Alue Dodok Camp t h a t had a l r e a d y been prepared. I t was r i g h t on the bank of a s m a l l branch of Alue Dodok but very w e l l hidden. Alue Dodok has many branches l i k e t h a t , and we can guard our camp by e s t a b l i s h i n g guard posts downstream about two m i l e s where the water o f our s p r i n g j o i n s the Alue Dodok pro­per. The Alue i s strewn w i t h b i g rocks averaging i n diameters from 10 to 15 f e e t , forming n a t u r a l b a r r i c a d e s . Our camp i s w e l l l a i d out w i t h three rows of " b u i l d i n g s " making a "U" shape, w i t h the square i n the middle s e r v i n g as a p l a z a w i t h a f l a g p o l e a t the c e n t r e . In no time the men had decorated the square w i t h w i l d f l o w e r s and a r -ranged stone pebbles i n f l o r a l designs.From here there i s only three hour walking d i s t a n c e t o the nearest v i l l a g e o f Tangsé, the Neubok Badeuk (Hippo Garden).

When the f i r s t group of our supply people came back from t a k i n g p r o v i s i o n s t o Tangsé, they r e p o r t e d t h a t the enemy had strengthened h i s occupation f o r c e s i n Tangsé and had put troops or agents i n e-very v i l l a g e to watch out f o r our people*s a c t i v i t i e s . C o n d i t i o n s are extremely d i f f i c u l t , e s p e c i a l l y because we have no one w i t h us who came from Tangsé proper. There was not enough time t o organize f o r t h a t . We decide to send separate groups t o separate v i l l a g e s t o p i e k up p r o v i s i o n s . That way the chances are t h a t i f one group f a i l -ed, the other might succeed. In any case the v i l l a g e s i n Tangsé d i s ­t r i c t are so f a r apart from one another t h a t i t was extremely d i f f i ­c u l t to v i s i t more than one a t a time. So we send teams t o Neubok Badeuek, Pulo Meuseudjid, Putjok Kawa, Ulèe Glé, e t c . These are w e l l known names from the h i s t o r y books of the g u e r i l l a war a g a i n s t the Dutch. My grandfather, Tengku T j h i k Mahyeddin d i T i r o , and my u n c l e , Tengku T j h i k Maat d i T i r o , are l a i d b u r i e d side by s i d e i n Pulo Meu­s e u d j i d , Tangsé. I have t o l d Army Commander Daud Husin and o t h e r s t h a t i f I d i e d here t o bury me near my grandfather and uncle a t Pulo Meuseudjid.

(APRIL 2, 1978)

Out of f i v e p l a c e s v i s i t e d by our teams they managed t o get sup-p l i e s o n l y from two p l a c e s . T h i s s o r t of t h i n g has never happened befo r e . The enemy had cordoned o f f the v i l l a g e s w i t h h i s t r o o p s . We begin t o r a t i o n the food and eat only twice a d a y r b r e a k f a s t and d i n -ner. There are t e l l t a l e evidence a l s o t h a t the enemy might haVe known of our presence i n t h i s area. He begins t o make c a u t i o u s prob-i n g p a t r o l s towards the d i r e c t i o n of Alue Dodok.

(APRIL 4, 1978)

Our food s i t u a t i o n i s g e t t i n g very grave. To extend our e x i s t i n g supply, we decide t o make do f o r b r e a k f a s t w i t h a p l a t e of p o r r i d g e f o r each man and eat f u l l r i c e meal only once a day a t dinner time. To make a p l a t e of porridge you need only h a l f o f the q u a n t i t y of the r i c e you need t o make one p l a t e of normal b o i l e d r i c e , and you can even reduced t h a t to much l e s s i f you thinned out the p o r r i d g e . An important Geutjhik suggested to me tha t i t was b e t t e r t o reduce

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the number of people i n the camp; he proposed to take one-thirds of the men to h i s area while the route i s s t i l l open. In any event i t i s more dangerous to move i n large group as we a r e . l t seems that the enemy intends to seal the areas around us, blockaded us over here, starved us, and then attacked us. The Geutjhik had a good idea, but I r e j e c t i t f o r fear that i t might lead to dispersal of my men, and subjecting them to too many unknown p o s s i b i l i t i e s that might have adverse effects to our movement's o v e r a l l p o l i c y , t a c t i c s and images.

(APRIL 5, 1978)

We receive report from Tangsé that the enemy w i l l go to Alue Dodok area tomorrow to search for us. After a meeting we decide tc move out to a higher ground r i g h t away today. After an incredible march of about three hours upstream, sometime we have to crawl through l i t t l e openings between undergrowth because the forest i s sc thick here and i t i s impossible to clear them, nor i s i t wise to dc so as we could leave our tracé to the pursuers. We decide to make only a temporary camp on a high ground, surrounded by big rocks, ide a l barricades. There i s a very small spring below that can pro­vide j u s t enough water for us. As we do not plan f o r a regular camp, we j u s t clear the ground, lay p l a s t i c mats and sleep over them witfc makeshift p l a s t i c roofs over our heads, and stay on the ready for a f i g h t at a l l time. That way i n a few hours we are "at home" again, and a l l normal a c t i v i t i e s and works resumed, as i f nothing happened. Today i s the f i n a l examination day for those who have been taking a para-medic courses given by Dr. Zaini and Dr. Husaini. In the after-noon the men take the i r tests - as i f nothing had happened. We a l l have gotten use to work under pressure.

That day a b i g banèng (mountain t u r t l e ) walked into our camp and was captured and slaughtered immediately - i n the name of God as prescribed i n Islam - for food. We have eaten mountain t u r t l e meat before. They are better than the best of beefsteaks. I know what I am t a l k i n g . I was also involved i n international c a t t l e industry in the United States before. I know a l l about "designing", "marbeling", "tenderizing" of animal f l e s h through genetic control and what have you. But none of these products can match the dellciousness of the

(APRIL 6, 1978)

To supplement our dwindling food supply we send one team tc Blang Malo, and one team to Beungga today to fetch some food and to gather i n t e l l i g e n c e about enemy movements.lt w i l l take one day tc go down and one day to come back for both teams. They are ordered tc come back tomorrow without f a i l .

(APRIL 7, 1978)

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n i s t e r o f H e a l t h , D r . Z a i n i A b d u l l a h , t o become the m e d i c a l o f f i c e r a t the B lang Manè Camp. Ahmad Gani i s one o f our sen io r a c t i v i s t s who j o i n ë d me the moment I landed i n Acheh, on October 30, 1976. I had never known him before t h a t i n my l i f e . I remembered he c r i e d when he f i r s t saw the Achehnese f l a g and the Coat -of -Arms t h a t I brought back . He i s a s o f t - s p o k en , handsome young man, w i t h wavy b l a c k h a i r s and g rea t charm. When the enemy a t t a c k e d our camp a t Panton Meusd j id , he was l o s t , a lone i n the f o r e s t s . F i r s t we had g i v e n him up fo r dead . But he s u r v i v e d the o r d e a l . Be ing a man from P a s i Lhok, t h a t i s , s e a - f a r i n g peop le , he d i d not know much about mountains and f o r e s t s . He was l o s t f o r seven days and s u r v i v e d by e a t i n g the t i p s of w i l d g r a s s . I n h i s wandering he stumbled to the v i l l a g e o f Truseb i n the T i r o R e g i o n . That o f course saved h i s l i f e . Our people i n Truseb took care of him and they even fe tched h i s w i fe i n P a s i Lhok t o r e u n i t e w i t h h i m . A f t e r h i s r e c o v e r y , even h i s wi fe t o l d Ahmad Gani t o r e t u r n to the mountains aga in t o con t inue the s t r u g g l e . But there i s something t h i s morning t h a t Ahmad G a n i s a i d : he had a strange f e e l i n g , somewhat e e r i e , a s o r t of numbness and l i g h t n e s s i n h im, the sense o f f l o a t i n g , we igh t l e s snes s and b lankness i n h i s mind t h a t never happened to him b e f o r e . I t can be a fo rebod ing or something. The f e e l i n g was so s t r o n g t ha t he became aware o f i t . He w i l l go down to h i s new pos t i n Blang Manè today ( f i v e days walk) w i t h a p a r t y o f f i v e , i n c l u d i n g Sayed Amin and Pa ­wang Brah im. We say goodbye a t about 9 AM. As I had w r i t t e n e a r l i e r we execute a l l p l a n s t h a t had been made, under any s i t u a t i o n , w i ­thout changing a n y t h i n g , as l o n g as we are a l i v e to do i t !

A t about 3 o ' c l o c k i n the a f t e r n o o n , our men a t the guardpost r e p o r t e d h e a r i n g the sound o f g u n f i r e from the Nor thwes te r ly d i r e c ­t i o n , the road taken by Ahmad G a n i ' s par ty .We are w o r r i e d bu t there i s no th ing we can do . A l l Achehnese b e l i e v e d and accepted tha t ^ a l l men and women w i l l d i e o n l y a t the t ime A l l a h has dec ided f o r him or f o r her t o d i e , no t one day l a t e r or e a r l i e r . N o t h i n g can be done t o change t h a t . A t about 6 PM Sayed Amin , Pawang Brahim, H a s b a l l a h T i b a and Mat Usuh Truseb r e tu rned t o r e p o r t t h a t they were ambushed by the enemy t roops on t h e i r way down and t ha t Ahmad Gani was dead.

Wi th heavy h e a r t , we immedia te ly go to wash our hands, f a c e s , f e e t , arms, e a r s , h a i r s , a l l c l e a n , as p r e s c r i b e d , t o do the "Seu-mayang Gaéb" ( tha t i s the Prayer f o r the dead i n absence) f o r our l o s t comrade, Ahmad G a n i . We a l s o d e c i d e t o send a group tomorrow morning t o f i n d h i s body and to g i v e him a proper b u r i a l . We s h a l l c a l l the mountain where he f e i l , Ahmad Gani Mounta in , from now o n . Geu t jh ik Uma, who knew Ahmad Gani w e l l , made a l i t t l e speech i n which he said:"We must go t o f i n d Ahmad G a n i ' s body t o g i v e him a proper b u r i a l even i f we o u r s e l v e s be k i l l e d w h i l e do ing t h a t t o ­morrow. I f we d i d not do a t l e a s t t h a t , then we are a b s u r d . " That was a g r ea t u t t e r a n c e , s a i d i n t ime o f ve ry g rea t danger , by a t r u e Achehnese!

L a t e r a t n i g h t the two p a r t i e s we sen t to Blang Malo and t o Beungga r e t u r n e d . They managed t o b r i n g back some new s u p p l i e s but they a l s o brought back these r e p o r t s : the enemy knew we are here and i s p r e p a r i n g to p i n us .down here by b l o c k a d i n g every e x i t r ou t e from t h i s a r ea , by denying us food , and f i n a l l y by coming t o a t t a c k us i n camp. The highway t h a t separa tes us from the Nor the rn r e g i o n i s b e i n g guarded day and n i g h t t o prevent o u r c r o s s i n g . I f we c a n -

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not get food from Tangsé, Blang Malo or Beungga, there are nowhere else to retreat from here. On the back of us on a l l directions are high mountain ranges without population and without food supply.The longer we are here the more precarious i s our situation. Also the team from Beungga heard that our Army Commander Daud Husin and the troops are on their way to come here and had crossed the highway i n Beungga area last night. This i s a very good news. As I mentioned earlier Army Commander Daud Husin and our troops are always onthe move doing their own military duties attacking enemy communication lines, destroying his economie resources, attacking the enemy posts that are obnoxious to us, and showing the flag in enemy controlled t e r r i t o r i e s . The places that our c i v i l i a n a c t i v i s t s cannot pene-trate peacefully are penetrated by our troops by force. During a l l these moving since Alue Seupot I was without troops and guarded on­ly by my personal guards. You can see the weapons are not used to guard me for my personal safety but the tools to do the revolution-ary works a l l over the country. It i s in the nature of men to be easxly convinced by armed might than by arguments or ideology. From my personal experience I know you cannot make revolution with ideo­logy alone without guns. The reverse i s also true - but only the sage knows that. The people do not understand i t .

I c a l l a meeting of Pawang to decide our move. Commandant Rashid suggested that we should move to Geumpang, his home d i s t r i c t and he knows the way. It w i l l take about four days to arrivé at our base there, and we have enough food for the journey i f we moved right away. He suggested we take the route through the Mount Singgahmata, on the Southside of the town of Tangsé, thus bypassing a l l enemy' s prepared traps, and from there we proceed to the East via Alue Bhot (remember the Battle of Alue Bhot, 1911). From Alue Bhot we w i l l cross to Geumpang d i s t r i c t where we have a strong organization. That proposal i s unassailable. The other alternative i s to do the obvious: simply to f a l l back to Tiro Region where I have no doubt about anything. If we managed to cross the highway which i s now e-nemy's f o r t i f i e d line, we w i l l be saved already even i f not abso-lutely. Also i f something real bad happened most of my men w i l l be able to find their way home in this area, but not i n Geumpang regi­on. I am haunted by the fear that given our mombers about 120 men, anywhere we go i n the forests, especially under the present rainy condition, we w i l l leave such a tracé that i s impossible to avoid detection. If the enemy found our tracé, i t w i l l be a massacre. We cannot effectively fight while our men are suffering from hunger. My arm i s to end this state of vulnerability as soon as possible.

Therefore I decide to return to Tiro mountain.Even to do this, i t i s Commandant Rashid who knows the best way.I have to rely on his sure knowledge of our mountains. Before, he was the hunter of tigers. His forefathers were comrades-in-arms also with mine,just like most everyone here. We decide to leave the day after tomorrow, hoping that by some miraculous ways Army Commander Daud Husin and the troops w i l l be with us by tomorrow. If they did not arrivé by then we w i l l have to leave anyhow.

Late tonight, at about 2 AM, we are a l l awakened by an incredib-l y strong delicious smell of roasted meat carried by the wind tun­nels of the spring. In the thick tropical forests the springs and brooks become the arteries through which the wind moved unhindered.

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Such smell can be carr i e d by the spring wind very far away. Hungry as we are, we wonder who are roasting meat at such late night hours 5 the forests and where are they, and who are they. They can even te Te enemy sol d i e r s . Someone suggested i t must be Army Commander SLdSusin and our troops announcing the i r a r r i v a l . Everyone f a l l £ack to sleTp with that nice smell and happy thought but very empty stomach.

(APRIL 8, 1978)

This morning we are making preparation for departure tomorrow For breakfast we have only a plate of ^ ^ P 0 " 1 ^ 1 ^ ^ ™ l i k e that for a few days already. At about 10 AM we heard the mon keys from far away making special sounds that go something lxke this:"Do-di-dom...do-di-dom'\ and they are being answered i n the same tunes by a chorus of other monkeys. By now we have learned to share some meaningful signs of conmunications with our fellow fo rest dwellers. That sound means someones unknown are approaching - be c a r e f u l ! Some of our men said that must be Army Ccnmntex 5

party approaching from Western d i r e c t i o n . But, i t could also be the enemy. So we are prepared, while hoping for the best!

At about 12 o'clock midday, Army Commander Daud Husin and the troops arrived at the camp from Western d i r e c t i o n . So -onkeys sign was perfect. They brought some food for us including barbecued deer meats they shot yesterday on the way here and they roasted on the road l a s t night! We have not seen them for sometime. At sucn occasion men embraced each others and tears are coming out from e-vervone's eyes. Such brotherhood among the comrades-in-arms i s tne guarantee of our success i n t h i s struggle. The men know exactly what they are doing, why they are doing i t , and are ready to die for i t .

Army Commander Daud reported to me that they had a gun b a t t l e with the enemy when they crossed the highway the night before i n Beungga area. That means the enemy i s reassured about our presende on t h i s side of the mountains. That means also that we are i n more precarious s i t u a t i o n than we thought e a r l i e r . But we are very haj-py to know to be able to move with the troops with us. There may be a f i g h t but no more chance for a slaughter. The enemy soldiers a*e no heroes: they are mercenaries for a few rupees per month. They go into soldiering to earn a l i v i n g but never to die for a qause. They would f i r e a few shots but i f they heard return f i r e s they w i l l run away very f a s t . They are no match for our troops.

(APRIL 9, 1978)

Today at 8 AM we departed from Camp Alue Dodok III.Our objective i s to cross the hiahway at a point between Beungga and Blang Malo. That means we have to go Northwest, bypassing Blang Malo on the r i g h t . The order of the march i s as follows: advanced guards under command of Commandant Rashid who i s also the Pawang; rear guards under command of Geutjhik Uma; the center guards - my personal^ guards - now under command of Army Commander Daud Husin. S t r i c t or­der has been given to the men not to t a l k while marching, not to

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smoke, and the rear guards to erase our footprints as much as pos­sible. That i s , i n fact, an impossible task especially i n the rainy season as i t i s now. That makes our rear guards the most l i k e l y targets for the enemy. We try to walk i n the springs or in the r i ­ver s i f possible to reduce the likelihood of leaving traces. We stop for lunch at 1 o "clock. Lunch i s the only solid food we have for the day. We had porridge for breakfast and w i l l have porridge for dinner. So the pangs of hunger i s already with us. We reached the nightfall without incident somewhere i n the h i l l y forests tothe South of Blang Malo.

(APRIL 10, 1978)

We begin our second day of march with breakfast of porridge. The inadequacy of food began to show on the men. It i s indeed a very hard work to climb mountains especially when everyone has to carry very heavy loads: everyone has a big bundie to carry; the most con-spicuous are radio transmitter, o f f i c e machines, documents, food supplies, etc. We should have l e f t a l l that i n a mountain bunker somewhere, I thought. It i s too late now. We stopped for lunch at about 12 o'clock. Now we are already near the place we picked up to cross the highway. Some of our men have relatives in the coffee plantations nearby. We decide to send them to the village to get food and intelligence. If everything i s a l l r i g h t we can descend tonight straight Northward and cross the highway. We send Geutjhik Sjamaun, Mahmud Barat, and a party to the village. When they get there they find out that the village has been occupied by the ene­my, they do not manage to get any food and have to engage i n gun battle with the enemy soldiers to come back here. That means we have to find a new place to cross over, and that we must move away from that place as soon as possible.

At about 6 PM we reached Krueng Beungga (Beungga River) and we walk along i t s bank for a while u n t i l i t becomes dark and we cannot walk anymore. I t would have been well to stop and stay overnight right there. But just at that time someone said that he knew there were plantations above the c l i f f s on the West side of the river where we can get food and f r u i t s . Because everyone i s so hungry and have not had enough to eat for days, no one can stop the men from climbing to the c l i f f s . Unluckily that c l i f f s turned out to be so high and so steep. The hearsay information about the c l i f f s was wrong. We have to l i t e r a l l y crawl upward almost v e r t i c a l l y when we reached the upper part of i t . What was thought to be few feet of climbing turned out to be 1000 feet. And by the time we reached the top i t was already dark. There are indeed plantations up there with bananas, papayas, corns and other f r u i t s . Also some empty houses. Only one house was inhabited by an old woman with her grandchildren who turned out to be relatives of Geutjhik Sjamaun. She said that the place was visited by the enemy soldiers everyday.But the moment they saw the f r u i t trees, the men became uncontrollable.Everyone i s using his flashlights to search the bananas and the papayas to eat. There was no time to stop them. Why not everyone thinks twice before using his flashlights, after a l l those warnings? A crowd i s always a crowd. Men and animals w i l l always need shepherds or they w i l l destroy themselves. That c l i f f s happens to be visible to the

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enemy garrison i n the town of Beungga. The garrison can even be seen during day timè from the c l i f f s . So i t looks that we have an-nounced our a r r i v a l and whereabout to the enemy by ourselves. But there i s nothing to do for the night except to go to sleep anywhere possible. Some of the men were l e f t i n the r i v e r below too t i r e d to climb. Some had just slept i n the middle of the c l i f f s where they found a hole on the c l i f f s i d e large enough to lay down. I t was an un-acceptable disarray. Imagine i f the enemy had come to attack us. I sleep i n an empty hut and everyone sleeps under and around that hut.

(APRIL 11, 1978)

We get up at 6 AM and c o l l e c t the men and move them out of that open space into the nearest forest to the West. The woman r e l a t i v e of Geutjhik Sjamaun gave him 5 kg of r i c e and t e a r f u l l y asked him to leave the place because the enemy soldiers come there everyday. As we are moving out from that c l i f f I can see by binoculars that enemy soldiers are coming out from t h e i r barrack toward our d i r e c t ­ion although i t may take them several hours to arrivé.

From the Beungga c l i f f we go to the Westerly d i r e c t i o n into the primeval forests again. A f t e r three hours of marching and we think we have reasonably concealed our traces, we decide to take a r e s t on the bank of Alue Beureunè (Rice Cracker Spring) and to cook the 5 kg r i c e of Geutjhik Sjamaun to make porridge for everyone.We have not had anything to eat since yesterday. We have already found out that coffee and sugar are very good to have around to keep us awake and a l e r t . There i s no lack of coffee i n Beungga because i t i s the main coffee producing area of Acheh.

As the men spread over the clean pebbles of the Alue Beurèunê, and enjoying the c r y s t a l clear water, I s i t on the rear end of the party shaving, as I had not done i t for several days. I said to my-s e l f , t h i s i s a b a t t l e time. I f I died I want to look proper. Just at that time I f e i t I would l i k e to give order to the men to move out from where they are s i t t i n g to the other bank of the Alue, and to move away a l l the luggages from the bank of the spring. Because the way i t i s , everything i s so exposé.Somehow I r e f r a i n from g i v -ing that order because I do not want to give the impression that I am j i t t e r y . So I kept quiet against my better judgment. That was t e r r i b l y wrong on my side. After shaving I put my razor blade back into my bag and I turn my face to where Geutjhik Uma was s i t t i n g who never relax i n doing h i s duty. Just at that time, Geutjhik Uma jumps up from his seat and motions to me with h i s hand to move away, aims his gun and f i r e ! He saw enemy soldiers coming downhill toward us, before they see him. His f i r s t shot make them running f c r cover and that few moments saved the l i v e s of many of us. After that then there are barrages of explosions coming out from both d i r e c t i o n s . A l l my men managed to withdraw to the West bank of the spring but they l e f t everything behind: the transmitter, the radios, the tape­recorders, the typewriters, the o f f i c e machines and several thou-sand rounds of ammunitions. I climbed to the West bank also,follow­ed by Geutjhik Uma who stays close next to me. I took cover behind a tree trunk to look at the enemy but I couldnot see him. I f i r e d a few shots with my revolver toward the enemy anyhow.After 15 minutes

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of exchange of f i r e s the reports died down. We waited for another 15 minutes laying on the ground waiting for the enemy to advance. They did not advance. I thought about asking my men to go back to the spring to piek up the transmitter and other items they l e f t be­hind. Then I decide against doing i t . Let everything be lost.We can replace the materiel easily. i t i s more important to save my men. I cannot really risk a battle under our condition: our men can not fight properly while they are hungry. With the lost of our porridge today, the men have not eaten anything for two days while climbing, descending and fighting. And I do not know when we w i l l be able to get food now. To begin with, we are very far from any village. And nearby villages are under enemy occupation. After a short rest we proceed to Northwesterly direction following the ridge of this moun tain, climbing higher and higher. At ni g h t f a l l we camped on the ground. I c a l l i n Commandant Rashid to give him his f i n a l order: to lead the column through the shortest route to a point where we can cross the highway to go to Tiro mountains to return to Alue Bambang Camp without being detected by the enemy. That i s an impossible or­der !

(APRIL 12, 1978)

Commandant Rashid decides to cross between Beungga and Glé Meu linteueng, far to the West from the place we had originally planned to cross before the Alue Beureunè incident. That i s why we keep marching Westward. Today we march a l l day with empty stomach un­t i l 3 PM and decide to camp on such high ridge,from which I can see the entire province of Pidie i n one glance. The spectacular picture i s framed, on the West side, by the mighty and high Mount Seulawah, i n dark blue color, as i f r i s i n g from the sea, whose peak i s shrou-ded always by silvery clouds; and on the East side by the receding land mass of Sumatra. It i s i n resplendent colors of green, dark green, blue and dark blue, criss-crossed by silver stripes which represent the crystal clear waters of the rivers as they refl e c t the sun light. It i s breath-taking. I can see the Tiro River on the right, to the East, and the Krueng Baro (Baro River) on the l e f t , to the West. It was i n the land between these two rivers the histo­ry of my family has been originated. A l l my ancestors have been born, lived, and died, and lay buried i n the land between these two rivers - with some important exceptions on account of the war with foreign invaders. My great grandfather and his f i r s t son were bu­ried one next to the other in Great Acheh province, on the bank of the Acheh River, i n Mureue. They both died there while leading the war against the Dutch invaders of our country. My grandfather and my uncle died i n the battlefields of that long war also and were buried one next to the other in Tangsé. My grandmother who also died i n the b a t t l e f i e l d was buried i n Geumpang.The other three bro-thers of my grandfathers who a l l died i n the battlefields, one was buried i n Geumpang, one i n Mount Alimon, and only one i n the family burial ground in Tiro, at the Tjot Rheum H i l l . A l l other ancestors were buried between these two rivers. From this height I can touch with my eyes the graves of my mother, my father, my brother,my s i s ­ter, and other relatives on the West bank of the Tiro River. I can also almost see the grave of my great great grandfather on the East bank of Krueng Baro, i n Klibeuet. And I can see many places in

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between,where I have many memories. I can see the place where I was born i n the house my father b u i l t i n Tandjong Bungong (Cape Flower) but my b i r t h place no longer e x i s t , burned to the ground by the Ja­vanese-indonesian invaders when my people revolted against them i n 1953, when I was not even home. But somehow foreign invaders always took the i r revenge against the members of my family,even against my house when anything happened i n Acheh against them. I wish I s t i l l have the house my father b u i l t to show to my son. The Javanese i n ­vaders are determined to destroy everything good and great i n Acheh so that Achehnese has nothing to show to h i s son about the great­ness of h i s past. I want to die on my own land and to be buried close to my ancestors i n the beautiful land where I was born in-be-tween these two r i v e r s . I want to return to t h i s mountain again and again.

Since we arrived here r e l a t i v e l y early i n the day, several brave men have come forward to ask permission to go down to the nearest v i l l a g e i n Keumala Dalam, very far downhill, to t r y to get some food for us. They think they can come back late i n the evening or tomorrow early i n the morning. They know the area, and they know the contacts. I give them permission to do so. Five men go down. They are well armed. They are ordered not to shoot unless they have to, i n order not to jeopardize our planned crossing.

I t was rained l a t e r that night very heavily.We are lucky, other-wise we would have no water to drink and to clean ourselves.The men d i g holes on the ground and put p l a s t i c tissues i n the bottoms of the holes and then channelled the water from the roofs of the tents to the holes making several instant pools. We make coffee from the rainwater and we keep them for several days supply of drinking wa­t e r . Although everyone i s hungry, a l l slept well out of exhaustion.

(APRIL 13, 1978)

At about 8 AM the party of f i v e that went down yesterday to f i n d food came back with good news, that i s , they managed to get some 15 kg of r i c e , some sugar and coffee. That w i l l be used to make porrid ge or soup for a few days. At least the men w i l l have something i n t h e i r stomach. We decide to have some porridge f i r s t before we move on. The bad news: the enemy i s bracing for us a l l along the highway. Even the v i l l a g e the men just v i s i t e d was occupied. 3ut as i t hap­pens just now, we always aan find a way to puneture that oocupation.'

After everyone has a plate of porridge and a cup of coffee - that was a very great treat for us under our circumstance - we begin to descend toward the d i r e c t i o n of the highway, to po s i t i o n ourselves close to i t by n i g h t f a l l , and to cross i t under cover of darkness . We now march to the North. We stop for "lunch" at 1 PM. Everyone receives a plate of watery porridge. Even for that we are thank-f u l . We continue our march u n t i l n i g h t f a l l , climbing, descending, turning, u n t i l I l o s t a l l sense of my directions. Just follow Com­mandant Rashid! I do not know anymore where i s North or South. But Commandant Rashid who never used a compass seems very sure where he i s going. So no question i s asked. Just go! After about 5 PM, we entered coffee plantations area, which means we are now near the

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highway. That i s a danger zone. We are l i a b l e to be surprised by the enemy. We have to stop and wait i n an abandon plantation f o r darkness to f a l l . There are some papaya trees with f r u i t s there. The men eat everything edible i n the abandon plantation. At about 7 PM we move again, now passing one inhabited plantation after ano­ther. We have to keep s i l e n t , i n order not to be known to the plan­t e r s . At about 9 PM we reached a swamp about knee deep.We have just to go through i t . A t the end of i t on the other side i s a plantation on the high ground which we have to climb.It has barbed wire fences which we have to cross q u i e t l y . After we enter the plantation, we can see a row of houses on the Northeastern side of i t . t o the r i g h t of us, about 300 meters away from us, and there are people i n them: we can hear them t a l k i n g . But they have no idea about our presence nearby. Portunately the land i s covered by t a l l w i l d grass, so that when we s i t down on the ground we are completely hidden. There i s no t a l l trees on that plantation, only wild grass. There are dogs barking i n the house. At times we get the impression that the dogs are barking at us. That can be catastrophic. We are ordered to s i t down and keep silence. From that high ground we can see to the North of the plantation i s a r i v e r . On the other side of that r i v e r i s the highway S i g l i - Tangsé that we are going to cross. Opposite the house on the other side of the r i v e r i s a row of small shops with many people i n i t . Since we arrived there we have observed 2 cars passing. Both stopped at the shops.We suspect there might be enemy soldiers there. We wait there for one hour. For a while the danger we face made us forget our hunger. We wait and wait i n s i ­lence under cover of that wild grass, two hundreds of us. A l l i n green uniforms. The dogs keep barking.

Then come the order to move i n complete silence and f a s t ! We go strai g h t ahead crossing the barbed wire fence without r u i n i n g i t ; many s h i r t s and pants were run; then straight ahead to the edge of the r i v e r , to put ourselves as far as possible from the houses -and the dogs - then with our feet i n the water, make a r i g h t turn to march i n the water to conceal our footprints. We march i n the water for about a mile, then we cross the r i v e r quickly. After crossing we lay down f l a t on the pebbles for about ten minutes to watch the highway, then, make a quick dash to cross the highway, and exactly at that point, on the other side of the highway, i s a gate to the b i g plantation. We entered the plantation through that gate and walk quickly to put as much distance as possible between us and the highway. The plantation i s f u l l with bananas and other f r u i t s . Just the knowledge of the a v a i l a b i l i t y of the bananas alone has revived the men's morale considerably although nobody think a-bout food at such a dangerously triumphant time. We have just p u l l ­ed a v i c t o r y out of defeat1

I t was the genius of Commandant Rashid that he can remember such d e t a i l s about the plantation, the crossing, the gate, and the way he executed i t ! No one else know where we are heading, and why we are heading to that d i r e c t i o n , and why we are crossing the r i v e r j ust at that point. I f we had crossed at other points we cannot go i n the plantation quickly because of the high barbed wire fences a l l around i t . The enemy motor vehicles might pass by while we are tr y i n g to negotiate the barbed wire fences.Conmandant Rashid wanted us to cross just at that point to enable us to vanish from the high way s w i f t l y . But how can he remember a l l that? That i s why he i s a Pawang!

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We quickly moved away from the manicured part of the plantation to the less accessible part to f i n d a place to sleep overnight. When we s i t down I overheard Commandant Rashid said to the men that they can eat as much bananas as they can. Then I asked him who own t h i s plantation? He t o l d me. Then I have to laugh. I t i s own by our people.

After makinq the tent to sleep for the night, f i v e of our troops went to our l o c a l contact, not far from the plantation, with the i -dea of getting some r i c e . The contact t o l d our men that the place was not safe. There are enemy soldiers a l l around there, day and night. Sure enough, our troops meet enemy soldiers i n the dark just outside the plantation gate when they came back. The enemy soldiers mistook our men for t h e i r comrades and exchanged good night salute. Therefore order was given to keep ourselves on guard and that to­morrow morning we must p u l l out at 6 AM leaving no tracé.

(APRIL 14, 1978)

At 6 AM we move out of the plantation heading toward Northeas­tern d i r e c t i o n to Tiro Region. I notice the negligence of my men leaving banana skins a l l over the place. Each man was reprimanded. We are s t i l l subject to beina followed.We have j u s t gotten a breath ing s p e l l . Any sort of negligence can put us r i g h t back again where we were. There are some men always who need to be d i s c i p l i n e d the hard way. I would not hesitate to do that when necessary. I f the e-nemy knew we have moved back to the Tiro Region our advantage i s los t again. There are many wild-grass plains i n t h i s area which we have to avoid because our large party i s just too vulnerable i n such t e r r a i n s . We must always march under cover of trees. Once we are seen by the enemy there i s no way we can shake him o f f , because we leave footprints everywhere we go. Usually i t takes only 6 hours for several men to walk from Beungga to Alue Bambang Camp but the way we are walkina now, clurasily, caused by hunger, i t might take one week. By n i g h t f a l l we arrived at Gunong (Mount) Seutui and we camp for the night there.

(APRIL 15, 1978)

We begin our march at 8 AM rather slowly and sluggishly because we are very hungry. Some men can take i t better than others. Every time we pass a f r u i t tree you cannot stop the men from going after i t . Also every time we pass edible roots the men would stop to d i g them. There are some men l e f t behind for miles while digging the roots. I can see the d i s c i p l i n e i s weakening under pressure of hunger. To be hungry i s bad enough i n i t s e l f . But to be hungry and to have to climb mountains at the same time i s the ultimate t e s t of endurance, and when you have to f i g h t for your l i f e too, the weight i s considerably heavier that would make some men cracked down.These men who are with me, a l l joined me by th e i r own free w i l l . In every case, I had t r i e d to discourage them from joining me i n the moun­t a i n . They could serve our goal even better by staying i n the enemy controlled t e r r i t o r y . But, i n every case, they a l l begged to be a l -

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lowed to be with me. I cannot throw them out. For 99% they did not disappoint me. The 1% who did, i n every case,I had accepted them by requests of someone else and I had misgiving from the f i r s t time I saw them. Recent experience proved to me that I have not misjudged characters. Today we camp by n i g h t f a l l .

(APRIL 16, 1978)

We are weaker today than yesterday. The only thing we have for breakfast was boiled water sweetened with saccharin. Saccharin has become so important i n our lives because i t i s so light to carry. Sugar i s a very heavy stuff to carry i n the mountain although there i s no substitute for i t s energy giving quality. But even i f saccha­r i n i t s e l f i s no energy source, i t can make other d u l l roots taste sweet and eatable for hungry guerillas. We climb and descend very slowly. I notice that we are passing more and more through the grasslands, an effort to make short cuts, and no longer taking the tree covered winding paths through the forests to insure security. Every time I glanced backward to see the long line of my men walk­ing single f i l e up or down h i l l s , making such an easy prey to the enemy gunners, i f they discovered us. I promise to myself this i s the last time we march this way. Next time there w i l l be no column permitted to march more than one dozen men at a time. We stop for afternoon rest - i t i s no longer for lunch - at about 1 o'clock un­der shady trees.

Just then suddenly the enemy machine gun bullets are raking the grounds a l l around us. We are ambushed and completely surprised. Deep i n my heart I was not surprised at a l l and have been expecting that to happen days ago because I saw the laxity of the men on guard because of hunger. Coordination was lost because the men were too tired and weak to run around to relay orders or to make reports and the commander couldnot y e l l or gave orders by trumpets. And the enemy knew our location and formations. When you have lost the mo-b i l i t y you have lost a guer i l l a battle. And nothing paralyzed men l i k e hunger. Hunger i s more dangerous to the guerillas than the e-nemy soldiers.

Our rear guards return the enemy f i r e , and I fi n i s h with a l l the bullets i n my revolver. My right leg i s slightly razed by the e-nemy bullets. As we do not want to make a stand at the place of e-nemy's choosing, the return f i r e i s for the purpose of covering the retreat of our main body. That was accomplished with some bruises and scratches. As they say "bad things come in droves", that also happens to us today. One of our platoon commander, Pang Beuransah Amin, got himself bitten by a poisonous snake just at the very mo­ment of the enemy attack. He fainted and was l e f t alone i n the con-fusion of the retreat. When he wakes up he found nobody around, and because he was very hungry he decided to go home to have some food. He takes his gun which i s s t i l l laying beside him and goes home. (He returns to the camp a week later with his gun).

In the confusion of the retreat, many men got separated from the main body - where I was - and they got lost in the forests. Luckily these men are from Tiro Region. A l l of them found their way home and are saved. At least I was vindicated i n anticipating that part

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of the unpleasant s u r p r i s e . We managed t o s u r v i v e the enemy a t t a c k without any c a s u a l t i e s . For a few hours hunger was f o r g o t t e n . I t comes back to us i n force t h a t n i g h t while we sleep i n the pouring r a i n s .

(APRIL 17, 1978)

Today we continue our march toward Alue Bambang Camp, t o the Northeast from here. We have t o pass through Puntjeuek H i l l s area which i s famous f o r i t s pyramide-shaped peaks, one of the most d i f f i c u l t t e r r a i n s to pass i n the T i r o Region. We decide to go through i t because i t i s a short c u t t o Alue Bambang which i s l o c a ­ted j u s t beside Puntjeuek to the East. A l s o because of the l i k e l i -hood t h a t the enemy would not bother to go t h e r e . So we keep i n c h -i n g our way c l i m b i n g l i t e r a l l y step-by-step and descending step-by-step a l l those i n c r e d i b l e peaks, on the average between 70 and 80 degree grades. And the f o r e s t s here are so t h i c k t h a t the wind can­not pass through and we f e e l d i f f i c u l t y i n b r e a t h i n g . We sleep on the Southwest side of Puntjeuek t o n i g h t .

(APRIL 18, 1978)

The wound on my r i g h t l e g begins t o bother me. I t seems t o have been i n f e c t e d and my f o o t and l e g became swo l l e n . I can no longer wear my shoe. I a l s o b egin t o f e e l f e v e r . I walk w i t h a cane li m p -ing along. At about 6 PM, i n the t w i l i g h t , we pass over the peak of Puntjeuek H i l l , about 2000 f e e t high r i s i n g s t r a i g h t up l i k e a w a l i from the T i r o v a l l e y beneath. When you are on i t you f e e l l i k e peaking out of the a t t i c to the country below, or more a c c u r a t e l y l i k e s i t t i n g on a plane's c o c k p i t l o o k i n g down. There i s only a room f o r one man t o pass the peak of Puntjeuek at a time. An i r r e -gular steps have been carved out around the peak by e r o s i b n , by winds and r a i n s , and by mountain goats,helped by o c c a s i o n a l g u e r i l ­l a s who t r e a d the Puntjeuek H i l l s from time t o time. To go up or down t h a t p r e c a r i o u s s t e p s , you had to have a f i r m h o l d on the r e ­maining scraggy grass, none too strong, to avoid from f a l l i n g down to 2000 f e e t below. Those who have any doubts i n minds tend t o ask: "Brother, why do you come here?" No one can be of much h e l p t o any­one e l s e on Puntjeuek H i l l . One must r e l y on h i m s e l f and be h i s own man. I had passed t h a t peak bef o r e , and understand the f u l l i m p l i -c a t i o n . I now limp up and down f e e l i n g a l l the time t h a t my l e g i s h u r t i n g me more and more. Puntjeuek H i l l has become one of the obs-t a c l e courses to t e s t the men of t h e i r moral and p h y s i c a l courage. A l l my men have passed i t w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s . That n i g h t we s l e e p on the mountain f o l d j u s t below the peak of Puntjeuek H i l l . I become i l l and vomit a l l what was l e f t i n my stomach, a l l n i g h t long. The smell of the blood t h a t was coming out from my leg's wound a t t r a c t s the leeches. When I wake up i n the morning, there were swarms of them sucking the blood i n s i d e my wound. They have dark-brown c o l o r and when they are f u l l w i t h human blood t h a t they had sucked, they looked r e a l l y i n d i s t i n g u i s h a b l e from our own f l e s h . They have to be p u l l e d out one by one because t h e i r g r i p s are so strong f o r such t i n y c r e a t u r e s of about one i n c h long.

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(APRIL 19, 1978)

We continue marching at about 9 AM. I can no longer walk because my swollen leg has become very painful. Two very strong young men from Geumpang carry me on a makeshift stretcher made from idja kreng, the strong loin-cloth worn by men and women a l l over South­east Asia. An advanced group has to walk i n front of us to make the opening i n the tangled jungle growth without cutting any branches because i f we cut anything that w i l l give t e l l t a l e to our pursuers. As I lay on my moving stretcher - not uncomfortably - i heard the sound of an airplane f l y i n g high i n the sky above, must be one of those international f l i g h t s to Europe from Singapore or Australia that pass over our sky. It brings back to my mind the amenities of­fered i n the f i r s t class cabin i n those planes up there that I so used to partake, and inevitably a comparison to my stretcher now down below i n Puntjeuek H i l l . I am not disconcerted i n the least by the comparison. My Puntjeuek stretcher carried by two strong Acheh­nese young men i s preferable to two-thousand mechanical horsepowers in an impersonal carriage going around to nowhere. My Puntjeuek stretcher i s a thousand times more desirable and more meaningful to me and would have been my f i r s t choice, as i t were.I say to myself, those accomodations can be bought by anyone. But who can buy my ac-comodation i n Puntjeuek H i l l ? This i s pricelessl It i s the g i f t of my people. It i s a great demonstration of loyalty and sacrifice -the only way of l i f e that has any meaning to me.

We arrived at Alue Bambang Camp at about 1 o'clock. Everything i s i n order. There was no sign of any intruders. The flowers that were planted by Abou Baka, when we were there last time, had grown to shoulder high and with plenty of bright yellow flowers.I sigh, recalling many memories there.

I immediately send a small group to fetch some food for us in Tiro. The men are a l l exhausted and hungry. They have not had a square meal since Alue Dodok, that i s ten days ago,and nothing at a l l for the last five days of climbing and descending, and two bat­tl e s in-between. Considering everything we have survived and won a respite and a chance to re-organize.

The group returns at nightfall with some rice, salted f i s h , cof­fee and sugar. After the meal, the men come to l i f e again. A l l the fatigues have gone, the worries over. They can have a good sleep to night. But I have my worries. From the report brought back by the group about enemy a c t i v i t i e s i n the countryside, I can expect more d i f f i c u l t i e s although not unsurmountable. The enemy has put his troops in every village. Each house must be lighted a l l night so that anyone coming at night can be observed by the enemy agents. The people are fórced to join the enemy soldiers to patrol the v i l ­lage at night to prevent the NLF people from coming in.Every house­hold i s forced to have a bamboo alarm, that i s a hollow trunk of a bamboo with a hole on i t to make i t resonant whén struck.like a per cussion instrument. The Javanese colonialists ordered the people to strike the bamboo alarm i f one of our men should come to any house, and a l l those who heard the alarm must do the same.Anyone who f a i l -ed to do so w i l l be severely punished. The enemy had made several false alarras just to test the people's compliance. Thus the enemy i s trying to mobilize the people against the NLF.

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(APRIL 20, 1978)

My most urgent need now i s to get my r i g h t leg we l l as soon as possible, especially i n view of the pr o b a b i l i t y of having to march again soon. Dr Husaini had given me some a n t i b i o t i c injections and my leg i s now well-bandaged. I s t i l l cannot walk. Alue Bambang brings back the memories of Tengku Aneuk and Abou Baka. How much we have s a c r i f i c e d and suffered i n t h i s struggle. And how much our fo-refathers had suffered too. Is i t too much to want to be free and independence i n the world where colonialism has been declared to be an international orimel What i s the difference between white Euro-pean colonialism and brown Asian Javanese colonialism? If any, the l a s t one i s worse. But t h i s i s an emotional outburst, although su-p e r f i c i a l l y true. The r e a l t r u t h i s that Javanese colonialism i s s t i l l the i n d i r e c t colonialism of Western democracies and th e i r multinationals who gave a l l those guns to the Javanese to oppress us, for their economie interests to continue their unconscionable ex p l o i t a t i o n and p i l l a g e of our country. I f we had the same weapons that have been given to the Javanese by the Western democracies we could chase the Javanese from Acheh Sumatra i n no time.Javanese-in­donesian colonialism i s s t i l l a continuation, a subsidiary of the old Western colonialism. Can anyone escape from making t h i s conslu-sion?

(APRIL 21, 1978) We continue to have great d i f f i c u l t y i n getting the food supply,

because of the enemy blockade. Especially that the enemy knows that we have come back to Tiro Region after the second skirmishes a few days ago. He had raobilized h i s forces i n t h i s region and brought i n re-inforcements. Also I notice for the f i r s t time many helicopter gunships are used. Where the poor Javanese got a l l these expensive weaponry? The United States, the Dutch, and other Western govern­ments - democracies a l l ! - gave them to the Javanese!

From our look-out post at Alue Bambang we can see the enemy s o l ­diers i n the v i l l a g e of Blang Kedah below. The people have been chased out from that v i l l a g e because the enemy knows they are l o y a l to the l i b e r a t i o n movement, and there i s no way to prevent the peo­ple from communicating with u s . A l l enemy e f f o r t s are f u t i l e r e a l l y . Our problem i s temporary. I t i s r e a l l y a matter of readjustment and reacting to the new enemy t a c t i c s . And t h i s made d i f f i c u l t because we had been away from the area for sometime and since we return a-bruptly we have to retrace our communication li n e s some of which had been disrupted.

(APRIL 23, 1978) I received a report that the enemy had known about our presence

i n Alue Bambang Camp and that the enemy troops w i l l attack us here on the 26 of A p r i l . Therefore we decide to move out on the 25th to Alue Kareueng (Rock Spring) about 2 hours march to the East from here. I hope by then my leg w i l l be wel l again to walk with.

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(APRIL 25, 1978)

Today we leave Alue Bambang at 9 AM by descending the steep r a -vine down below to the bank of the River Krueng Meuk. We take a great r i s k i n walking through the r i v e r bank and to c r i s s - c r o s s the r i v e r several times for the sake of making shortcuts and easy walks compar-ed with the mountain routes involving climbing high ridges and descending deep ravines that would have taken us a l l day. And the men want respite from climbing for a while. I am liraping down h i l l with my cane. My leg s t i l l has not healed and descending steep ravine where you can use only one l e g a t a time with both hands holding to tree branches or trunks i n order not to f a l l down h i l l , has caused a great s t r a i n on my leg that begins to f e e l very pain-f u l with each step I make. I begin to slow down the whole party. I t seems that I cannot use my r i g h t leg anymore for now and have to use the cane to support myself even for just standing. The use of the stretcher i s out of the question because of the steep ravine and there i s no room for a stretcher to pass through the entangled undergrowths and close erop trees. The men r e a l i z e my s i t u a t i o n . My f r i e n d Mahmud Barat, Chef cum Pawang,comes forward to ask me to s i t on h i s shoulders. He i s such a strong fellow with sturdy legs, arms and body almost perpendicular.I hesitated for a moment at the spec-t a c l e of someone l i k e me s i t t i n g on someone"s shoulders.The men r e ­a l i z e about my reluctance. So everybody chips i n to give encourage-ments that I should do i t , otherwise we can never reach our d e s t i -nation i n one day, and we are i n a dangerous route.Finally I agree. Mahmud Barat has indeed an incredible strength. With me perking on hi s shoulders he descends s w i f t l y as i f carrying nothing. After one hour of descending we reached the bank of the r i v e r . From then on i t w i l l be walking on a completely f l a t surface. That seems a para-dise road for us. But even that f l a t surface i s treacherous because there are slippery rocks and stones on the bottom of t h i s r i v e r . We leave rear guards about three miles behind us to close the r i v e r t r a f f i c against possible enemy movement and the advanced guards two miles ahead of us. On the f l a t land we move l i k e breeze. When we reached our destination, the Alue Kareueng, i n order not to leave any f o o t p r i n t s , because i t i s very close to the b i g r i v e r bank, we decide to go i n by climbing the high rocks where the water from the Alue Kareueng i s f a l l i n g into the River Krueng Meuk. That i s we climb against the currents of the f a l l i n g water. We a l l get wet na-t u r a l l y . To make i t easier for Barat to climb, I change my position from s i t t i n g on h i s shoulders to hanging on h i s back with my arms around h i s strong neck. I do not believe anybody else could have carri e d me l i k e he does, except the l a t e Abou Baka perhaps. His pouring sweat i s being soaked-in by my sweater and I f e e l i t on my skin. A thought crosses my mind that h i s sweat has anointed him to be my brother i n t h i s l i f e and hereafter.I thought of my l i t t l e son Karira, whom I used to carry l i k e that on my shoulders and on my back. I had to leave him i n America with h i s mother i n order for me to do t h i s . A thought that always l e f t me with g r i e f and tears i n my eyes. That i s my fa t e . We camp about 200 meters away up h i l l from the raouth of the Alue Kareueng. Our protection i s the camou­flage. Nothing else. I t i s the most unexpected place to be.We camp-ed on the ground. We know we cannot possibly stay too long there. Just to have enough time to c o l l a c t some supplies and to move away again.

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(APRIL 26, 1978)

At about 9 AM t h i s morning we heard enemy he l i c o p t e r gunships f l y i n g nearby, making c i r c u l a r f l i g h t s to the West of us. In a few minutes time we heard t h e i r machine gun f i r e s and rocket b l a s t s . They are s h e l l i n g our Alue Bambang Camp from the a i r , j u s t as our i n t e l l i g e n c e reports had forwarned us. I t might have been c a t a s t r o -phic i f we had ignored the reports as sometime we d i d .

(APRIL 27, 1978)

Today we received enough food supply for one week. At h i s own request I give permission for Commandant Rashid and h i s group to return to Geumpang D i s t r i c t which w i l l take him two nights on the road. I t i s comforting to know that I can provide him with the food for h i s journey home. His duty i s beside as commander of h i s d i s ­t r i c t also to prepare for my probable moving to h i s area i n the near future. We have a t e a r f u l p a r t i n g . I give him the e n t i r e c r e ­d i t for leading us out of the recent near-catastrophe.

(APRIL 28, 1978)

Today I decide to move out from Alue Kareueng and from T i r o r e ­gion to Mamprèe region to the Northeast from here. My d e s t i n a t i o n i s Mount Patisah, from where we can take supplies from Blang Ma­nè, Truseb and Tjubo to the East. I t w i l l take us two to three nights on the road. When we are about to depart.my man whom I leave behind, Mahmud, comes to me to say that he has a very urgent and c o n f i d e n t i a l matter to t e i l me. I was s t a r t l e d . What else he didnot t e i l me that he should have waited for the l a s t minute. Maybe other d i s a s t e r . I was braced f o r a very bad news. "So, what i s i t ? " I asked. He whispers to my ears that h i s father and mother asked him to beg the Tengku to give some water the Tengku has washed h i s hand with. I was reïieved to hear that. "How w i l l you carry the water?", I asked. He opens h i s shoulder bag and theré i s already a b o t t l e f u l l of water ready for my touch and b l e s s i n g . I take the b o t t l e , opens i t , and touch the water with my f i n g e r s , i n the name of A l l a h , and a l i t t l e prayer that may A l l a h blessed the user of t h i s water of His and f u l f i l t h e i r purpose i n using i t . Amen.

After the f a m i l i a r climbing and descending we reached the bank of the T i r o River at n i g h t f a l l and prepared for immediate c r o s s i n g . We crossed the r i v e r about 7 PM following our usual s e c u r i t y pro -cedure, a t Blang Sala area. We sleep overnight on the bank of the r i v e r .

(APRIL 29, 1978)

We begin our climbing from the r i v e r bank ea r l y i n the morning. Now t h i s area has become very f a m i l i a r to a l l of us. From where we s t a r t to climb i t w i l l take 3 hours to reach the peak of Blang Sala r i d g e . But a mistake was made today by unexpectedly going through the most d i f f i c u l t cUrobing i n v o l v i n g almoat 90 degree grade atsome

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points and most certalnly at the top. We have to climb through the open grassy area where there i s no shade whatever. If enemy h e l i -copters would be flyin g at the same time we can be mowed down. We have to crawl up slowly step by step. When we almost reach the top i t i s a straight and perpendicular height that we have to scale holding on to the grass and carefully planting our feet on the coarse rocks of the c l i f f s . If our grips on the grass losen, or the grass roots give way, there i s nothing beneath us except the deep ravine. Furthermore, i f anyone f e i l i t w i l l be on the top of the heads of the climbing comrades behind. Once on the path there i s nc turning back. And the strong tropical sun i s just over our heads scorching us with i t s hot and blinding rays.

Asgady who i s ahead of me by a few steps almost f a l l s when the pebble on which he planted his foot gives way. Luckily someone be­hind him uses his palm to hold Asgady's foot. A l l get through at a-bout 2 o"clock and we rest for lunch i n the shade not far from the peak of Blang Sala height.

We also make a successful experimentation with a new food today. Of course everyone knew i n Acheh that we can eat the top of the trunk of certain palm called in Achehnese bak djok (djok tree) which has a very hard and harsh external appearance. The sap of this tree i s used to produce sugar and drinks i n Acheh. And i t s tough trunks are used for building materials. There are bak djok everywhere i n the mountains. Although we have heard from our fa­thers that we can eat the tender part of the trunk of this palm tree, we never have the courage to try i t because this i s the most ferocious looking tree that you w i l l ever see.Everything about i t i s hard and harsh. It so happens that there are many of them near the spot we take our rest. Some men decide to cut some of the djok trees nearby and see what they can do with i t . After f e i l i n g the tree dcwn, they take the soft inner upper part of i t which i s pure white i n color and reasonably soft almost l i k e vegetables. They cut this into small pieces, almost dicing them, and then mixes i t with rice making pudding withthe aid of saccharin. I t tastes delicieus. The men also try to cook i t as vegetable dish, and i t tastes won-derf u l . We have found a new source of food i n the forest. Eureka! After lunch we continue to walk u n t i l nightfall and sleep on the ground for the night.

(APRIL 30, 1978)

We reach the Mount Patisah area by late aftemoon after marching from early morning. Because we are not sure of anything as yet, we decide just to camp on the ground, not making a permanent camp. We have to communicate with our organization i n the countryside f i r s t . The place we select to camp i s marvelous. It i s a source of a small spring whose floor and banks composed of one long sheet of smooth rock with an open tunnel i n the middle carved out bythe run­ning water. Also there are several bathtub size pools carved out of the rocks by the running water. We made our camp around this wa­ter fountain. A l l around us the forests are very dense.

The f i r s t thing we do today i s to dispatch several groups to es-

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tablish contacts with the organization i n the countryside. The people i n the country s t i l l do not know for sure where we are since we moved out from Alue Dodok. I am determined to push our programs i n the countryside while the enemy i s busy chasing us in the moun­tains. Let them. We are prepared for that.

I have just realized that this i s May Day - the day of the wor-kers of the world. We cannot just let this day passed un-noticed. I would like to cultivate the sense of international solidarity i n my people's minds. One of the sources of our troubles i s that we have been isolated by the enemy for over 100 years from contact with the progressive peoples of the world. So after everybody has a bath i n our new natural bathtubs, after dinner, and after a cup of coffee and cakes, I come to the main camp where everybody can s i t together cozily and discussed with them the economie aspects of our struggle. The time has come for us to identify our enemies and possible friends. And I have to put everything i n the simplest terms. Democ-racy that separates economie a c t i v i t i e s from p o l i t i c s i s not true democracy; democratie rights must be extanded to economie rights -otherwise the system i s not truly democratie. The workers of the world are the most principled c r i t i c s of the system of economie exploitation that victimized the poors, the inarticulates, and the colonized like us. The multinational corporations that are exploit-ing them are also involved i n exploiting us.The helicopter gunships that are hovering over your heads everyday to k i l l us are not made in Java. The Javanese are too stupid for that. They are made i n the Onited States and other Western countries and being donated to the Javanese to protect the economie interests of the multinationals. This i s a very short-sighted policy of the Western powers because they completely disregard our people "s legitimate right to self-de­termination, and furthermore, foreign interests i n our country can only be protected by us, and not by the Javanese invaders.

The people of Acheh think that the U. S.Government i s our friend because I had lived i n America for 25 years as an exile. I r e c a l l -ed an American sociologist, who had lived in Acheh for several years and speaks our language fluently,came to see me in New York when he returned to the US. He told me that he had to see me for curiosity because when he was i n Acheh, the moment the people knew that he was an American, the f i r s t question they asked him was, "Do you know Tengku Hasan d i Tiro?" . That happened everywhere he went in Acheh. Today, our people must prepare to accept the r e a l i t y that the US Government i s not pro-Acheh Sumatra as i n the old time, but pro Javanese-indonesian colonialist regime in Java. And the US po­l i c y i s to insure that Javanese colonialist regime stays i n power even against our just interest, so that American company like Mobil O i l Corporation can buy and s e l l us in international market place as you already knew about Aron gas f i e l d and our other o i l f i e l d s . Traditionally the US had always recognized the independence of the Kingdom of Acheh Sumatra. Even after the Dutch invasion of Acheh, President Ulysses S. Grant refused to recognize Dutch claim of so­vereignty over Acheh, and issued instead a Proclamation of Impar-t i a l Neutrality i n the war between Holland and Acheh, which was tantamount to the American re-affirmation of recognition of Aoheh-

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(MAY 3, 1978)

Our communication l i n e s with the countryside have now been re-established completely. Everything has returned to normal. We have survived the l a t e s t enemy attempt to annihilate us. The " c r i s i s " i s over. You can see again that whatever happened to us i n the mountains, that d i d nothing to slow down the progress of our move­ment i n the countryside or the supposedly enemy controlled t e r r i ­tory. In f a c t , the more the people hear the bombings,strafings, and the sounds of the b a t t l e s , that turned out to be better for us; there i s nothing f i r e d the people's imagination more than the heard but unseen warfare.

After a l l that had happened, many leaders from the occupied t e r ­r i t o r y wanted to come up to v i s i t with me and to plan for future actions. This means that despite the enemy actions against us i n the mountains, no one i n the countryside i s demoralized or pays any attention to them: the struggle continues. This i s pure and ty-p i c a l Achehnese gut reaction. I t has always been l i k e that for cen-t u r i e s i n our long history. When the Dutch invaded Acheh for the second time i n 1874, t h e i r pundits of Achehnese behavior predicted early surrender and pointed out to signs of demoralization amongst the Achehnese. That war lasted for almost one hundred years and en-ded with the Dutch ouster from Acheh at the hands of the Achehnese for the second and the l a s t time. No doubt the Javanese are waiting the same end.

To improve our security, we decide to make another camp,Camp Pa-ti s a h I I , to the West of Camp Patisah I,separated by 3 hour walking distance. I w i l l receive v i s i t o r s only i n Camp Patisah I.But I w i l l l i v e i n Camp Patisah I I . This way there w i l l be less l i k e l i h o o d of leaving footprints leading to Camp Patisah I I . Also i n case the v i ­s i t o r s are followed by enemy agents, we w i l l have some measures of security. Another reason i s not to have too many people i n one place.

(MAY 4, 1978) Today I had a poignant talk with two most remarkable comrades-

in-arms: Zakaria Hamzah and Asgady. The two came to my quarters together to ask to speak to me. That was not a very usual request from the men unless there were something urgent. As I had related e a r l i e r , Zakaria, despite h i s youth had been appointed Head of Ulêe Glé D i s t r i c t because of h i s exceptional q u a l i t i e s . I had taken de­c i s i o n several days ago that he should return to h i s d i s t r i c t as soon as possible. Asgady, a poet and a visionary among us has been appointed the Secretary General of the Ministry of Information.

They came to t e i l me that they both have feelings that they are not going to l i v e more than another s i x months, i f the guns d i d not arrivé soon for us to f i g h t with. They are not a f r a i d to die but regret very deeply about having no chance to see our r e a l independ­ence i n t h e i r own l i f e time. They di d not come to complain but to confide t h e i r true fe e l i n g s . I was touched and at a l o s t what to say. I know they are no longer the types that need pep t a l k s . They are no longer my followers but l o y a l fellow-leaders.I have witness-ed that transformations i n many of my men. That i s a great thing to

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witness. I told them that everything w i l l be done within our power - as we are - to speed up the process of building up of our m i l i t a ­ry strength. That must be a j o i n endeavor with our people, a natio­nal e f f o r t . We must not forget our fathers' decisions at so many decisive moments i n our history. Today i s our turn to make and to maihtain that decision: we must not f a l t e r !

(MAY 5, 1978) Today I move to Camp Patisah-II. I t was b u i l t on a rocky " i s ­

land" surrounded, as i t were, by springs on a l l four directions. There are many big rocks, boulders, strewn a l l over the place,ideal for barricades. The "island" i s on the high ground, and we have to go down to the spring below through natural rocky steps. The men have b u i l t a fountain for shower by conducting the water by means of pipes made from the barks of the trees. But whenever there are much water there are also many r e p t i l e s . The men have just k i l l e d two snakes, one very big, and the other one very small. In no time we have got use to the place and f e e l "at home".

(MAY 6, 1978) There i s one d a i l y communication between Patisah-I and Patisah

I I . Patisah-II has no d i r e c t contact with the countryside. A l l mails, and food supplies come to Patisah-I, and from there trans-fered to Patisah-II. The messenger leaves Patisah-II every morning at 8 AM and arrivés at Patisah-I at 12 PM,and return at 2 PM a r r i v -ing at Patisah-II at 6 PM. Not everyone i n Patisah-I knows where Patisah-II i s . The way to go to Patisah-II i s so t r i c k y , even mes­senger sometime gets l o s t .

(MAY 1U, i y / b )

Today I go to Patisah-I to meet the party of Geutjhik Raman.the head of the Mukim (county) of Tjubo, to the East from here. He i s a quiet and r e f l e c t i v e man of about 60, a venerable old school chief of Tjubo, the mountain county that i s famous as r i c e producing area. The people of Tjubo have suffered much, as a l l the people of Acheh, from the Javanese-indonesian hands. A l l of them have been arrested, tortured and imprisoned for being sympathetic to the NLF. When the Geutjhik comes to the camp i t means plenty of food. His name has invoked a Pavlov reaction on many of our boys i n the camp. And the Geutjhik has never f a i l e d to produce.He i s also a respected Pawang. Many men had told me that he i s also a keubai, that i s invulnerable to b u l l e t s , knife or swords. There i s a secret science for that, my people believed. From him I know that a l l i s w e l l i n Tjubo and be-yond. The idea that Acheh must be independence again has taken root among the people and i s -nrowing by the day. This idea cannot be suppressed by guns.

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(MAY 15, 1978)

Today i s my duty again to go to Patisah-I to meet a delegation from Meureudu D i s t r i c t headed by Mahmud, our a c t i v i s t there. I have never met him before but I have received many reports about his ac-tivities.Meureudu i s a very important d i s t r i c t to the East of Tjubo and very densely populated.lt covered both mountains and sea coast. It i s a v i t a l area for communication to a l l parts of the country. Mahmud i s about 40, personable and very intelligent. From his de­t a i l s reports about our movement there I can say that Meureudu Dis­t r i c t has become our unof f i c i a l liberated territory, l i k e the whole country by this time. The people have acknowledged the Government of the State of Acheh Sumatra organized by the NLF to be their sole legitimate Government and ready to carry any order given to them. But we have refrained from ordering them to oppose the Javanese-in­donesian regime openly because we are not yet able to protect them from enemy terror. In fact, under his present socio-political s i t u ­ation, the Javanese-indonesian enemy can no longer fight a war in Acheh Sumatra.

(MAY 20, 1978)

Our "normalcy" i s lately being threatened by the great increased of enemy a c t i v i t i e s over our heads. Everyday from early i n the mor­ning enemy helicopter gunships are hovering over our camps. If we had some heavy machine guns we could shoot them down like s i t t i n g ducks. As i t i s , we have just to keep quiet. But we feel secured because they cannot see us anyhow. The foliage of our forest i s so dense that helicopters have very limited effectiveness indeed. Even i f the enemy coordinated his helicopter f l i g h t s with foot soldiers movements down below that simply makes the one gives away the other.

(MAY 21, 1978)

Today i s a Memorial Day for the Battle of Mount Alimon, Where my grandmother, great uncle (Tengku d i Bukét) and uncle (Tengku Sjèh Saman, 18, older brother of Maat) died. The flags are raised to half-staffs i n both Camp Patisah-I and Patisah-II i n simple ceremo­nies in the morning. Also a l l over the liberated t e r r i t o r i e s . (For the story of the Battle of Mount Alimon, please see page 69).

(May 27, 1978)

This afternoon I received a very tragic news for us.The Javanese Indonesian enemy had arrested Muhammad Taib Hasan, Head of Di s t r i c t of Simpang Lhèe, and a colleague, Hasballah Beureuéh, on May 26. They were both tortured and after that were taken to the h i l l and shot dead in public without any legal process whatever.Their bodies were taken by the people for burial i n Iboih Mukim of Simpang Lhèe. This i s a very great loss for our struggle. Muhammad Taib Hasan was among men who had learned so much since we started this revolution-ary Renaissance of the people of Acheh. He was no longer a follower but a pioneering leader of this Revolution i n his own right. His

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organizat ional a b i l i t y , courage and tac t had made h i s d i s t r i c t a-mong the f i r s t l ibera ted t e r r i t o r y that had helped to produce other l ibera ted t e r r i t o r i e s i n the country. His personal i ty and se l f - con-fidence are such as b e f i t t i n g a born leader. He was arrested not i n the batt le. but while v i s i t i n g h i s home d i s t r i c t . According to the reports when the enemy questioned him, he gave the enemy a lec ture i n Achehnese h i s to ry and on Achehnese r i g h t to be free and indepen­dence. He to ld h i s Javanese captors that he was not a f ra id of them and made no apology for being a leading member of the NLF. May 26th w i l l be remembered by us, by a l l Achehnese, to be a dark day that the Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t s w i l l have to pay for i t someday. One of the great sons of Achehnese people has l e f t us i n the l i ne of duty i n the service of the nat ion and A l l a h . He had died at the age of35 to make Acheh a l i v e again as a nationJ Irma lillaki wa inrta ilanM raji'w."We belong to A l l a h and we w i l l re turn to Him." Today we dc a Prayer for the soul of a departing brother.

(MAY 31, 1978)

Now we have a confirmed report that the enemyhelicopters ' f l ights are indeed coordinated with h i s ground troops movements. The enemy i s planning to conduct a large scale "search and destroy" mission to our area on June l s t . I c a l l a meeting of Pawang and our secu­r i t y men. Some of our men are against moving out.They want to f i g h t . Their argument i s that i f we fought,the enemy w i l l not dare to come to the mountains as eager as he i s doing i t now for fear of h i s l i f e . I f we couldnot f igh t large scale f ron ta l warfare, at leas t we can prepare ambushes that w i l l be very hurting for the enemy. That i s p l aus ib l e . However, my fear i s that our t a c t i c s might jeopardize our strategy, that i s , to keep t h i s struggle as long as poss ible i n the p o l i t i c a l stage u n t i l we have the chance to arm ourselves pro­per l y . The goal of our present m i l i t a r y un i t s i s s t r i c t l y p o l i t i c a l , not m i l i t a r y warfare. We need our m i l i t a r y un i t s for reaching places we cannot otherwise go to r a i s e the l e v e l of people's p o l i ­t i c a l consciousness which we are doing very successful ly .For now we cannot r i s k any l o s t of our m i l i t a r y strength, i n a t a c t i c a l move, for s t r i c t l y m i l i t a r y purpose. The enemy has to react wi th m i l i t a r y means because he has no other means to counter us .This i s the s t r a ­tegy the enemy i s t r y i n g to impose on us. To make t h i s a m i l i t a r y and not a p o l i t i c a l contest . I appreciate that constant re t rea t has the effect of discouraging our men and encouraging the enemy, and temporarily improving h i s morale. But t h i s i s why even our m i l i t a r y men must t r u l y understand our revolut ionary strategy and t a c t i c s . We must avoid a l l sorts of temptations. We must hold our f i r e u n t i l we have created a proper condi t ion for a protracted revolut ionary warfare. People must be made to f u l l y grasped our p o l i t i c a l theory to buttress the i r p a t r i o t i c sentiment. Otherwise when the going i s rough, enemy psychological warfare experts can d i s o r i e n t our people to abandon the struggle or even to turn them against us. The Java­nese are clever i n one thing and one thing only: i n making treache-r y . We w i l l begin the m i l i t a r y phase when we have adequate weaponry to do so, and when the people are thoroughly p o l i t i c a l l y conscious. We are i n the middle of solving t h i s problem now. And our secur i ty demands that we say nothinq about i t .

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F i n a l l y everyone agree t h a t we should move. The pla c e chosen i s back t o Krueng Meuk area but on the upper s i d e of i t t h a t we had never been there b e f o r e . I t w i l l take a t l e a s t three days march. We w i l l leave tomorrow morning.

(JUNE 1, 1978)

We leave Camp P a t i s a h - I I a t 6 AM and reach P a t i s a h - I a t 10 AM f o r rendez-vous w i t h the r e s t of the p a r t y . We do not stop anymore because a l l are ready t o go. From there we proceed t o South-easter-l y d i r e c t i o n . Mahmud Barat a c t s as Pawang. We had been s t a y i n g on the Northern slope of Mount P a t i s a h . Therefore we have t o climb f i r s t t o i t s peak again, the way we came here b e f o r e . I t w i l l be s e v e r a l hours o f s t r a i g h t c l i m b i n g . By two o'clock we reach the pl a c e above Blang S a l a where we had lunch on our way t o Mount P a t i ­sah. We decide t o have our lunch t h e r e . A f t e r lunch we proceed t o the East passing nearby the t e r r i b l e h e i g h t t h a t we had t o s c a l e by mistake l a s t time. About 3 m i l e s t o the East of t h a t h e i g h t there i s a b r e a t h - t a k i n g c l i f f descending t o a very l a r g e and deep r a v i n e t h a t u l t i m a t e l y r e a c h i n g the bank of the T i r o R i v e r down below. To conceal our f o o t p r i n t s a l l t o g e t h e r to p o s s i b l e pursuers Mahmud Ba­r a t decides t h a t a l l of us must stand s e p a r a t e l y a t armed l e n g t h f a c i n g the edge o f the c l i f f and then descending i n t o the r a v i n e s e p a r a t e l y a t d i f f e r e n t spots and walking down s e p a r a t e l y t h a t way, and no one should step on the f o o t p r i n t s of the men i n f r o n t of him i n order not t o leave any tracé. We w i l l make a rendez-vous a t as-sembling p o i n t down below, a t the edge of the r i v e r , some 3 hours l a t e r . The way the r a v i n e looked, w i t h a l l s o r t s o f poisonous l i t ­t l e animals hanging on leaves t h a t make our s k i n i r r i t a t e s and p a i n f u l upon c o n t a c t s , and the massive e n t a n g l i n g s p i d e r s ' cobweb between leaves and t r e e s everywhere you t u r n your f a c e , makes me t h i n k t h a t there must not be any human being p a s s i n g here since c r e a t i o n or a t l e a s t s i n c e 1000 years.

We reach the T i r o R i v e r by n i g h t f a l l , j u s t a good time t o c r o s s . The advanced guards c r o s s f i r s t to secure the bank of the r i v e r on the other s i d e , then I c r o s s , f o l l o w e d by the main body and then the r e a r guards. We camp on the South bank of the r i v e r . A f t e r such exhaustive march no one has any t r o u b l e f a l l i n g a s l e e p .

We get up a t 5 o'clock i n the morning and ready t o move by 6 AM. F i r s t we have to s c a l e the Hugob Height f o r a t l e a s t 3 hours t o reach the peak. Because of the enemy h e l i c o p t e r s " a c t i v i t i e s we can not walk through the s h o r t c u t v i a the grassland but we must f o l l o w the f o r e s t l i n e s i n order t o be covered a t a l l time by the shades of the t r e e s . That means more c l i m b i n g s , more descendings, and more t u r n i n g s . But Mahmud Barat knows every corners of t h i s f o r e s t s and mountains. Of exhaustion, t i r e d and t h i r s t , no one t a l k s about any­more.These are our constant companions. F i n a l l y we reach the putjok (source) of Krueng Meuk at about 5:30 PM a f t e r b l i n d i n g r a i n s . We decide t o camp there and t o move to the spot we had chosen tomorrow morning.

(JUNE 2, 1978) We wake up a t 5 AM as u s u a l and are ready t o march by 6 AM. I t

takes two more hours t o walk down the r i v e r when we a r r i v e d a t our

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destination. I t was such unusual natural configuration of mountains there where several springs joining together into the r i v e r Krueng Meuk. The spot we piek up represents one mountain vault among many there. I t i s very close to the big r i v e r but i n v i s i b l e to anyone passing through the r i v e r because a very high ridge separates the r i v e r from the spring of our camp. There i s a bigger spring to the West of us, separated from us by another high but t h i n ridge.Anyone who would look for us would be led to search that bigger spring which i s v i s i b l e from the r i v e r , and not our spring which i s not v i s i b l e at a l l . There are high ridges on a l l directions except from the North but i t can e a s i l y be defended. We c a l l t h i s Camp Krueng Meuk. I t i s on the Northern slope of Mount Meureuseue, and to the North of our Alue Pisana Camp, but not far away.

(JUNE 3, 1978)

The work to establish the camp "buildings" begins immediately. Three buildings are b u i l t . One for my quarters on the Southside, one for everyone on the West side, and one for the kitchen on the North side, adjacent to the running water. The narrow but high r i d ­ges enclosures on a l l but Northern side with t a l l trees covering them making our camp i n v i s i b l e from the a i r or from the ground. Guard posts are located at the r i v e r entrance but i n v i s i b l e from i t , and on a l l high points over the ridges. Somehow everyone gets a f e e l i n g that we are going to stay here for a long time, and from the look of the place i t i s most secluded and invulnerable corapared *•<•> anv nlace we have had before.

(JUNE 4, 1978)

Today dispatches are sent to a l l points i n the country to re-es t a b l i s h our l i n e s of Communications. Due to a c e r t a i n sense of security and well being, I allow our Pang (platoon commander) Beu-ransah Amin, a sharp shooter, to go hunting on the grassland not far away. We are lucky. He brought back two big deers, each the size of a b i g b u i l . The men are allowed to make for themselves what please them most. Asgady was very thoughtful to prepare for me a big cut of charcoal br o i l e d meat with just enough seasoning. I t was

(JUNE 5, 1978)

Our communication i s now restored with a l l parts of the country. From Communications addressed to the Headquarters from a l l over A-cheh we can f e e l the pulse of our movement. We have l o s t nothing since l a s t April-May " c r i s i s " . The f a c t that the whole country knew that we were under f i r e has created a tremendous sense of sympathy for us. The fact that we have survived the ordeal makes us more formidable. The enemy, for a l l h is expenses, gained nothing except making us more popular with our people. The enemy's i n s u l t i n g low brow - that what he i s - propaganda campaigns tr y i n g to smear our good names has had a backlash effect against the Javanese themsel-

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against the enemy, and as a result we get more recruits. There are new recruits who reported that they decided to join the NLF after they heard Javanese o f f i c e r s " c a l l i n g the NLF leaders (who are a l l established exponents of Achehnese society) "wild pigs" etc. If the leaders of the NLF can be called that by the Javanese what are o-ther Achehnese must be in their eyes? While the Javanese enemy has not been able to touch us, his targets, the ranks and f i l e s of our movement are increasing by leaps and bounds a l l over the country. Our movement i s a miracle of communication, history, language, c u l ­ture, and national pride restored,under the points of the bayonets.

(JUNE 10, 1978)

Today we have our f i r s t outside v i s i t o r s and the most welcome ones but quite i n a round-about manner. At about 5 PM our inexpe-rienced young guard at the river post - who was momentarily sub-stituting for the regular guards - saw a stranger i n green fatigue in front of the ridge looking around the approach to our camp. The stranger did not find the entrance and after looking around for a while disappeared i n the forests. The young guard set off the alarm because he thought the man must be an enemy soldier. So we a l l went to designated strong points on the ridge, ready for battle. I was called to go uphill i n such a hurry. The Army Commander, Daud Husin who was then with us had the presence of mind to question further the novice guard who reported the incident and set off the alarm. He had a hunch of something. The novice was brought u p h i l l before us. "How was the man looked like?" - the Army Commander asked. "Tal l and big!" came the answer. "What kind of uniform he was wearing?" - Army Commander asked. "Green, light green. With a piece of green cloth on his shoulder!" - the novice added. "That must be Pawang Brahim!" - said Army Commander. They must be the party from Blang Manè on their f i r s t v i s i t here and couldnot find the entry. Where could they go? They must go to search for us at Alue Pisang Camp, not far away to the South.The Army Commander dispatched a par ty to Alue Pisang Camp to search for them.

In about two hours the search party came backwith Pawang Brahim, Tengku Ibrahim Abdullah, Sayed Amin, Njak Amat, Mat Usuh and Yahya. Because Pawang Brahim couldnot find the entry to the camp, he went to look at Alue Pisang. Now Pawang Brahim i s one of the wizard of the forests. He knew how to come to our place straight from Blang Manè like he already had our street address and home numbers.But he failed to take five more steps upward from where he was standing. With their a r r i v a l we are at ease again and very glad to see them. In fact they have come to greet us and to express their joy at our escapes from the enemy attacks at Alue Beureunê and Mount Seutui. These are extraordinary group of men from Blang Manè under the leadership of Tengku Ibrahim Abdullah. Pawang Brahim i s the pawang for that region and a l l points East. But he now has also enlarged his horizon like everyone else. Tengku Ibrahim Abdullah informed me that great progress has been made everywhere in a l l regions. His own D i s t r i c t of Glumpang Lhèe, which include the town of Teupin Raya and Glumpang Munjeuk i s one of our stronghold, althoughthe enemy has garrisons i n both of these towns. The enemy did not con­t r o l beyond the gates of his garrisons. Such conditions prevail-ed a l l over Acheh Sumatra.

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(JUNE 15, 1978)

Today a group of enemy soldiers with people from Blang Kedah forced to keep them company on a f i s h i n g expedition passed i n front of our camp. They have no idea they are very close to us. The idea of attacking them and taking their arms had crossed our minds, but the consequences of having to move again r i g h t away weigh heavier on our minds. So we l e t them go.

(JUNE 20, 1978)

We notice considerable enemy a c t i v i t i e s to the South and to the North of us, and frequent helicopters' f l i g h t s . Today they are pa­t r o l l i n g the area North of us,between the Tiro River and the Krueng Meuk r i v e r and they release a very heavy barrage of gunfire for un-known reason to us.

(JUNE 25, 1978)

Today I received a sad report that l a s t week, on June 20, one of our men was ambushed and shot dead by the enemy. That was when we heard the heavy barrage of enemy gunfire. His name was Abdul Razak Makam. He was carrying r i c e for us on h i s shoulders and un-armed. When the enemy surprised him and demanded his surrender he r e p l i e d : "Kamoë Atgèh Meurdêkka hana neujue meunjeurdh Zê Tengku!" ("We Free Achehnese are not ordered by the Tengku to surrender!") Thereupon he was shot, at point blank. He was about 25 year old.

(JUNE 27, 1978)

Today, while the enemy helicopter gunships were f l y i n g nearby, a column of enemy soldiers was seen descending from the high ridge to the West of us. They came down to the r i v e r passing some 100 meters from our post. They have radio Communications with the helicopters f l y i n g above them. They went to Northwestern d i r e c t i o n along the r i v e r without looking at our post. (Tomorrow we f i n d the pamphlets l e f t by them i n the forests urging the members of the NLF to k i l l me. This reveals more of the Javanese characters than anything e l s e . I t was also an admission of the i r own weaknesses: they had to ask the Achehnese to do what they themselves had no a b i l i t y to do.)

(JUNE 30, 1978)

Well, we passed the whole month of June i n one place without i n ­cident and, by our Standard, with serene t r a n q u i l l i t y . Our men have had some time to rest after the l a s t two months of hectic s i t u a t i o n . Our i n t e l l i g e n c e reports said that the enemy had completely l o s t tracé of us and he has no idea where we were. In the meantime our a c t i v i t i e s i n the c i t i e s and towns are progressing without h i n -drance. Great progress has been made i n a l l educational i n s t i t u t i -ons, public or priv a t e . Students have taken up our cause i n their own way.

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(JULY 1, 1978)

I have decided to begin writing a h i s t o r i c a l play, The Drama of Achehnese History, 1873-1978. I think we have a tremendous roate-r i a l s to produce such a play. No people on earth have such a drama­t i c h i s t o r y l i k e our people, except the Greeks perhaps. This w i l l be the f i r s t dramatization of our h i s t o r y then, i f I l i v e d long enough to f i n i s h i t . I t w i l l not have been possible to write i t without f i r s t hand experience i n g u e r i l l a l i f e as l i v e d by our forefathers before us, as we dare to l i v e i t up now. I am g r a t e f u l to God for having t h i s unusual opportunity. And g r a t e f u l for a l l my comrades-in-arms. Nothing would have been possible without them. And to my people, who sustained me here i n the mountains at such r i s k s to themselves. This drama, therefore, i s a t r i b u t e to the old warriors as well as to the new ones, who dare to follow t h e i r an­cestors" f o o t p r i n t s . A t r i b u t e to Ben Dadeh, Asgadi, Muchtar Hasbi, Zubir Mahmud, Tengku Sjamaun, Abou Baka Badai, Mahmud Walad, Usman A l i , Muhammad Taib Hasan, Ibrahim Abdullah, Sulaiman Abdullah,Ahmad Gani, Sayed Amin, Taleb Abu Maè, Ayahwa Saleh, Tengku Hadji Ilyas Leubè, I d r i s Ahmad, Ismael Taleb, Abdul Razak Makam, and thousands others. I want to write a book where Achehnese present and future generations can go back to i t s pages and see and f e e l what great and free men once l i v e d on t h i s Land of Acheh, not even long ago, who knew they were masters here and behaved l i k e ones. I f such a book had existed i n 1945, i t would have changed the hist o r y of Acheh from what i t i s today. Maybe i f that book e x i s t s today, i n 1978, t h i s country w i l l be free again before the end of t h i s centu-r v !

(JULY 2, 1978)

From yesterday, today, and everyday from now on u n t i l I f i n i s h i t , I w i l l be w r i t i n g The Drama of Achehnese History, from 7 o"clock i n the morning u n t i l 6 o'clock i n the evening, u t i l i z i n g the sunlight hours, the only l i g h t available to me i n the forests, to t r y to f i n i s h the play as soon as possible, while I am s t i l l a-l i v e . This i s a mini-race between l i f e and death i n the continuing Drama of Achehnese History. I w i l l allow no interruptions except very important meetings, receiving delegations, and w r i t i n g impor­tant l e t t e r s that cannot be postponed.I have delegated most matters to Dr. Husaini Hasan, Tengku Muhammad Usman Lampoih Awé, Dr. Zaini Abdullah, and Army Commander Daud Husin.

I w i l l have to r e l y completely on my memory except for a book or two available here with us i n the camp, to check h i s t o r i c a l dates. There i s nothing else to do about that. This w i l l be a play written i n the darkest forests on earth, under the d i r e s t of conditions, for the purest of p r i n c i p l e s : j u s t i c e and freedom.And i t can happen only i n Acheh, Sumatra. Therefore, there w i l l be no more entry i n t h i s Diary about the matter u n t i l I have finished the play, when and i f I could f i n i s h i t . At t h i s point there i s no assurance. I I w i l l only refer to other noteworthy events, i f any.

(JULY 5, 1978) To conserve our meagre food supply, the men began cutt i n g the

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bak djok palms for use as food supplements, and sometimes for the meal i t s e l f . They can be prepared l i k e any other vegetables and very tasty with curry powder. And they can make d e l i c i o u s pudding when mixed with glutinous r i c e . There are thousands of bak djok palms nearby. Although the men are c a r e f u l not to cut any near the camp, r i v e r or r i d g e s , for s e c u r i t y reason. They cut f i r s t from the most ina c c e s s i b l e places to avoid enemy detection, i f he happened to be passing i n the area. As time passed, bak djok palms became one a l t e r n a t i v e source of food for us, e s p e c i a l l y when we were cut o f f from other supplies. Our experimentations with other types of edible roots were not very s u c c e s s f u l . Also the s o f t inner core of wild banana trees can be used as vegetables. The wild banana f r u i t s i t s e l f are always i n great demand and the exclusive preserves o f the t r a d i t i o n a l indigenous people of the f o r e s t themselves,the mon-keys. No one can beat them i n the matter of p i c k i n g up the r i p e ba­nanas i n t h e i r f o r e s t s .

(JULY 10, 1978)

Although the majority of the men at my Headquarters came from Pi d i e Province, that was no i n d i c a t i o n that our movement was a l o ­c a l one, as the enemy propagated to b e l i t t l e our nation-wide move­ment. That s i t u a t i o n had come about because of the requirements of g u e r i l l a warfare that each u n i t must be based on l o c a l supports wherever i t i s located, and as I established my Headquarters i n P i ­di e Province, I must have the support of the people of t h i s provin­ce to begin with, and I must r e l y on them for day to day need, as long as I stay here. The same applies when I move my headquarters to other provinces - which I plan to do i n the near f u t u r e . A l l the people of Acheh Sumatra support the NLF no l e s s than the people of P i d i e . Already there are NLF p r o v i n c i a l headquarters f o r every pro­vince, d i s t r i c t headquarters for every d i s t r i c t a l l over the coun­t r y . But i n a g u e r i l l a war you cannot move a u n i t from one d i s t r i c t to another without reducing i t s e f f e c t i v e n e s s . The men had to know to crawl i n and out of the v i l l a g e s i n pitched dark nights, and had to know t h e i r ways around i n the place of t h e i r r e s p o n s i b i l i t y l i k e the palms of t h e i r own hands. No outsiders can do that. And without that kind of force i n every place, no g u e r i l l a movement can survive. The hands and f e e t of the movement must always be from the l o c a l i t y . Without that kind of roots we could not have survived for one month.

(JULY 15, 1978)

The e f f e c t of g u e r i l l a l i f e , of inadequate food, over exhaustion and lack of a l l sorts of vitamins over a long period of time, was very d i f f e r e n t on e x - c i t y dwellers than on ex-farmers. The l a t t e r seemed to have been able to take i t more i n s t r i d e , p h y s i c a l l y un-scathed. There are no changes i n t h e i r p h y s i c a l appearances. But i t has such eye-catching e f f e c t s on e x - c i t y dwellers. I could not have seen that on myself but I have observed i t happened to every­one around me who came from the c i t y , although I had been t o l d too that I looked a b i t "run-down". The most noticeable to me was the case of Dr. Husaini who always stays c l o s e to me. When he f i r s t a r -

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r i v e d i n the f o r e s t , and t h a t was the f i r s t time I met him, he was on the heavy s i d e , r a t h e r round, exuding h e a l t h , and s o f t l i f e of a d o c t o r . Today, a t Krueng Meuk Camp, he looked so skinny and boony, s l i g h t l y bent a t the age of about 32. There was Asgady. He was a person o f s t r o n g c o n s t i t u t i o n , s t u r d y bone s t r u c t u r e , and a t the time of a r r i v a l r a t h e r f a t . Now he looked v e r y l e a n indeed .Dr. Z a i -n i s u r v i v e d b e t t e r but a l s o on a reduced s c a l e . Tengku Muhammad Os­man was the same. But men l i k e Mahmud Barat, G e u t j h i k Sjamaun, Geu­t j h i k Uma and others l i k e them, they looked e x a c t l y the same l i k e b e f o r e . They s u f f e r e d hunger, exhaustion, j u s t l i k e us, but they seemed t o be a b l e t o bounce back immediately.

(JULY 22, 1978)

I n our way of t h i n k i n g , the most important f u n c t i o n f o r the NLF and the S t a t e of Acheh Sumatra t h a t we had proclaimed, i s to e x i s t and t o be present i n Acheh Sumatran t e r r i t o r y , known t o a l l our people and t o the world. As l o n g as we e x i s t we w i l l become the focus of a t t e n t i o n of our people, the source of t h e i r i n s p i r a t i o n and p o l i t i c a l guidance. Ka have o b j e c t i v e l y c r e a t e d t h i s s i t u a t i o n , w i t h such e l e c t r i c impact on the p o l i t i c a l consciousness of our people. This i s the minimum c o n d i t i o n t h a t we must m a i n t a i n and can e a s i l y m a i n t a i n f o r any l e r g t h o f time. A l l Javanese-indonesian a t -tempts t o put us out of e x i s t e n c e hav^ f a i l e d .

We have a l s o completed the o r g a n i z a t i o n of our Government and our p a r t y , the NLF, i n a l l en-my occupied t e r r i t o r i e s . We have o r ­ganized our m i l i t a r y and c i v i l i a n Government s t r u c t u r e s t h a t are working e f f e c t i v e l y and obeyed by our people.The o n l y t h i n g we need t o do now i s arming our people, and the Javanese w i l l have t o run away from Acheh Sumatra. E s s e n t i a l l y we are working f o r t h a t moment to come now.

(JULY 31, 1978)

Since I have been busy w i t h w r i t i n g my book, I have delegated most f u n c t i o n s t o my c o l l e a g u e s and t h a t d e l e g a t i o n of a u t h o r i t y had worked wonder. Men r i s e to the o c c a s i o n w i t h r e s p o n s i b i l i t y . I should have done t h a t much e a r l i e r . I am now f r e e d from having t o g i v e l e c t u r e s , from meeting v i s i t o r s , from d i s t r i c t s and r e g i o n a l matters u n l e s s a c o n f l i c t i s i n v o l v e d . But one t h i n g t h a t I must do by myself t h a t the men i n s i s t e d was saying goodbye t o them when they go down on duty t o p i e k up food from the v i l l a g e s . That i s a very dangerous t r i p : we never know who w i l l come back a l i v e . S o t h a t was a l i t t l e communion o f s o u l s t h a t I have w i t h my men every mor­ni n g . They would come t o k i s s my hand f o r goodbye and I would em-brace them - not j u s t g i v i n g my hand k i s s e d by them. I t was a c e r e ­mony of l o y a l t y , from everyone t o everyone e l s e , a renewed c o n f i r -mation v o l u n t a r i l y taken t o continue our f a t h e r s ' s t r u g g l e and t o keep the purpose of t h a t s t r u g g l e always f r e s h i n the mind of every one, those who go down and those who are l e f t behind, and t o go on no matter what happens.

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(AUGUST 1, 1978)

Our security has hold out for two months now, June and July. The enemy s t i l l cannot locate us. He thinks we may have gone to Central or East Acheh. His troops are searching for us there. A small group was allowed to go f i s h i n g on the upper part of the Tiro River, one day walking distance from here to the Northeast.They cought so much f i s h and decided to stay overnight on the bank of the r i v e r - a v i -o l a t i o n of their order. They made f i r e to cook thei r f i s h and l e f t the f i s h bones scattered over the r i v e r banks. They arrived back at the camp bringing f u l l loads of f i s h .

(AUGUST 7, 1978)

That f i s h bones l e f t on the banks of the r i v e r was found by the enemy p a t r o l l i n g the area the next day. That was the f i r s t clue the enemy got that we might s t i l l be around here. After that the enemy begins to search the Tiro River region again and putting h i s guard posts every few miles apart. Although we do not l i v e on the banks of the Tiro River but we have to pass through them to piek up our food supplies. So i t becomes more dangerous to pass through now. The fish-mongers were severely reprimanded.

(AUGUST 17, 1978)

Today i s the so-called independence day of Javanese-indonesia that the enemy celebrated, the supposed "independence" that was the beginning of Javanese-colonialism for us. Therefore we have prepar­ed everything to disrupt t h i s sham "independence day" of Javanese-indonesian c o l o n i a l i s t s . We issued special l e a f l e t s and placards to urge the people to boycot the c o l o n i a l i s t celebrations. The people reacted favorably to our c a l l . Many enemy"s triumphal arches and flagpoles were pulled down. Indeed, since we declared Acheh Sumatra independence on December 4, 1976, August 17th has never been the same again i n Acheh Sumatra. I t i s now an enemy"s"independence day" as the people have come to look at i t .

(AUGUST 20, 1978)

Today, Tengku Muhammad Usman Larapoih Awé,the Minister of Finance of the State of Acheh Sumatra and member of the Central Committee of the NLF decides to go to Medan for a few days. I endorse h i s t r i p s a f t e r he assured me that i t was quite safe for him to go and that he w i l l be back i n a few days.lt was a f a t a l decision.He would be arrested by the enemy i n Medan because of f a u l t y t r a v e l arrange-ments made through unreliable people. I should have checked h i s t r a v e l arrangements before he leaves. His arrest by the enemy i s a ve­ry great loss for the NLF. I knew something was wrong when his l a t e father - k i l l e d by the Javanese i n 1953 - appeared i n my dream, looking at me very pensively - a few days a f t e r Muhammad 's depar-ture but before I receive any report of h i s actual arrest by the e-nemy. I t was reported that the Javanese had tortured him barbaric-

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a l l y . He had suffered the most for the cause of Free Acheh. He lost his three young children drown in a boat accident while testing the engine a few days before we start our movement. Since then he had gained i n stature and self-confidence to become one of the most ef-fective leader of Acheh. (Later the Javanese put him through their kangaroo court and was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. Muhammad told the Javanese colonialist judges:"You have no right to judge me. You have no jurisdiction i n this Land of Acheh." He also refused to speak i n the so-called "indonesian language", and said to the Java­nese judges:"I w i l l speak only i n Achehnese, the language of my an­cestors and the o f f i c i a l language of this Land of Acheh." The Java­nese did not allow him to speak in Achehnese. There are ten-thou-sands Achehnese present during his t r i a l who applauded his remarks. He appeared i n the court wearing Achehnese national costume. The people realized that the one on t r i a l was not Tengku Muhammad Usman Lampoih Awé but the entire people of Acheh, their language and cul­ture too. His effect on the people that day was e l e c t r i c . He has become a hero of Acheh since that day. He has demonstrated a true Achehnese character: defiant in defeat! I am very proud of him. He happened also to be, my cousin. Bon sang ne peut mentir.'

(AUGUST 28, 1978)

Today our man Beuransah Amin (28) was shot dead by the enemy while on his way to go to the village to fetch the r i c e . The Java­nese soldiers would shoot any Achehnese in the mountain without guestioning. Achehnese li v e the live of hunted animals on their own s o i l . Beuransah's body was brought back to the village by the people and his funeral was attended by the entire population of Truseb i n a demonstration of solidarity. He l e f t a wife and twc l i t t l e children and grief-stricken but proud parents. I remembered Beuransah well when he took leave from me this morning. He looked somewhat somber that I sensed i t . May be he had some premonition of death. He died heroically, refusing to answer enemy guestions about my whereabout to the end. His death i s a great loss to his people's cause. He died that we might l i v e ! We made a special prayer for hin according to our Islamic religion.

(SEPTEMBER 4, 1970)

Today i s an important Islamic holiday, the end of the Ramazan, the fasting month. A group of ten members delecation from Blang Manè Camp had come here to celebrate the occasion with us, includ­ing Tengku Ibrahim Abdullah and Sayed Amin and eight others. Consi-dering the danger and the d i f f i c u l t y of the journey involving some three days of mountain climbing, i t demonstrates the closeness of relationships that we enjoyed with one anothers.

It so happens that this i s also my birthday. After Holiday Prayer - which i s the most important part of the

ceremony, and which I led - we a l l have our Holiday get-together where everyone greets and embraces each others and asks forgiveness for wrongs done. The danger that surrounds us, the fresh memory of

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the death of one of us only a week a g o , a l l add up i n t o the poignan-cy of the meeting that many shed tears of joy and sadness a t the same time.

Because of the worsening security s i t u a t i o n , Tengku Ibrahim Ab­d u l l a h asks my permission to leave r i g h t away today, a f t e r lunch to return to h i s own district.We say goodbye to each other a t about 2 PM. I notice that Sayed Amin - tha t marvelous person - i s partx-c u l a r l y emotional at our p a r t i n g .

This i s a remarkable Holiday Season! Tomorrow w i l l be September 5th, the Memorial Day of the Battle of Alue Simi, where my grandfa­ther died, September 5th, 1910. The men begin preparation for t o ­morrow 's ceremony.

(SEPTEMBER 5, 1978)

At about 3 o'clock i n the morning, i t was s t i l l pitched dark, I was awaken, l i k e everyone e l s e , because we heard someone c a l l x n g for help very loud from the d i r e c t i o n of the r i v e r banks. That was a danger s i g n a l , whatever i t was. The guards at the post moved cau-t i o u s l y to the r i v e r edge to f i n d out who i t was. I t was Yahya and Njak Ahmad, the members of the party from Blang Manè. They t o l d us that t h e i r party had been ambushed by the enemy at T i r o River cros­sing at about 6 PM a f t e r leaving from here yesterday. Sayed Amxn was shot and presumed dead, but the fate of Tengku Ibrahim Abdullah and others were unknown. The two of them escaped and returned here with bruises a l l over the face, arms and body.

That means that the enemy had linked up h i s troops a l l along the T i r o River, from the sea to the source. The place where Beuran­sah was shot l a s t week was c l o s e to the v i l l a g e at Ukèe Kleueng (the Eagle Claws) and the place where Sayed Amin was shot was very far up at Hugob Height where we had crossed when we came back here l a s t time from Mount Patisah. Now the enemy has gotten p o s i t i v e e-vidence that we are i n t h i s area. We cannot l e t ourselves be b l o c -kaded here because we w i l l have d i f f i c u l t i e s to f i n d food supply. I w i l l c a l l a meeting to take d e c i s i o n l a t e r .

At 9 AM we go on with the Memorial Day c e l e b r a t i o n of the B a t t l e of Alue Simi that had taken place on September 5, 1910. F i r s t the r a i s i n g of the f l a g . Then I d e l i v e r e d a short speech about the B a t t l e of Alue Simi (please see l a s t year's c e l e b r a t i o n on page 97). The Dutch had followed my grandfather's traces f or three months be­fore the B a t t l e of Alue Simi. Alue Simi was located to the East of Tangsé where the Dutch garrison was then located. On t h e i r march to Alue Simi, however, the Dutch troops took precautions to go West f i r s t from Tangsé to Alue Dodok. Schmidt, the Dutch commander saxd he had to do that to mislead the people of Tangsé, who were l o y a l to the r e s i s t a n c e , from knowing h i s true d i r e c t i o n . 3ecause i f he marched from Tangsé s t r a i g h t to the Eastern d i r e c t i o n , the people i n the mountain w i l l know i t before the Dutch troops can be there. From Alue Dodok the Dutch went North to Blang Malo. From Blang Ma­l o they went East to Alue Seupot, and from Alue Seupot they turned Southeast to Alue Simi. You know we have been to a l l those places r e c e n t l y except to Alue Simi i t s e l f . Then you knew the ordeal our

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f a t h e r s had gone through before us to defend our independence. And yet they never gave up. T h i s i s the example t h a t they had set up f o r us t o f o l l o w . No matter what i s the d i f f i c u l t y , the s t r u g g l e must c o n t i n u e . T h i s i s the message from Alue Simi t h a t we r e c e i v e d again t h i s morning. I t i s the most a p p r o p r i a t e reminder a t the most app r o p r i a t e time!

(SEPTEMBER 6, 1978)

Today I c a l l a meeting of Pawang and a l l the leaders p r e s e n t , to decide what to do. A f t e r being here f o r more than 3 months,e-veryone agrees we should move. T h i s i s no way t o wage a g u e r i l l a war. I t was a m i r a c l e we had managed t o keep the s e c r e t of t h i s p l a c e f o r over 3 months. T h i s i s a r e c o r d f o r us t o be a b l e t o stay i n one p l a c e . We decide to move to Blang Manè are a , a l i t t l e t o the East of Mamprêe. We s h a l l depart tomorrow f o l l o w i n g the most d i f f i ­c u l t c r o s s i n g ever, to a v o i d encountering the blockading enemy f o r c e s . There i s no p o i n t i n moving i f we could be f o l l o w e d .

(SEPTEMBER 7, 1978)

We depart a t 8 AM e x i t i n g from the back of the camp due East o-ver the h i g h r i d g e of Krueng Meuk. I n o t i c e d along the r i d g e t h a t thousands of bak djok palms had been cut f o r our food d u r i n g the l a s t three months. I t would be an obvious give away i f the enemy passed by the r i d g e . A f t e r about three hours of marching,the Krueng Meuk turns South, but we must continue t o the E a s t . So we have to c r o s s Krueng Meuk and then to climb t o the other c l i f f . The descend i s so steep but the c l i m b i n g on the other side up again i s even more d i f f i c u l t . We have t o s c a l e the height t o reach the top. We are caught by n i g h t f a l l w h i l e n e g o t i a t i n g our way through peaks and r a v i n e s . We camped r i g h t there f o r the n i g h t . But the view from there t o the North i s b r e a t h - t a k i n g . The Mount Seulawah looked l i k e a p a i n t i n g i n dark blue over the background of deep r e d , almost s i l k y , provided by the glow of the sunset over the clouds. I w i l l never f o r g e t t h a t s i g h t . I l i k e t o come back here some day j u s t t o see i t a g a i n . I t i s r a i n e d a t n i g h t w h i l e we s l e e p .

(SEPTEMBER 8, 1978)

We continue our journey i n the morning toward Eastern d i r e c t i o n , c l i m b i n g and descending i n c e s s a n t l y . We reached Alue Sidjuek (Cold Spring) by l a t e a fternoon. We have our lunch on i t s bank. We p l a n to c r o s s the T i r o R i v e r near the mouth of Alue Sidjuek by n i g h t f a l l . We t h i n k the enemy has not gotten t h a t h i g h up i n the mountain. But we take no chances. We w a i t f o r the n i g h t f a l l t o cross although we had a r r i v e d a t the r i v e r bank a t 5 PM. I t was about 3 m i l e s up from Hugob Height where the enemy shot and k i l l e d our beloved Sayed Amin three days ago. But 3 m i l e s of winding r i v e r i s a long way t o cover. Even i f the enemy i s s t i l l i n Hugob we w i l l c r o s s here. We are too t i r e d t o c l i m b any h i g h e r . A f t e r crossing,we sleep on the high ground near the r i v e r .

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But before we leave from here a word should be said about Alue Sidjuek. I t was one of the faraous Achehnese r e s i s t a n t s " strongholds during the war against the Dutch. There are many graveyards scatte-red along the Alue belonging to the martyrs of that long war.

(SEPTEMBER 9, 1978)

We begin marching again at daybreak. We have to climb up immedi­ately to be as far away as possible from the r i v e r and as quick as we could. F i r s t we have to climb a row of broken h i l l s , not very steep. But the higher we get the steeper i t becomes. We reach the top at midday. Just when we are about to stop for lunch, someone steps on a hornets' nest that sends the hornets zooming at everyone i n sight. Pawang Brahim was h i t on h i s eyebrow u n t i l he cannot see anything, and several men on their necks, arms,and legs. We have to run from the place as quick as we can. That was not the f i r s t time we had been attacked by the hornets.We stopped to r e s t not very far from that place.After some rest,we proceed to march to the Northern d i r e c t i o n . Now we entered the f a m i l i a r ground for us. We had c r i s s -crossed t h i s area many times by now. To the East i s Simpang Djeumpa and to the West Blang Sala. Soon on our l e f t we w i l l pass again the c l i f f through which we descended down to the r i v e r l a s t June. At a-bout 5 o'clock we reached the place where there i s a l i t t l e brook. Water i s always a problem when you are very high up i n the mountain. we decide to camp there as we did when we came back from Lhok U-djeuen and Mount Kupalang l a s t time.

(SEPTEMBER 10, 1978)

Another day of marching brought us to Dama Limong (Five Turpen-tine Trees) area. The tree l i n e s on t h i s primeval forest possessed such symmetry as though they were planted. Because the foliage i s so thick there i s p r a c t i c a l l y no d i r e c t sunlight touches the ground thus preventing disorderly growth underneath.So everything down be­low i s so clean, orderly and c l e a r . We f e e l l i k e we are on a pre-served park. As the n i g h t f a l l approaches, we decide to camp r i g h t there.

(SEPTEMBER 11, 1978)

We arrived at our destination at about noon time. At that time I f e i t my malaria fever about to come back. I have not had i t for a long time. My health had stood up very w e l l i n the forest since I return. After checking my blood pressure and temperature, Dr. Za i n i and Dr. Husaini decide that I should be given a doze of cloroquine anti-malarial i n j e c t i o n s . After receiving medical treatment I lay down on my camp bedspread that was set up on the ground by my aide. I remember having the d i s t i n c t sensation of laying down on a beau-t i f u l and peaceful park, which was i n f a c t , an Achehnese primeval forest.

The men get busy choosing the permanent camp site.For a few days we camped on the ground while the men are f i n i s h i n g the permanent

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camp on a more strategie ground, on the ridge, to the West of us. I t w i l l take about a week to clear the ground and to e s t a b l i s h the camp. Once the decision to stay there has been taken, a team i s im­mediately dispatched to the countryside to esta b l i s h Communica­tions and to replenish our food supply. I resumé my work w r i t i n g the Drama of Achehnese History while s i t t i n g on the ground. To make i t easier to write for me, the men contrive a short legged table inside the camp for use when r a i n s , and a f u l l - f l e d g e table and a stool outside under the trees for my use when there i s sunshine. I am now half-way i n my book.

(SEPTEMBER 12, 1978)

We received reports from the country about the murder of our com rade Sayed Amin by the Javanese troops on September 4, a t Hugob Height. After they shot him - he was unarmed - they threw h i s body into the r i v e r and i t was stucked near the scène of the Javanese crime by the trunk of a dead tree, on the bank of the r i v e r . I im­mediately picked up a platoon of our troops with additional s i x men commanded by Geut-jhik Uma, to recovër the body of Sayed Amin. Just when Geutjhik Uma was saying goodbye to me for h i s departure, ano­ther messenger from Blang Manè arrived to bring the l a t e s t news: a group of people from the v i l l a g e s had come to take the body of Sayed Amin, the moment they heard of what happened. And they had buried him properly somewhere i n the area of Blang Sala, on the bank of the Tiro River. That i s the place I should v i s i t the f i r s t time I can come back next time. I was informed also that h i s son, who worked for Mobil O i l Corporation at Lhok Sukon,had been arrest­ed bv the Javanese recrime for beincr svmpathetic to h i s father.

(SEPTEMBER 15, 1978)

Today we move to our "permanent" camp. I t i s located at the end of a ridge, near a deep ravine where a l i t t l e nameless spring flows with just enough water for our need. The men immediately, almost by i n s t i n c t , c a l l t h i s Camp Alue T j r i n g (Ravine Spring Camp) and the name sticked. My quarters i s a separate building perking on the edge of an inner ridge; the other houses are on the East-West pro-montory; the kitchen was b u i l t down below near the water of the spring because i t i s d i f f i c u l t to carry the water u p h i l l . The f o l i -age i s so dense here that v i s i b i l i t y i s very limited.You cannot see a man ten meters away. Luckily the opening of the ravine and the distance of the next ridge from ours allow the wind and sunshine to penetrate into our place. Through the opening of the ravine we can see the blue sky and the white clouds above us during the day time and the sparkling stars at night time.

Our communication l i n e s re-established, our supply l i n e s restor-ed, there i s nothing lacking at Camp Ravine Spring. And our p o l i t i ­c a l work i n the countryside progresses ra p i d l y while we are play-ing hide-and-seek with the Javanese troops i n the mountains. I t was impossible to a t t r a c t the people 's attention and to focuse i t on t-Yia n n o c t i n n n f F V B O Ai-Vieh wi thr«i1- o n r wi 1 1 i nerness t o d o w h a t we

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are doing. Now everybody has heard about "Atjèh Meurdéhka" or Free Acheh, what i t means, why, and many have mastered the h i s t o r i c a l and l e g a l e xplanations of i t . The enemy bombing, s h e l l i n g and shoo­t i n g simply a t t r a c t more a t t e n t i o n s and give more c r e d i b i l i t y t o our movement. So we have nothing to l o s e !

The Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t troops d i d not f i n d our Krueng Meuk Camp u n t i l some months l a t e r when they d i s c o v e r the cut bak djok palms. Things t h a t give us l i f e a l s o b r i n g us death. We l i v e i n o r ­der t o d i e . L i f e and death are inseparable t w i n s . Death i s near where there i s l i f e . Even i f when you t h i n k you have l i v e d f o r ano­t h e r day, i n f a c t you had l o s t another day i n the t o t a l mombers o f days of your l i f e . Each day you have l i v e d must be subtracted from your t o t a l days of l i f e . Each day you "gained" i s a c t u a l l y a day you lost i n your l i f e - t h a t b r i n g s you c l o s e r to your death. Death i s your g r e a t e s t s e c r e t , your b i g g e s t mystery t h a t can be most t e r ­r i f y i n g or most sublime depending on how you face i t . You can make your death a sublime moment only i f you made i t a f u l f i l l m e n t . For t h i s you must have a worthy g o a l f o r your l i f e i n which death be-comes only a step taken while on your way t o f u l f i l l t h a t worthy g o a l . Islam gave us the best guidance and p r e p a r a t i o n f o r t h i s i n the I s l a m i c concept of shahadah (roughly t r a n s l a t e d as martyrdom) : i t i s a l e s s o n on how to l i v e w i t h an all-consuming purpose and how to d i e i n f u l f i l l m e n t of t h a t purpose, namely, God's j u s t i c e . To witness f o r o n e s e l f and t o be witnessed by o t h e r s : thereby s e t t i n g an example and l e a v i n g a legacy t h a t w i l l be perpetuated and pre-served t o e t e r n i t y . That i s a t r u e s a l v a t i o n . This has been i n d i v i -s i b l e p a r t of Achehnese I s l a m i c p o l i t i c a l c u l t u r e . T h i s had enabled the Achehnese i n the p a s t to s t a r e a t death and found i t not t e r r i -f y i n g . The Dutch h i s t o r i a n , H. C. Zentgraaff,and others had w r i t t e n t h a t the Achehnese knew how t o expect death.These were key words i n the Drama of Achehnese History.

A l l g reat men have i d e n t i f i e d t h i s c r i t i c a l p o i n t i n the make up of nations t h a t has d i r e c t r e l a t i o n s h i p to war and peace. And t h a t not a l l n a t i o n s have i t . I t depends on t h e i r p o l i t i c o - r e l i g i o u s c u l t u r e . Ceasar, a great m i l i t a r y genius,had s a i d t h a t contempt of death was the f i n e s t i n c e n t i v e to courage and he a t t r i b u t e d i t to r e l i g i o u s teachings r a t h e r than to m i l i t a r y t r a i n i n g s ( De Bello Gallico ). Napoleon endorsed the same idea when he s a i d t h a t i n war "the moral i s t o the p h y s i c a l as three t o one." Another c l a i r -voyance, Montaigne, had w r i t t e n , "those who have learned how to d i e have un-learned how to be s l a v e s . " The I s l a m i c concept of shahadah - which stands by i t s e l f , and o p e r a t i n g on the higher planes than the accepted casus b e l l i of these men -has been the b a s i s of Acheh­nese r e s i s t a n c e a g a i n s t Dutch c o l o n i a l i s m i n the past and a g a i n s t Javanese-indonesian c o l o n i a l i s m a t present.

(SEPTEMBER 25, 1978)

I have decided to send Dr. H u s a i n i Hasan to Europe, A f r i c a and the Americas on a s p e c i a l m i s s i o n t o g a i n i n t e r n a t i o n a l supports f o r our s t r u g g l e . Since I l e f t New York i n September, 1976, we have no r e p r e s e n t a t i v e i n the Western world. Nearly a l l Western press comments on our s t r u g g l e was i n c o r r e c t and s l a n t e d t o be pro-indo-

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nesian. Most Western news media participated i n pro-indonesian co-ver-up, i n one way or another. No one bother to print our points of view. Having lived half of my l i f e i n the United States, I have ne­ver realized before how bigoted and misleading are the news media in the "free world". The major news business such as Reuter, AFP, AP, UPI, would not print anything against the Javanese-indonesian regime which has become the "darling" of the multinationals which also owned the news businesses as well. A l l of them have become ex-tension services of Javanese-indonesian imperialism which i s a sub­contractor of Western imperialism.Every word of a Javanese sergeant would find i t s way into their reports but never the content of our p o l i t i c a l statements. We are being gratuitously referred to by them as "separatists" despite our Declaration of Independence clearly stating and proving that we are seeking our national self-determi­nation from Javanese-indonesian colonialism. Separatism entails a movement by a people who are already free but want a separate state for themselves. National liberation movement means a movement by a people who i s not free and s t i l l colonized and wants to secure i t s freedom that i s guaranteed by the Charter of the United Nations and International Law. By labeling us as "separatists" instead of free­dom fighters that we are, the Western news media have deliberately confused the issue, and making our just struggle less urgent than i t was, thus they are engaging in misrepresentation. We are a l i b e ­ration movement of a colonized people, and not "separatists". They did not refer to the freedom fighters who revolted against Western colonialism before as "separatists" but why are they referring to us who are revolting against Javanese-indonesian colonialism as"se-paratists" now? They cannot possibly be so dumb as to accept the proposition that only white men can be colonialists but not brown men. Therefore we cannot attribute their inaccurate reportings ex­cept to w i l l f u l desire to misinform and their utter insensitivity to questions of justice. Naturally there are exceptions albeit very rare.

As liberation movements we have legal sanctities under Interna­tional Law and Decolonization Law of the United Nations. But when they booked us as "separatists" they have taken us away from that category and from legal protection of International, thus support-ing our oppressors, the Javanese-indonesian colonialists. Especial­ly i n the Third World, the term "separatist" i s a d i r t y word and np Third World's country would help a separatist movement. So the l a ­bel the Western newsmen are tagging on us has very dangerous p o l i ­t i c a l consequences for us and very helpful for the Javanese coloni­a l i s t s . There i s a custom i n the West that one i s entitled to be called by his name. At least the Western newsmen should have given us that courtesy.

Agence France Press (AFP) for example, distributed a long a r t i -cle about us with the t i t l e : " New Rush of Separatist Movements i n Indonesia ", published by the Singapore's Straits Times, June 10, 1977. The a r t i c l e was f u l l of "plots" and "bogies". Why should the­re be an "Acheh Plot?" The people of Acheh are demanding what i s r i g h t f u l l y theirs. Why should the AFP correspondent c a l l the act of self-determination a "plot"? Are AFP writers a group of ignoramous people who had never heard of Decolonization principles of the Uni­ted Nations? A movement for independence i s a legitimate act of a

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colonized people; i t i s not a "plot" to commit a crime. Colonialism has been declared by the United Nations as an international orime. I t i s Indonesia that i s committing the crime. The AFP a r t i c l e also raised the spectre of "foreign accomplices of an Acheh rebel leader for twenty years a resident of the United States that Indonesia must dig out." There are no "foreign accomplices"! Note the c r i m i -nal connotation of the word chosen by AFP to describe our national l i b e r a t i o n movement. C l e a r l y the AFP assumed the " c r i m i n a l i t y " of our act of self-detrmination and the "legitimacy" of Javanese-indo­nesian colonialism. These men must be so ignorant to think that a movement for independence needs "foreign accomplices" and can be foménted by outsiders. I have to come back to t h i s forest to l i v e with my people to do t h i s . No "foreign accomplices" can do or would do that.

Another demeaning characterization by the Western i m p e r i a l i s t press against us was t h e i r insistence on using the mindless epi -thet of " u n i l a t e r a l " declaration of independence i n describing our struggle, as i f a slave had no r i g h t to free himself except by the acquiescence of the slave d r i v e r ; as i f a home-owner had no r i g h t to chase the burglar except by consent of the burglar himself. This i s an exhibition of the inverted l o g i c of the Western mind that grants l e g a l i t y to thievery, aggression and occupation of others" countries. This i s a flagrant attempt at retroactive l e g a l i z a t i o n of colonialism as i f anyone had ever achieved r e a l independence by anything else except through u n i l a t e r a l declaration of independence since the time of the American declaration of independence to the present day.

While I think about i t I would l i k e to comment about the r i d i c u -lous name of "indonesia", the biggest hoak perpetrated by the Java­nese i n col l u s i o n with the Dutch and other Western i m p e r i a l i s t s i n Southeast Asia for the convenience of t h e i r continuing plunder öf the economie resources of t h i s region against the legitimate i n t e ­rests of so many m i l l i o n s of the indigenous peoples of t h i s Vast region. This i s the name of a supposed "nation" that never was . The word"indonesia" i t s e l f i s a t o t a l l y foreign n^menclature,a mis-spelled and mispronounced Greek word. I t sounds strange and uncon-vincing the f i r s t time we heard i t , i n 1942, when the Dutch c o l o n i ­a l i s t regime o f f i c i a l l y announced the change of name of t h e i r colo­n i a l empire of the "Netherlands East Indies" to "indonesia". Thus a new, a r t i f i c i a l "nation" was fabricated. Only those who are forced to masquerade under t h i s mask know that i t a l l a play-acting from the beginning to the end. I t i s l i k e the hats the people put on, not t h e i r heads, and much less t h e i r hearts. I t was perpetrated at a time when the peoples of Acheh Sumatra, Borneo, the Celebes, the Moluccas and West Papua had not yet recovered t h e i r h i s t o r i e per$o-n a l i t i e s , t h e i r p o l i t i c a l consciousness, and their selfrespect. The peoples of the Dutch East Indies were more backward p o l i t i c a i l y than the peoples of any other European colonies i n A f r i c a or Asia. This has much to do with the nature of the c o l o n i a l p o l i c y of the Dutch that deliberately kept the peoples as backward as possible i n order to keep them crippled p o l i t i c a i l y , In contrast to a l l other

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European colonialists who propagated their languages and cultures among the colonial peoples to such an extent that you find Portu­guese became the language of a l l the peoples of the former Portu­guese colonies, the same with French, Spanish, and English, result-ing i n bringing the intellectual development of these colonies to more or less close to the level of the metropolitan countries, the Dutch kept the peoples of the East Indies - their "indonesia" - i g ­norant, by withholding the tooi of modern education from them, by not teaching the peoples the Dutch language which would have meant opening intellectual communication line with a European culture. When the opportunity for independence arrived in 1945,the peoples of Acheh Sumatra, Borneo, the Celebes, the Moluccas and West Papua were not ready for i t . They have no p o l i t i c a l experience, no p o l i ­t i c a l leadership, no p o l i t i c a l parties, and no concept of indepen­dence. The pre-colonial leadership had been decimated by the Dutch. In Acheh, i n particular, a l l the leaders were systematically mur­dered by the Dutch. Only the Javanese had a handful of Dutch educa-ted demagogues. They grabbed the microphones and proclaimed the Dutch East Indies alias "indonesia" independence with themselves replacing the Dutch and perpetuating Dutch colonial administration in Jakarta. They and the Dutch totally disregarded the separate ju-r i d i c a l status of other Dutch colonial territories thousands of k i ­lometers overseas from Java, and with Dutch help, grabbed a l l . The­re were resistance against them on every island but was crushed by force of arms supplied by the Dutch and the US.

Foreign journalists who were reporting at the time were correct i n writing that Sukarno, the Javanese demagogue,was the idol of his people, the Javanese on the island of Java.But that was not true i n Acheh Sumatra and other countries. The journalists did not always make clear how large an area they were talking about when they d i s -cussed Dutch East Indies or "indonesia": this i s a world region e-qual i n length to that from Lisbon to Moscow, and i n width from Rome to Oslo. Now, a man like Mussolini could be seen acclaimed by millions i n Rome, or Hitier i n Germany, but certainly not i n Moscow or London too. There are as much differences between the people of Acheh Sumatra, the Moluccas, West Papua, e t c , with the Javanese as there are differences between European nations, i f not more. They shared no common history, no common language,no common culture and no common interests with the Javanese.

As an a r t i f i c i a l , fabricated name, "indonesia" has no hi s t o r y j i t has no root i n the hearts and minds of the peoples of this region. It has been created for the sole purpose of maintaining the admi­nistrative unity of the Dutch colony and now to perpetuate i t as a neo-colony for Western powers at the expense of the indigenous peo­ples of each of these separate colonial t e r r i t o r i e s . Therefore, the name of "indonesia" does not invoke any sense of pride, attachment or solidarity among these varied peoples. Some sociologists have already attributed the large scale corruptions as practiced by and among "indonesians" as symtomatic of this loveless relationship be­tween the citizens and the "indonesian" state. A l l the nationali-t i e s of the region have tremendous attachments and loyalties to their ethnic groupings, including the Javanese themselves, and eve­ryone would strive to protect their collective good names. But no

_ i ±- , a ~c nj TVio ïmmont- t-Vif»v r a n

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present themselves as "indonesians" - and not as Javanese,Buginese, Moluccans, Sundanese, etc., they became different men, having been freed from the duty to maintain the collective good names of their real nationality groups. By assuming the name of "indonesians" they became anonymous, like small town boys who arrivés in big c i t i e s where a l l relationships become de-personalized and even de-humaniz-ed. The moment a Javanese, a Moluccan, a Minangkabau, or a Batak donned his "indonesian" uniform, he assumes a new personality, less restrained, less c i v i l i z e d , freed from the strictures of his real national moral code, like a child who had donned his Halloween cos-tume, free to do things he would normally be ashamed of doing i t , like begging, but free to do i t now under the anonymity of a mask. Corruptions, crimes, homicide, even genocide have been committed under the cloak of the anonymity of "indonesian" uniforms. A Java­nese general or p o l i t i c i a n would feel no particular distress at the term of "indonesian colonialism" but he w i l l protest at any sug -gestion of "Javanese colonialism".Only then his honor i s involved . He i s unmasked. He i s now without his protective shield. He cannot bear his real nationality being defamed. That was how two million people had been massacred - almost absent-mindedly - i n "indonesia" by "indonesians" since 19S5 alone. Genocides are s t i l l i n progress i n East Timor, West Papua and Acheh Sumatra. Every'thing i s permis sible under the name of "indonesia". And Western democracies insur-ed the continued existence of this , rindoncsian" regime with stagger ing amount of armamcnts and finance. As far as my people are con-cerned, and other non-Javanese nationalities of this region, "indo­nesia" i s slavery dressed in liberty by Western powers.As Kurt Jur-gens had observed, "l'esolavage prend de grave proportions, lorsqu' on lui accorde de rasser,\bler d la libertë. "

An anthropologist onca asked:"Can you define who i s an Indonesi­an by physical, cultural or lingulstic characteristics?" After he analyzed each point in detail he concluded that i t was an impossi-ble task, because there i s really no such "indonesian people" , nc such "indonesian nation" and no such "indonesian race". The peoples who had been subjugated by Dutch imperialism i n these vast territo­ries composed of many races and nationalities with physical charac­t e r i s t i c s of their own: some of them are with straight hairs, some with curly hairs, some with brown skin, some with yellow skin, anc s t i l l others with black skin. Each group with bone structure appro­priate to i t s e l f . In Java there i s strong traces of pithecantropus erectus lines. The same differing situation prevailêd i n the fielc' of culture. There i s no "indonesian culture" that one can speak of, There i s no "indonesian language" either.What the Javanese are pro-pagandizing nowaday as "indonesian language" i s i n fact nothing but a bastardized Malay, a kind of Pidgin Malay, not f i t for literaturt or serious thinking. While Javanese tongue itself.according to phi-lologists i s not belong to the Malay languages at all.The only com­mon denominator among these diverse peoples was the fact that the] a l l having been unfortunate enough to be colonized once by th< Dutch. But that i s not an acceptable reason for c i v i l i z e d communi-ties on which to base a state. The Decolonization Law of the UN ha; provided the only just solution: the recognition of separate juri-d i c a l status to each colonial territory, and the right of each t< become free «m<5 Independence again; and prohibition of transfer oi sovereignty by a colonial power over any territory. The Dutch an<

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the Javanese colonialists are violating this UN law today by perpe-tuating their colonial empire of "indonesia" on the peoples of A-cheh Sumatra, South Moluccas, West Papua, and others.

While on the subject of "indonesia" I would like to make another observation. "Indonesia" being the continuation of colonialism un­der another name and color, to paraphrase Clausewitz, i t s existence and continuation depend solely on repression. The world cannot f a i l to notice the increasing scale of repression i n "indonesia" since i t s inception u n t i l today. There have been two categories and two levels of large scale violations of rights i n "indonesia": f i r s t , violations of peoples 'rights to selfdetermination - that i s , of thé non-Javanese nationalities, such as those of Acheh Sumatra, the Mo­luccas, west Papua, East Timor, etc., that resulted i n Javanese-in­donesia 's committing not one, but a series of genocides, a l l at on­ce; second, violations of individuals' human rights by Javanese-in­donesian regime that resulted i n homicides that had f i l l e d the pages of account books of Amnesty International, Human Right Com­mission, etc. Genocide and homicide are the inevitable accompani-ment of the continuation of colonialism under another name. To this day, however, international scrutiny has been limited only to the homicidal aspect of the crime of the Javanese-indonesian regime and the genocidal aspect of i t has gone largely un-noticed by the out-side world because i t touches Western economie interests. The num­bers of dead for both categories of the Javanese-indonesian crimes since 1965 alone - not counting since 1945!- have been internation-a l l y accepted to be about 2-million human beings. And the numbers of our dead are s t i l l augmenting each day!

Therefore, the harmiess and pious sounding slogan of the Western bankers and government leaders about "keeping the unity of indone­sia" i s simply vicious for us who li v e under the boot of Javanese-indonesian regime although i t might sound reasonable to those well-meaning people abroad who are not yet f u l l y apprised of the Javane­se-indonesian homicides and genocides. You have heard about the numbers of our dead, which are augmenting by the day. But have you heard also that our language i s forbidden to be spoken in schools, i n offices, in courts, and anyone caught writing letters i n our own language are subject to arrest, j a i l i n g and torture? Where i s the UNESCO? Where i s the Human Right Commission? Where i s the Decoloni­zation Commission? This latter commission has been demobilized be­cause i t cannot see colonialism i n other color except i n black and white. And our colonialists happened to be brown. In short, to sup­port the "unity of indonesia" means to support colonialism by ano­ther name, and i n other color; to protect the roots of homicide and genocide; and to deny the right of self-determination to many mil-lrons of peoples of Southeast Asia.

Dr. Husaini Hasan*s party returned to the camp today. He cannot proceed with his mission because the enemy forces had blocked a l l roads to East Acheh. While on the march back,one of his guards, Do Ganx, got sick and Dr. Husaini had to operate on him without anaesthetic, and they couldnot return u n t i l he gets sufficiently

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well. Do Gani i s a very fine revolutionary fighter with great cou­rage and very few words. He has been with us from the very begin­ning.

(OCTOBER 10, 1978)

I finished writing the f i r s t draft of my book, The Drama of A-ohehnese History, in long hand. Starting from today I begin typing i t from 7 AM to 6 PM, with a few minutes break for lunch.So no sun-light i s wasted! I cannot use the lamp at night, for security rea-son,

(OCTOBER 15, 1978)

Today the enemy attacked our auxiliary supply camp i n Truseb.Our man, Shahpari Ben, the leader of the camp was shot, wounded on his leg and was captured by the enemy. This was an incident of grave consequences for us. It means stoppage of food supplies from Truséb and the leak of our Alue Tjring Camp.

(OCTOBER 20, 1978)

The f i r s t impact of Shahpari's capture was we had no food f«r five days i n a row. Teams have been sent somewhere else to f i l l the gap but they did not come back u n t i l today.And to make things worse during that period we had danger alert almost everyday. That means we have to move out of the camp with everything packed ready ^ to go away and si t t i n g at the top of the ridge. We would go back to the camp at night i f nothing happened. Because I was determined to f i ­nish typing my book, I do not l e t that situation stopped my typing. The men made a short legged table for me on the edge of the slent-ing ground where I can straighten my legs down h i l l while s i t t i n g on the ground typing, thus eliminating the necessity to construct a stool. I wish I had a camera to take some pictures at this trying time. There I was typing The Drama of Achehnese History i n the wil-derness sitting on the grass. During the f i r s t day of not eating, there was just strong rumbling i n the stomach.The second day I f e i t very shaky. The third day, my hands were trembling. It would have been impossible to write by hand legibly, but i t was possible to type since what you did was just to bang on the keys of the alpha-bets. The fourth day I f e i t headache that was progressively becom-ing more painful. On the f i f t h day my typing became slower and I had to stop to rest more and more often. A l l those time Geutjhik U-ma was sit t i n g behind me with his gun on the ready. Most of the men were laying a l l over. They just tried to sleep to forget the hunger. There was no bak djok palms in this area. So there i s nothing to do except to wait. Every once i n a while, the guard from the posts would be running to t e i l Geutjhik Uma to ask me to stop typing when they heard some noise from a distance. At a time like that even the sound of a portable typewriter clicking i s dangerous. And i n the forest everything should be heard carefully even the sound of birds singing. The enemy i s doing the same.I make four copies of the Dra­ma, the maximum a portable typewriter can make with f a i r readabili-

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At about noon time the r e l i e v e d column a r r i v e d t o b r i n g us food and s e v e r a l types of Achehnese yams. The men are advised t o e a t s l o w l y . And e x t r a food are prepared t o a l l o w everyone t o e a t t o h i s h e a r t ' s content a f t e r such gruesome f i v e days.

(OCTOBER 25, 1978)

I f i n i s h e d t y p i n g The Drama of Achehnese History. I t f i t s i n t o 70 pages a l t o g e t h e r . I t c o n s i s t s of 8 A c t s and 23 Scènes. A c t I , Scène 1, begins on March 26, 1873, when the Achehnese C o u n c i l of State was meeting i n Kuta Radja and the Dutch emissary, a Javanese named Mas Sumo, a r r i v e d to d e l i v e r the Dutch Ultimatum t o the King of Acheh demanding surrender without f i g h t to Holland and t o accept becoming p a r t o f the Dutch East I n d i e s a l i a s " i n d o n e s i a " . That U l ­timatum was r e j e c t e d by the C o u n c i l o f S t a t e and by the King of A-cheh. On the same day, the Dutch d e c l a r e d war a g a i n s t Acheh. Then A c t a f t e r A c t , and Scène a f t e r Scène, d e p i c t i n g d e c i s i v e moments i n Achehnese h i s t o r y , how an independent Achehnese n a t i o n had defended i t s e l f , the great v i c t o r y a t the B a t t l e of Bandar Acheh on A p r i l 23 1873, t h a t shook the world, the Dutch invaders running away, the second i n v a s i o n , the tragedy a f t e r tragedy, the b a t t l e f i e l d a f t e r b a t t l e f i e l d , Achehnese s t a t e o f mind a t the time, t h e i r p o l i t i c a l t heory, customs and manners, e t c , u n t i l the l a s t A c t and the l a s t Scène when we e s t a b l i s h e d the NLF and r e d e c l a r e d the Independence of Acheh Sumatra, on December 4, 1976. The o b j e c t i v e of the p l a y i s to show the l e g a l and p o l i t i c a l c o n t i n u i t y o f Achehnese h i s t o r y , o f the Achehnese State before Dutch aggression, d u r i n g Dutch aggres-s i o n , a f t e r Dutch aggression u n t i l today. "Indonesia" i s not r e l e ­v a nt t o Achehnese h i s t o r y except as an invader t h a t must be e x p e l l -ed. I t was meant f o r the education o f the Achehnese younger genera-t i o n s t o show t h e i r proper p l a c e under the sun. I t was based e n t i -r e l y on r e a l h i s t o r i e happenings, r e a l h i s t o r i e c h a r a c t e r s , both on Achehnese as on Dutch s i d e s . Few people on e a r t h have been endowed w i t h such great h i s t o r y . I awakened i t s memory and summoned i t s s p i r i t now t o r e v i v e my people i n the f i g h t f o r our s u r v i v a l as a people, a c u l t u r e , and a way of l i f e . E i t h e r we l i v e f r e e or we d i e f r e e . Free i n l i f e or f r e e i n death.

Tonight we decide t o r e c i t e The Drama of Achehnese History t o the c a p t i v e audience i n the Alue T j r i n g Camp. Dr. H u s a i n i a c t s as the n a r r a t o r . He i s superb because he had enjoyed a c t i n g . The men are moved t o t e a r s . They begin t o sense even b e t t e r than before the c o n t i n u i t y of what we are doing now w i t h what our f a t h e r s had done. We simply have repeated our h i s t o r y . They have heard t h a t b e f o r e , but the p l a y made e v e r y t h i n g more v i v i d and more r e a l . P l a y i s the best method t o teach h i s t o r y , e s p e c i a l l y l i v i n g h i s t o r y , such as ours. Shakespeare was the primary teacher of h i s t o r y t o h i s people because of h i s many p l a y s . I t h i n k we have a l s o found our medium. I t was by no means without some i n s t r u c t i o n s from the master a l ­though f a i n t l y remembered i n the primeval f o r e s t s o f Acheh, a t Krueng Meuk and Alue T j r i n g . I had once as a boy memorized Shakes­peare "s Julius Ceasar w h i l e s t i l l i n school i n Acheh, i n an e x c e l ­l e n t A r a b i c t r a n s l a t i o n by Mustapha L u t f i al-Manfaluthy, the Egyp-t i a n poet. I read the o r i g i n a l i n E n g l i s h much l a t e r .

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One copy of the play we keep i n the camp. The second copy was sent immediately for safe-keeping i n the countryside i n Pi d i e pro­vince, knowing f u l l well what can happen to us; the t h i r d copy was sent for safe-keeping i n Kuta Radja - the c i t y where the enemy has his headquarters - but inspite of that i t i s s t i l l OUT c i t y ; the fourth copy was sent to Samalanga D i s t r i c t i n Batèe ïliek province. As future events w i l l prove, i t was providential that we did take that precaution. Otherwise the play would have been l o s t i n b a t t l e s .

(OCTOBER 27, 1978)

We received the report that the enemy w i l l take Shahpari Bén to show the way to Camp Alue T j r i n g i n a few days. We are advised to move out as soon as possible. As that was already a foregone con-clusion, we decide to move out tomorrow to the area of Alue Ubuet (I cannot figure out what was the o r i g i n of that name or what i t meant) to the Southwest of here, about half-a-day march.

(OCTOBER 28, 1978)

We marched out at 8 AM. Dr. Zai n i t o l d me that Army Commander Daud Husin had contracted some kind of vir u s during that abortive t r i p s to take Dr. Husaini out of the country, and he had not been fee l i n g well ever since, and his i l l n e s s has become acute since t h i s morning. He suspected some ser.ious complications. But we have to move even i f we had to carry him on a stretcher. Luckily he i s able to walk. F i r s t we have to climb up for about 3 hours". Then descending down for about 3 hours. There we cross Alue Ubuet. Then we climb up again, t h i s time very steep and we l i t e r a l l y have to scale up the mountain. Fortunately, however, we do not have to go too far to arrivé at our "new home". We found a strategie spot and b u i l t our camp there. This i s Alue Ubuet Camp.

(OCTOBER 29, 1978)

Today i n the morning we heard enemy bombing, s h e l l i n g and s t r a f -ing of our Alue Tjring Camp. At n i g h t f a l l we received the f u l l r e ­port. The enemy had brought Shahpari Bén, on a stretcher, because his wound has not healed, to show the s i t e of the camp. The camp was bombed and strafed before the enemy troops moved i n . They found the camp was empty, of course. They were furious.

Meanwhile the doctors had diagnosed that Army Commander Daud Hu­si n had a cholera. He had been vomiting a l l day. L u c k i l y we had a-dequate stock of a n t i - b i o t i c s with us. So we are not alarmed. He responded favorably to treatment.

By the size of the enemy forces attacking Alue T j r i n g we knew that we cannot stay too long at Alue Ubuet. I t i s too close. I f the enemy decided to search the surrounding h i l l s we could e a s i l y clashed. But we decide to postpone further movement u n t i l Army Com­mander i s fe e l i n g better. In the meantime we had re-established new supply l i n e s .

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(OCTOBER 30, 1978)

This i s the Landing Day, the day I landed at Kuala T a r i , i n 1976, the day we organized the NLF. We commemorate i t with a simple f l a g -r a i s i n g ceremony and a speech by Dr. Husaini. I t was already two years ago and how we have worked and suffered since that day. We are s a t i s f i e d at what we have accomplished although more things s t i l l have to be done ahead of us. We are not discouraged by the d i f f i c u l t i e s we encountered, because we had expected them. We have only begun a long journey that we are resolved to make.

(NOVEMBER 3, 1978)

Today we decide to move further away to Alue Mawah (Orangutan Spring), another half-a-day walk to the Southwest. This i s one of our a u x i l i a r y camps already long established onthe side of a brook. We decide to stop here only for a short r e s t before going further to Alue Bayah, to permit the Army Commander to get some re s t . To­morrow we w i l l celebrate the Muslim Holiday of Id-al-Adha here, one of important holidays i n Acheh. I t i s to commemorate Abraham"s sac­r i f i c e of h i s son, Ismael, as ordained by A l l a h to test h i s f a i t h . In the meantime the Army Commander's health i s getting a setback.

(NOVEMBER 4, 1978)

Today we celebrate the Muslim Holiday with a Prayer and a f l a g r a i s i n g ceremony too. To my surprise we s t i l l receive cakes and a l l sorts of special foods for Holiday feast from the people i n the countryside. They di d not forget usl We have a l l the t r a d i t i o n a l special d i s h that you eat i n Acheh on holiday l i k e t h i s - i n the countryI But i n the mountains and under our s i t u a t i o n - that i s in c r e d i b l e i I d i d not even request anything l i k e that to be sent to us anymore. Anyhow everyone has a good time and being able to share the holiday atmosphere.

Upon inspection I found out that t h i s camp i s very vulnerable indeed, although i t i s very nice being located on such an opened space. But there are f l a t l a n d on a l l three d i r e c t i o n s l The enemy can j u s t walks i n . So we decide to move on as soon as the condi-t i o n of Army Commander allowed.We have to wait two more days there.

(NOVEMBER 7, 1978)

Today we arrived at Camp Bayah, a long-standing e x i s t i n g camp to the Southwest of Camp Alue Mawah. We plan to stay here as long as possible because communication with the countryside i s well esta­blished from here. I t i s s t r a t e g i c a l l y located on the high ground and the water of the spring i s sparkling clean. From the " s i t t i n g room" of the camp we can see the countryside below as the camp i s located on a high promontory that there i s nothing between our win-dow and the val l e y below. We have to be ca r e f u l with l i g h t at night as i t can be observed from far away i n the countryside.

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(NOVEMBER 10, 1978)

As an indication of good communication with the countryside, we begin to receive everything we need here, including milk and honey, which I give" to the sick Army Commander. He soon recovered. We also received a consignment of new uniforms, a holiday g i f t s for the men from the people. A l l these should indicate to you the f u t i l i t y of the Javanese-indonesian c o l o n i a l i s t s ' attempts to separate us from the people.

Now, with the a v a i l a b i l i t y of the play, we stage i t i n the even-ings. We have enough good c l a s s i c music for background,Bach, V i v a l -d i and others. The men begin to assume their favorite h i s t o r i e cha-racters i n The Drama of Achehnese History. The least taken were the roles of a few t r a i t o r s we had i n the play. The men are very re l u c -tant to accept that roles even for just playing.Anyway everyone has a great time with the play and i n the meantime became adept as sto­ry t e l l e r s that they can e n t h r a l l their audience when they go to the countryside. The mountain has indeed become the place for edu-cation, the High School that i s t r u l y high up there.

(NOVEMBER 15, 1978)

Now every few days we received fresh meats sent to us by the people i n the countryside. The people want to assure themselves that we i n the mountain not only should have enough to eat but should have the best meats as w e l l . We are regularly informed that i n such and such v i l l a g e s there are steers, lambs, b u l l s , and cows that are g i f t s for us and to arrange to piek them up. Because those bi g animals cannot be brought to the mountain a l i v e without leaving traces, the people would slaughter them i n the country and would send the packed meat to us. When you think that t h i s i s being done while the enemy i s occupying that very v i l l a g e , and watching every­thing, then you can appreciate the degree of s o l i d a r i t y we receive from the people, who can never be separated from us by the Javanese indonesian c o l o n i a l i s t invaders. Nothing the enemy can do to change that.

While on the subject of b u l l s reserved for us by the people,I ought to relate the story of Dutch Colonel H. J . Schmidt on how he once traced the place of my grandfather i n the mountain of Tangsé. He wrote the story i n the Dutch M i l i t a r y Review and i n h i s Memoirs. Taking the occasion of a holiday season when the people would send b u l l s as g i f t s for my grandfather who was then i n the mountain, he i n f i l t r a t e d the people through an agent and offered a big and heavy b u i l to the people - who were unawared of Schmidt's plot - to take the b u i l to the mountain where my grandfather was then staying. Not r e a l i z i n g the Dutch scheme, the people took the b u i l to the moun­tains. Then Schmidt and his men secretly followed the footprints of the b u i l leading to the ^ e r i l l a camp of my grandfather that f i n a l ­l y resulted i n the Battle of Alue Simi.

To avoid that d i r t y t r i c k being played on us now we had decided that no animals should be brought to the mountains, but only packed meat can be accepted. i u s t i n case.

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(NOVEMBER 22, 1978)

Our security situation i n Camp Bayah i s sufficiently good that " authorized to bring up several delegations from East Acheh anc North Acheh to the camp to meet with me. From them I know the evei increasing effect of our movement on the p o l i t i c a l consciousness oi our people. The people now understand and are convinced that w« ought to be independent and are ready to fight and to sacrifice foi i t when we c a l l upon them to do so - which we have not called as yet. For the time being we want them just to know, to be p o l i t i c a l -ly awared. The mere fact of their knowing i s our present objective,

(NOVEMBER 30, 1978)

We received reports that the enemy i s penetrating deeper anc deeper near the area of our Camp Bayah. Bayah i s a type of pain growing i n high altitude and bearing no f r u i t . There are many bayar palms around this h i l l . That was why this was called Camp Bayah.

(DECEMBER 3, 1978)

We commemorate TENGKU TJHIK MAAT DAY or BATTLE OF ALUE BHOT that took place on December 3, 1911, with a solemn ceremony i n th< f i e l d on the East side of Camp Bayah where we have a natural "sta­dium", a bowl shape depression i n the ground with enough space foi a l l of us to stand i n i t , without being visible from outside.A flac pole was erected i n the centre of the stadium with a podium besidc i t . Dr. Zaini acted as the Master of Ceremony and Dr Husaini as the main speaker. He delivered an excellent speech about the strugglt of Tengku Tjhik Maat d i Tiro, our last Head of State, who was k i l l ­ed at 16 years of age, on December 3, 1911, at the Battle of Alu« Bhot, Tangsé. It i s important for us to remember him today, mort than ever, i n order to strengthen ourselves to follow his footsteps and not to give i n to the invaders. A l l of us had outlived Tengki Tjhik Maat, so we should be more ready to die i f necessary for oui just cause. Long l i f e i s not important but the important thing Li what you do with your l i f e . Tengku Tjhik Maat d i Tiro had done more good at sixteen, by dying as he did, than what most men had done al sixty. That i s why we salute him today, for the great and d i f f i c u l l example he had set before us and the future generations. That was the gist of Dr Husaini's speech. We leave the flag at half-staff.

(DECEMBER 4, 1978)

This i s our INDEPENDENCE DAY. We are back at our "stadium". Th< half-staff flag of yesterday i s raised again to the summit today, It i s symbolic of the rebirth - renaissance - of the people of A-cheh! Today Dr Husaini presides over the ceremony. Dr Zaini reads the text of the Declaration of Independence of Acheh Sumatra. Aftei that I deliver a short speech to remind everyone never to forget that what we are doing i s to continue the work of our forefathers that had begun 107 years ago, from 1873, when the foreign invaders

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landed, and we do not know when i t w i l l be over. We w i l l struggle as long as i t takes. And that i s why we must prepare our people with f u l l understanding of the task ahead of us. Unlike i n the past today the struggle to li b e r a t e ourselves from colonialism i s l e g a l according to International Law and the Decolonization p r i n c i p l e of the United Nations. But the i n i t i a t i v e must always come from us. We cannot ask other peoples to help us before we ourselves show to them that we have the w i l l to f i g h t . A l l those peoples who are now enjoying the i r independence have passed through t h i s way.Even A l l a h had said i n tha Quran:"Ke w i l l not change anything for a people,un­t i l that people themselves make the change f i r s t with them."

I told my audience: you can see that everything we do has a pur­pose. Internally to revive the p o l i t i c a l consciousness of our peo­ple. Externally, to demonstrate to other peoples i n the world that we have the w i l l to struggle for our independence. Only a f t e r that we can expect international supports. And that i s why we are here.

After the ceremony I c a l l for a meeting of Pawang and the army commander. My visionary Asgady t o l d me that he had visions i n h i s dreams, an old man with turban and white beard advised him that the time has come to move along. And the big tree i n front of our camp that had f a l l e n l a s t night, without any wind to push i t at a l l , i s a warning to move also. And there was a report that the enemy had planned to attack our camp soon. Some think that i t i s better to move to a new area altogether, l i k e t c Meureudu or Batèe I l i e k pro­vinces. But the memories of the unsuccessful move to Lhok Udjeuen discourage us from the idea to move to unfamiliar t e r r a i n s . Some suggested that we should move to Geumpang D i s t r i c t . F i n a l l y we take the easier way, to move to f a m i l i a r ground, to return to Tiro moun­tains again, t h i s time to Puntjeuek H i l l s . This i s a c r u c i a l move as the future development w i l l t e i l . Upon r e f l e c t i o n i t might have been wiser to move to Geumpang or Batèe I l i e k . I t would have taken us the same amount of time to reach a l l these places. So we decide to move to Puntjeuek H i l l s tomorrow.

(DECEMBER 5, 1978) We depart from Camp Bayah at 8 AM to three d i r e c t i o n s . The main

body, my party, to Puntjeuek H i l l , to Southwest direction.Estimated time, 5 days march i n extremely d i f f i c u l t and dangerous s i t u a t i o n . Another group to Eastern d i r e c t i o n , going to Blang Manè and Meureu­du areas. S t i l l another group, to go down to Truseb with dispatches. We get out of the camp dispersed, i n order not to make d i s t i n c t footprints that can indicate the d i r e c t i o n of our leaving. At about 9 AM we heard gun f i r e s from Northwestern d i r e c t i o n , that was the route taken by the party that went to Truseb. We know l a t e r thatthe enemy ambushed them and one person was captured, Hasballah Tiba. The others managed to escape. The enemy forced Hasballah to take him to Camp Bayah. Th-2 enemy troops were ready to attack us there i n great numbers and they had camped only 1 hour walk away from Camp Bayah since yescerday. Only they d i d not know the exact loca-t i o n of our camp. Hasballah. had to cake then there. We hear such barrage of f i r i n g there while we continue our march. We r e a l l y had a narrow escape that ir.orrim. On our way we are surprised to see

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the enemy footprints and traces everywhere i n our v i c i n i t y . We also know that they had had a terrible time for nothing. Because of that we have no confidence anymore to walk along the ridge. We have to take other more d i f f i c u l t routes a l l the time. Also because the e-nemy had gone very high up i n the mountains we decide to cross at very low levels. That means we have to go through so many ravines and c l i f f s . It took us four nights and five days on the road to ar­rivé i n Puntjeuek H i l l . A l l the times walking from daybreak to nig h t f a l l . This i s a rainy season, making i t more d i f f i c u l t and more dangerous because you leave footprints on soft grounds every­where. We have to cross two big rivers, the Tiro River and Krueng Meuk River. When we arrived i n Puntjeuek H i l l which i s on higher ground than Camp Bayah, we can hear that the enemy i s s t i l l i n ac-tion "against us" there by bombing, strafing,machine-gunning, punc-tuated by mortar shells without stopping, already five days!

(DECEMBER 9, 1978)

We arrived at midday i n Puntjeuek area and we picked up a spot for our camp just a l i t t l e behind Southeastern slope of Puntjeuek Peak that I had desgribed earlier as the a t t i c of Pidie Province. There i s a small spring (alue) there with crystal clear water and round white pebbles. We plan an "L" shape housing compound facing the spring with huge fireplace i n the middle to provide, heat for a l l because i t i s very cold at night. My quarters i s at the Eastern end of the compound near the spring. I can hear the sound of the water running softly i n the sti l l n e s s of the night. It takes •& week to f i n i s h the Camp of Puntjeuek. Our calculation i s that wa can re-ly on several areas for food supply by staying here.

(DECEMBER 19, 1978)

Since we arrived i n Puntjeuek, Communications with the country have been re-established quickly. But to go down to Tiro Region from Puntjeuek involved very steep descend and very d i f f i c u l t climbing up again. Therefore the men prefer to take the longer routes by going West or East f i r s t and then make their descend from that place.

Since we are i n Puntjeuek we managed to type more copies of The Drama of Achehnese History and distributed them right away i n the country. Stencil master sheets are being cut also and should be ready for printing soon. We plan to make several thousand copies for distribution without charge to our members and educational i n -stitutions.

(DECEMBER 20, 1978)

The NLF forces i n East Acheh, Pasè Province, attacked the enemy troops i n Paya Bakong area, near the natural-gas f i e l d , in accord-ance with our policy to protect our gas resources from being stolen by the Javanese invaders and their foreign accomplices. One enemy soldier was killed.several enemy buildings were destroyed and many enemy motor vehicles burned.

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(DECEMBER 23, 1978)

The NLF forces i n Pasè Province attacked Javanese colonization projects (they c a l l e d i t "transmigration centre") at Alue Meurieng. Four buildings destroyed and three enemy soldiers were k i l l e d i n the b a t t l e .

(DECEMBER 26, 1978)

The NLF forces attacked enemy troops near the LNG (Liquefied Na­t u r a l Gas) plants' s i t e i n Lhok Sukon, Pasè Province.Another attack was launched against enemy position i n Panton Labu town, also i n Pasè Province.

The NLF forces i n East Acheh are under d i r e c t command of Dr Much tar Hasbi, the Vice President of the NLFAS and Minister of Internal A f f a i r s of the State of Acheh Sumatra, a singularly dynamic perso­n a l i t y .

(DECEMBER 27, 1978)

Today i s a national holiday, ISKANDAR MUDA DAY,commemorating the death of Sultan Iskandar Muda, i n 1639. Iskandar Muda was a m i l i t a ­ry genius, a great statesman, a law-giver, a l l a t once.

After the f l a g i s raised, I del i v e r t h i s short speech: Today we celebrate the great Achehnese leader,Po teuh Meureuhom.

This posthumous name given to him by our people i s so meaningful. I t means "Our Beloved Late Lord", denoting such love, respect, i n -timacy and imraediacy, as i f he i s s t i l l a l i v e among us today, a l ­though he was dead i n 1639, 339 years ago. This i s immortality. His monuments are not pyramids, but the throbbing hearts of hi s people, from generations to generations. This i s the feel i n g that I want you to share about him. He i s not dead. He i s s t i l l a l i v e among us today. We walk under h i s shadow. He i s our witness. We need a man l i k e him, the standard-bearer of our history, against whom we must measure ourselves. I want you to partake some of h i s ego. Then you w i l l not salute the Javamen anymore. You have to be a free man i n your heart f i r s t , before you can be free i n your home. You have to free your home f i r s t before you can free your country. But when you have freed your heart, you can free your home,and you can also free your country. This i s the process that we are i n s t i g a t i n g i n Acheh today. I f Iskandar Muda were a l i v e today,this i s what he would have done, and he would be with you today, r i g h t here i n Puntjeuek H i l l .

There i s an Achehnese proverb that said: Adat bak Po teuh Meureuhom, Hukom bak Sjiah Kuala.

I t means "Our Cuptomary Laws came from our Beloved Late Lord, our Religious Laws came from Sjiah Kuala." Sjiah Kuala was a great I s ­lamic scholar and Chief Justice of Iskandar Muda. This i s the imme­diate fount of Achehnese legal system which i s based on Islam.It i s the foundation of our stare deoicis. Today, i n Javanese-indonesian occupied t e r r i t o r y , the Javanese are s t i l l using the 18th century

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judges would quote i t s paragraphs and chap te r s w i t h g r e a t p r i d e . Those who s t i l l doubt t h a t J avanese - indones i a i s not mere ly the c o n t i n u a t i o n o f Dutch c o l o n i a l empire should observe t h i s . The mere i d e a makes us Achehnese d i s g u s t e d . Not to say t o be condemned by i t .

In h i s l i f e t ime Iskandar Muda was so r e v e r e d by our people t h a t they gave him one-hundred-and-one t i t l e s , among them: "The K i n g of K i n g s ; Emperor Whose Crown I s The U n i v e r s e (Meukuta Alam); The K i n g A l l The World To Whom Bowed; The King Whose Face L i k e Sun; The Mas-t e r o f Acheh And The Wor ld ; The Law G i v e r ; The J u s t One; e t c . I want eve ry Achehnese shou ld be a b l e t o assume j u s t one o f these t i t l e s , i n h i s own h e a r t , even the most humble one, l i k e the Master o f Your Own House and Land , then you w i l l not s a l u t e the J a v a n e s e - i n d o n e s i ­an i n v a d e r s anymore. I s h a l l no t touch any Achehnese hands t h a t had been r a i s e d t o s a l u t e the invade r s o f t h i s c o u n t r y !

The most remarkable t h i n g about Iskandar Muda was the f a c t t h a t he was even more l o v e d and missed a f t e r h i s dea th i n c o n t r a s t t o the f a t e o f most k i n g s and r u l e r s who would be denounced immedi­a t e l y upon t h e i r dea ths as t y r a n t s and what have you . (For f u r t h e r remarks on Iskandar Muda, p l e a s e r e f e r t o page 126).

L a t e r d u r i n g t he day we r e c e i v e r e p o r t from Dr Muchtar Hasb i i n P a s è P r o v i n c e t h a t t o commemorate ISKANDAR MUDA DAY, our f o r c e s i n P a s è had a t t a c k e d the enemy f o r c e s near the LNG Aron gas f i e l d w i t h th ree Javanese - indones ian s o l d i e r s k i l l e d and s e v e r a l b u i l d i n g s de ­s t r o y e d .

A f t e r the c e l e b r a t i o n , l a t e i n the a f t e rnoon , th ree groups o f our men leave the Puntjeuek H i l l Camp for du ty i n the c o u n t r y s i d e . One group l e a v i n g f o r B lang Malo under command o f Z a k a r i a , one group for Tongpudéng under Tengku S jekh Ib rah im, and one group f o r Blang Kedah under Geu t jh ik Saad. Before he depa r t Z a k a r i a comes t o say goodbye. He embraced me and Tengku Ibrah im A b d u l l a h . T h a t was unusua l o f h im, I s a i d t o m y s e l f . He seemed ve ry e m o t i o n a l . He must have f e i t something. That was the l a s t t ime we see each o t h e r .

When a l l the men have depar ted f o r d u t i e s , t he re remain i n the camp o n l y my s k e l e t o n s t a f f o f about 30 men. Army Commander Daud H u s i n has not been w i t h us f o r sometime. As u s u a l he has been c a r -r y i n g h i s own d u t i e s i n enemy occup ied t e r r i t o r i e s . The Camp w i l l be more than h a l f empty for s e v e r a l days u n t i l the men r e t u r n .

(DECEMBER 30, 1978)

The day beg ins as u s u a l . Everybody i s busy w i t h h i s work. The t y p e w r i t e r s are c l i c k i n g n o i s i l y i n the midd le o f the f o r e s t c l o s e t o the summit o f Puntjeuek H i l l . T h i s i s the g u e r i l l a headquarters o f the N a t i o n a l L i b e r a t i o n F r o n t o f Acheh Sumatra. The s t a f f s are p r e p a r i n g the f i n a l c o r r e c t i o n s i n s t e n c i l l e d sheets t o p r i n t about one thousand c o p i e s o f The Drama of Achehnese History. I go t o take a ba th i n the s p r i n g a t about 10 AM. We have l u n c h a t 1 PM. A f t e r l u n c h Dr H u s a i n i and I s i t together t a l k i n g i n our q u a r t e r s . Then, suddenly , a t 3 PM, we heard a shot be ing f i r e d i n s i d e the camp. I s a i d t o Dr Husa in i : "Wha t i s t h a t ? ! " I know i t cannot be from our man * u n l e s s an a c c i d e n t - because i t was s t r i c t l y fo rb idden t o f i r e a gun i n the camp's p e r i m e t e r . So we had a moment of h e s i t a t i -

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on. Just a few seconds l a t e r , I hear the sound and see the barrage of machine gun bullets being f i r e d at us from a very close range ripping the p l a s t i c roofs and walls of the camp a l l around us. Then I know that we are under enemy attack and they are already within the camp's perimeter. I lay f l a t on the fl o o r of the camp while t y-ing my gun be l t . At that time, Dr Husaini who i s also laying on the flo o r next to me said that he was h i t by the enemy b u l l e t s . In that s p l i t second our guard posts returned the f i r e and that stopped the enemy f i r i n g for a few minutes because the enemy soldiers had to lay down on the ground to protect themselves from our fire.The next second, Geutjhik Sjamaun, my second chief guards, second i n command after Geutjhik Uma, was already standing i n front of me while f i r i n g at the enemy. I have never seen a braver man! Geutjhik Uma was then at the advanced post. I picked up my briefcase - f u l l of secret documents - and jumped to the ground, and walked to the Alue followed by Dr Husaini, Dr Z a i n i , Asgady, Geutjhik Sjamaun and o-thers. Then the enemy resumed f i r i n g . I noticed so much bloed, so red, l i k e the red of the roses, on the leaves around us that I ask­ed who had been h i t . I t was Asgady"s blood.I told him to follow me. He said he could not walk because he was very badly h i t . He was not i n pain, and not panicky at a l l . In fact he was smiling! He asked me to please hurry getting out of there as he lay down on the ground. I embraced him and walked away.

The walls of the spring are so steep and very slippery because they are a l l rocks covered by damp moss. I ask Dr Zaini to climb up f i r s t and he slipped, almost f a l l i n g back and down into the spring. I manage to grab h i s shoes and push him up from s l i p p i n g down using my fingers to support his soles while he scales the height. Then I climb up f u l l y expecting to get enemy b u l l e t s on my back. But i t did not come. In a few minutes we are a l l u p h i l l may be not more than 200 meters i n the back of the camp where the batt l e i s s t i l l raging. Our posts s t i l l firing.We know the sound of our guns. The enemy did not dare to proceed immediately. I did not f i r e a single shot because I d i d not see the enemy. There i s no use wasting the b u l l e t s . That gave us the chance to escape. Ater the f i r i n g stops, the enemy entered the camp and set i t on f i r e r i g h t away. They c a l l on us to surrender - they must be kidding! - and addressed a l l sorts of expletives at me. So they knew I was there a l l r i g h t . "What do you expect from pigs but grunts?" That was what I thought of them. We stood there for a moment,looking at what hap­pened i n the camp down below with smokes blowing up and the smell of burning p l a s t i c s f i l l s the a i r . I count those who survived with me: there are only seven of us, including me: Dr Husaini, Dr Z a i n i , Geutjhik Sjamaun, Imum Wahab, Ku Harun Blang Manè and Mat Usüh.The­re i s no way to know what happened to the rest because we cannot check the posts which are on the other side of the h i l l s . We hope the others had escaped too but sadly we cannot go to check because we are so outnumbered and outgunned. Our troops are not even with us. The enemy caught us unprepared.

We have no food with us and nobody has anything except what he has on h i s body - that i s nothina. Luckily Mat Usuh, who was on guard duty that day had something with him, that i s some p l a s t i c sheets, some r i c e , sugar, coffee, s a l t , medicine, enough for one person's emergency need for 4 days - our g u e r i l l a "s basic r a t i o n .

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There i s nothing to do than to t r y to put as much distance as pos­s i b l e between us and the enemy. I discuss what we should do about Asgady. Everyone agrees that we cannot do anything. We cannot carry him. Everyone of us, except Geutjhik Sjamaun, i s no paragon of phy­s i c a l f i t n e s s . We are the weakest group - the useless one physi­c a l l y i n the camp who cannot carry even the normal weight. That was why the men d i d not get the duty to go down to fetch food supply and were l e f t behind with me. I f we delayed, even we cannot get a-way. Whatever I say, Asgady w i l l be a burden on my conscience, as long as I l i v e , for having l e f t him there to die by himself. Although I know f u l l w e l l that i f I lingered on with him there a few more minutes I w i l l be dead too, I s t i l l cannot go away from him with clear conscience. But what good my death w i l l bring to our cause? Everyone says that. Pa? acquit de eonscienGe. I t was not r e ­a l l y acceptable. This was the f i r s t time I missed the chance for honorable death. I should have died with Asgady. I should have ne­ver l e f t him to die alone!

While searching my mind for precedent, I remembered Nietzsche" s words:"Are you s t i l l a l i ve? Why? VThat for? By what? Whither? Where? How? Is i t not f o l l y s t i l l to be a l i v e ? " I r e c a l l e d Egmont who said "He who spares himself becomes an object of suspicion even to him­s e l f . " But, I also remembered the words of William of Orange to Eg­mont: "We are not ordinary men, Egmont.If i t becomes us to s a c r i f i c e ourselves for thousands i t becomes us no less to spare ourselves for thousands."

I t was unfortunate that the Orange family of The Netherlands should have become my family's t r a d i t i o n a l enemy l a t e r on because of i t s c o l o n i a l i s t pretensions and that William's great granddaugh-t e r , Wilhelraina, should have decorated the k i l l e r of my grandfather i n her palace.

We, the seven stragglers - that what I thought of us at that time - are climbing and descending along heading East u n t i l night­f a l l , and we cannot walk anymore because of darkness and we have no f l a s h l i g h t . We have to stop walking and to find a place to sleep somewhere. The h i l l s of t h i s area are so steep, there i s no l e v e l ground or f l a t surface large enough for one man to l i e down str a i g h t . To prevent yourself from r o l l i n g downhill when you f a l l asleep, you must attached yourself to a tree trunk. So Geutjhik Sjamaun found for me a big tree with a crescent shape trunk where I can crawl snugly on dry leaves for my mattress.We are lucky there i s no r a i n that night. And we do need our r e s t for the day's trage­dy. We are a l l hungry and t h i r s t y . There was no food and no water there. As I lay down there, by the trunk of the tree,high up i n the mountain"s wilderness, with sparkling stars overhead as i f strewr. a l l over the dark blue sky v i s i b l e through the opening i n the f o l i -age, exuding f a l s e peace and serenity, many thoughts cross my mind: I r e c a l l the story my mother t o l d me when I was a boy:when my great grandfather made h i s decision to enter the war to defend Achehnese independence against the Dutch invasion i n 1873, a wise man told him: "But, Tengku, i f you did,your children and grandchildren might some days have to sleep by the tree trunks i n the forests with onl> t i g e r s for friends." That has indeed come true many times over i r my family. Do I f e e l sorry about i t ? Not at a l l . Not at a l l . I w i l ] Ar\ +-Vio camp nrr a l l over aaain. As lono as I l i v e . I do not seek

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to l i v e one day longer than what Al l a h had decided for me.I believe i n His disposition l i k e my forefathers d i d .

(DECEMBER 31, 1978)

We wake up at sunrise. As we t r a v e l l i g h t and nothing to pack,in no time we are on our feet again. Our objective i s to cross the Krueng Meuk River t h i s morning as soon as possible before the enemy blocks i t . We want to go to Blang Manè area where Mat Usuh i s a pa­wang. Without him we would have to stay i n Tiro, and i n that case I w i l l have to be my own pawang,because I am the only Tiro-man l e f t i n t h i s group. I am the only one who knows t h i s t e r r i t o r y , i n t h i s group. I have thought about that p o s s i b i l i t y and I was a l l prepared to do so. There i s nothing impossible for us to do. Everyone w i l l r i s e to every occasion: and that including me. That has been our determination and our resolution. We reached the r i v e r at about 10 AM. Geutjhik Sjamaun and Mat Usuh go forward to check i f there any­one on the r i v e r s i d e . They surprised a group of boars t r y i n g to catch f i s h and digging roots on the sandy r i v e r bank. Geutjhik Sja­maun draws the conclusion that i f the wild boars were there, then there must not be any human being around.It i s safe for us to cross r i g h t there. So we cross the r i v e r s w i f t l y . As i t turns out, we are lucky to have crossed the Krueng Meuk River at the time we d i d , be­cause we find out later that soon afterward the enemy blockaded the entire r i v e r i n an attempt to prevent us from getting away from the area. But i t turns out to be too late for him. From the bank of Krueng Meuk River we proceed to Northern d i r e c t i o n where we have to pass the massive mountain range between Krueng Meuk and Krueng T i r o . We stopped at n i g h t f a l l and Mat Usuh prepared some food from h i s rat i o n for a l l of us. We enjoyed a cup of coffee - I have never tasted a more de l i c i o u s cup of coffee i n my l i f e . He also made some porridge from his r a t i o n of r i c e sweetened by saccharin - of a l l things. We f e e l OK. That was our New Year's eve party!

(JANUARY 1, 1979)

We proceed to walk at daybreak. Our speed can only be described as at sna i l ' s pace. We reach the night at a small spring and i t i s rai n i n g . There i s not enough p l a s t i c cover for a l l of us. Mat Usuh gives his p l a s t i c sheets to me: 2 pieces of wrinkled black p l a s t i c sheets, each about 1 meter long, and both f u l l of holes. I use one piece to s i t on, and the other piece for my roof against the ra i n s . Since i t i s f u l l of holes i t does not keep me dry. Thus I t r y to sleep while s i t t i n g q u i e t l y between the two pieces o f p l a s t i c sheets. The only noise I hear i s the soft thuds of r a i n drops f a l l i n g over my leaky p l a s t i c roof. My friends t r y to use some leaves i n order not to get too wet. Usually you can f i n d b i g leaves i n the mountain but not on every spot. There i s none around us here. What a way to spend the New Year's Day!

(JANUARY 2, 1979) We st a r t our slow march at £ AM. Our objective i s to reach the

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T i r o R i v e r by n i g h t f a l l and to c r o s s i t under cove r o f d a r k n e s s . We managed to do j u s t t h a t . We c r o s s the r i v e r a t about 7 PM and we s t ay f o r the n i g h t not f a r from the r i v e r bank.

(JANUARY 3, 1979)

By noon t ime today we reached my f a m i l y ' s o l d campsi te where t he re are three graves o f my womenfolk tha t I had passed through b e f o r e . The d u r i a n t r e e s t h a t were p l a n t e d there by my u n c l e , Teng­ku Umar d i T i r o , i n 1953, has grown up and bear f r u i t s now. Mat U -suh c l imbed up the t r e e and p i c k e d up d u r i a n f r u i t s . H e cooked i t to add t o our d w i n d l i n g r i c e r e se rves t o make p o r r i d g e . A f t e r l unch we proceed to walk a g a i n . We passed through s e v e r a l o l d camps t h a t brought back memories. A l s o we found evidence t h a t the enemy had gone through so many p l a c e s l o o k i n g f o r u s . A t l e a s t we go t the s a -t i s f a c t i o n to know t h a t they are as exhausted as u s , T h e i r h e l i c o p ­t e r s have not meant much. J u s t a l o t o f n o i s e t o announce t h e i r whereabouts - j u s t f i n e f o r u s .

(JANUARY 6, 1979)

We reach our d e s t i n a t i o n on January 6, I w i l l not mention the r e a l name o f t h i s p l a c e because we a re s t i l l u s i n g i t u n t i l now.The enemy has not been ab l e t o f i n d i t ou t a f t e r 3 y e a r s ! I t i s not f a r from the b i g enemy o p e r a t i o n a l headquar ters i n P i d i e P r o v i n c e , I can see the enemy h e l i c o p t e r s go ing up and down every hours on t h e i r m i s s i o n s t o sea rch and de s t roy u s . Not o n l y t h a t , I can even hear the engines o f the h e l i c o p t e r s when they s t a r t them on the ground. I have never gone down so c l o s e t o the c o u n t r y s i d e s i n c e I r e t u r n e d i n 1976. I t has taken us 7 days o f con t inuous march t o r each the p l a c e . By the t ime we a r r i v e d we are no longer capable o f r e a l w a l k i n g but merely d ragg ing one foo t a f t e r another s l o w l y and i n c h i n g toward our d e s t i n a t i o n , due t o hunger and e x h a u s t i o n , To make t h i n g s even worse, t h i s i s a r a i n y season. So before a n y t h i n g e l s e we have t o prepare a r o o f over our heads . S ince we have no p l a s t i c sheets as we used to have, we must f i n d w i l d banana l eaves for s u b s t i t u t e s t o make the r o o f . So the men dragged t h e i r f e e t t o go t o c u t w i l d banana l eaves and brought them back to a spot on the ground and s tocked them toge the r , one on t op o f the o t h e r , making some k i n d o f " roo f" a t about the h e i g h t o f s i t t i n g p o s i t i o n . And o -ther banana leaves are l a i d down on the ground fo r mat t o s i t or s l eep o n . The whole s t r u c t u r e when f i n i s h e d looked l i k e the house the p i g s are making f o r themselves on the f l o o r o f the f o r e s t - the p i g s t y . But i t w i l l keep us d r y be fo re we can get a n y t h i n g b e t t e r .

(JANUARY 7, 1979)

There are bak djok palms nearby. Dr H u s a i n i and Imum Wahab d r a g ­ged themselves there t o c u t them f o r our food . I watched them came back , s t e p - b y - s t e p , c a r r y i n g a t i n y p i e c e each o f t h e i r f i n d s . Mat Usuh cooked and made a meal ou t o f i t . Then we dec ide t h a t Mat Usuh should go down t o the v i l l a g e , a l o n e , t o get some food , and e s t a -

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b l i s h communication. From now on, everything i s a solo performance - there i s simply nobody t o go around. Even then, without Mat Usuh, we would be t o t a l l y l o s t here. J u s t imagine i f something happened to him and he could not come back. I a l s o decide t h a t Ku Harun should go back t o the h i l l - a l s o alone - t o piek up p l a s t i c t i s ­sues from our o l d camp there t h a t o n l y he knows where i t i s . He d i d not r e f u s e t o go although i t was very dangerous, having d e c l a r e d so o f t e n t h a t "he was the Tengku's l a s t b u l l e t . " He could get l o s t or captured too. He d i d get l o s t , and comes back the next day a f t e r s l e e p i n g the n i g h t w i t h a t i g e r ' s cup and h i s arms and face f u l l of c u t s by the sharp edge of the w i l d elephant g r a ss.

(JANUARY 8, 1979)

During the l a s t 10 days nobody knows i n the country what has hap pened to us. Are we s t i l l a l i v e or a l r e a d y dead - as claimed by the enemy? Mat Usuh comes back the next day w i t h more. t h i n g s than we need: a l l kinds of f o o d s t u f f s , a brand new short waves r a d i o f o r me, new s u i t s for everyone. A l s o a mosquito net and bed spreads f o r me, and a new s e t of f o u n t a i n pen i n a b e a u t i f u l g i f t box! A l l g i f t s from the people. They simply asked: what we do not have? And they provide e v e r y t h i n g we need. Mat Usuh cannot c a r r y e v e r y t h i n g by him s e l f . He had organized a group t o b r i n g the s u p p l i e s tomorrow, We f e e l a l i v e again. The most important thing is to know that your people are with you! This has been oonfirm to us. again and again!

(JANUARY 9, 1979)

Today Army Commander Daud Husin and h i s troops w i t h Pawang Bra­him a r r i v e d , having been contacted by Mat Usuh. We had a touching re-union. Pawang Brahim, when he saw me s i t t i n g i n our p i g s t y house begins t o c r y very loud and throws him s e l f a t my f e e t , p r o s t r a t i n g , saying h i s laments i n Achehnese, the only language he was born w i t h to t h i s world. As I was s i t t i n g on the ground on the banana lea v e s , I put h i s head on my l a p , w h i l e he was c r y i n g and lamenting.He s a i d he f e i t such shock and p i t y to see me l i k e t h a t , l i v i n g i n a p i g s t y , being reported dead, o what has happened t o our country and to our people to l e t t h i s happen t o the Tengku! I console him as much as I c o u l d . I s a i d t o him t h a t t h i s has happened not because oft h e f a u l t of our people but because of the Javanese-indonesian invaders and t h a t i s why we have to do something about i t .

Soon we found out that Asgady, Tengku Ibrahim Abdullah, and Bén Dadéh were shot dead by the enemy a t Camp Puntjeuek H i l l , on Decem­ber 30, 1978. T h e i r bodies were m u t i l a t e d by the Javanese and they were not allowed to be b u r i e d by the people u n t i l one week l a t e r when t h e i r bodies had decomposed. We s t i l l do not know the where-

(JANUARY 10, 1979)

Two s u r v i v o r s of the Camp of Puncjeuek H i l l come t o j o i n us tnrJav. Thpv are. Mvak flmaf and Yahva . Thev t e i l us t h a t Geutihik Uma

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was also safe. I was grateful to know that. During my seven day march in the forests from Puntjeuek H i l l to

this place, I have had the chance to rethink about many things. The most important i s that the time to start a real armed struggle against the enemy can no longer be postponed.I have to get the guns now and fight. And I know, as I did not know before,that the people are ready and willing. For this I need to go out of the country my-self. This cannot be done before because without my being i n the country we would not have been able to hold on to our necessary po­l i t i c a l works. At this point, this has been accomplished because we now have strong cadres who can continue p o l i t i c a l indoctrination of the people on their own without the need for my personal presence. Also, before, there were too many people around me that my prolong absence cannot be kept secret, and that the people are too depen-dent on me. Now, I am practically alone, and those who are with me are capable of keeping a l l secrets. So this i s the time for me to go abroad to prepare the struggle for the f i n a l victorious phase. Our political strength is such that with a few thousands modern ri-fles we can have our country back. The order i s out to prepare the necessary means for Dr Husaini to go abroad. No one knows that I personally w i l l go abroad except Dr Husaini, Dr Zaini and the Army Commander Daud Husin.

(JANUARY 15, 1979)

After what happened we need a couple of weeks to recuperate, to say the least. The enemy made such propaganda that I was dead at Puntjeuek H i l l , to demoralize the people. But instead of demoraliz-ing the people, that kind of propaganda had the opposite effect on the Achehnese with a defiant psychology. That made the people more solid l y united behind us. But what happened at Puntjeuek H i l l was bad enough for us - we sustained very great loss with the deaths of men of the calibres of Tengku Ibrahim Abdullah,Asgady and Bén Dadéh - but our organization in the country can no longer be shaken3what-ever happens in the hills. How everything has been working ever since i s a proof of this.

In no time, f u l l swing communication i s established with the Sec ret Headquarters. I gave order to our Governor of Batèe Iliek Pro­vince, Tengku Idris Ahmad, to prepare a camp i n his territory and a l l the necessary food supply for me to move there next month (Feb-ruary). In six hours I received his reply that everything w i l l be ready. This is a place which w i l l take me one f u l l month (30 days) to walk by foot to reach! The enemy i s frantic in his effort to capture me. I heard the Buginese traitor, Yusuf,who i s the Javanese puppet "Minister of Defense" wanted me captured alive er dead to please his Javanese masters. He i s the Buginese traitor who k i l l e d my friend Abdul Kahar Muzakkar, the leader of the Buginese libera­tion movement in 1964. The enemy sent troops i n massive columns with their helicopters, dogs and a l l , to search the forests of A-cheh for me everyday and night. To give the impression as i f a l l A-chehnese also wanted my head, the Javanese-indonesian colonialists forced the people, including school teachers, office workers to jo­in the Javanese soldiers in search of me, to demonstrate to some

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maiopic foreign j o u r n a l i s t s how the people cooperate with the Java­nese army to capture the "trouble maker".From Secret Headquarters I can observe these columns of hijacked peoples and Javanese s o l d i e r s even hear what they are t a l k i n g while on t h e i r way to search i n or­der to destroy us.

(JANUARY 20, 1979)

We heard reports how the Javanese o f f i c e r s t r i e d to bribe the people to t e i l my wherëabout. M i l l i o n s of Rupees were offe r e d , even a t r i p to Mecca for those who would betray me. The enemy commander of Kudjang b a t t a l i o n who a c t u a l l y bivuocked only a few miles apart from us t r i e d t h i s l i n e very hard with the people of Lueng Putu.But he got nowhere. There was no taker for h i s b r i b e s , although I l i v e j u s t i n the v i c i n i t y . This incident brought to mind the e f f o r t s made by the Dutch c o l o n i a l i s t aggressors e a r l i e r i n t h e i r attempts to capture my forefathers during the l a s t c o l o n i a l war as described by Dutch h i s t o r i a n , H. C. Zentgraaff:

"Although t h e i r leading commanders f e i l , the members of the d i T i r o family themselves were un-reachable. They were very h i g h l y regarded and admired by the population; t h e i r names had come to symbolize the holy cause, and they were holy men. Even the most m a t e r i a l i s t i c and money-hungry Achehnese wouldnot dare to betray them. Our best commanding o f f i c e r s had t r i e d everything possible to f i n d them but a l l t h e i r d i l i g e n t e f f o r t s were to no a v a i l . Thus the g l o r i o u s name of the d i T i r o family had worked well and i t was too great an influence to oppose.... Schmidt discovered soon enough that he could not hear anything about the redoubt of the Tengku d i T i r o from the population. Although everybody i n Tangsé and i n the neighboring countryside knew the place none of them would t e i l anything, thanks to the great r e l i g i o u s and p o l i t i c a l influence of the d i T i r o family.... The population was s i -l e n t , f u l l of respect for t h i s l a s t leader of a family of great f i g h t e r s . " ( Atjeh )

And yet, t h i s Javanese c o l o n i a l i s t regime had the impudence and the arrogance to issue wanted posters i n Acheh with my photographs on them, saying, "WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE". This regime of the former Dutch mercenary s o l d i e r , Suharto, i s simply demonstrating how l i t ­t l e i t knows about the Achehnese people, and how things have not changed much i n Acheh Sumatra.

(JANUARY 25, 1979)

The enemy h e l i c o p t e r s o v e r f l y our camp about f i f t e e n times a day on the average. They f l y so low, obviously not suspecting anything. We recover reasonably f a s t from our l a s t ordeal because the people sent us a l l sorts of good foods. Milks, eggs, choice meats are our d a i l y d i e t s . By t h i s time a l l the scratches on our arms, face, legs are healed. Remember that the Javanese-indonesian c o l o n i a l i s t r e ­gime has been t r y i n g to starve us during the l a s t two years using i t s h e l i c o p t e r gunships, thousands of s o l d i e r s , armored ve h i c l e s , warships, money, best radio communication system,intimidation, t o r -

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tures and murders against the people but nothing worked for him. His fire power means very little in terms of oontrolling the coun­try. You can see that he is already politioally defeated. If we had just one-tenth of his fire power - that we will - he will have no ohance whatsoever.

I plan to leave for Batèe Iliek Province on February lst.Contact has been made with a l l survivors of Puntjeuek H i l l to make a rendez vous with me at a designated place on the way to the East. Also or­ders have been given to the places where we w i l l be passing to pre­pare food supplies for us. Because you can never carry enough food for one month journey on the men's shoulders, while climbing and descending such high mountains.

(FEBRUARY 1, 1979)

We leave our Secret Headquarters at about 9 AM. We see enemy footprints on the way out, maybe passing 2 hours earlier than us. Pawang Brahim can t e i l that. Our destination is to a rendezvsus po­in t to piek up the comrades-in-arms scattered from Puntjeuek H i l l . At about 5 PM we reached the place, and there they are. It was a tearful re-union. Geutjhik Uma, Ayahwa Saleh, Abou Rih did not make i t . We cannot wait for them but w i l l arrange a piek up by car later, Pawang Brahim i s our guide for the whole t r i p . This i s his area of responsibility. From that day on we march by the clock: getting up at 5 AM. Breakfast at 5:30. Departure at 6 AM. Lunch at 12 PM. Stop for the night at 5 PM, just enough time to make clearing on the fo­rest floor for a place to sleep while there i s s t i l l l i g h t . Pawang Brahim has decided to take the high routes to be on the safe side, although that involved very much climbing and descending.

From now on there w i l l be no entry i n the Diary for 30 days, un­t i l we arrived at our destination, the Batèe Iliek Province.

(MARCH 2, 1979)

Today we arrived at our camp in the Province of Batèe Iliek, af­ter 30 days of marching, safe and sound, although exhausted. The Governor of Batèe Iliek, Tengku Idris Ahmad, was there to greet us. That was the f i r s t time I met him. I had appointed him Governor of Batèe Iliek by Cabinet's recommendation. This i s a remarkable man. He i s considered one of our elder statesmen although i n his early 50s. He was a p o l i t i c a l leader of this region i n his own right. He espoused the cause of Free Acheh and joined the NLF from the very beginning. He is an Achehnese poet, witty and revolutionary. He had made Batèe Iliek Province our important liberated territory a l ­though the enemy maintains a garrison i n the town of Djeunieb. But the Javanese control i s confined to within the barbed wire fence of his garrison. We control the town and the rest of the countryside.

Governor Idris Ahmad had also sent a welcoming party to the bor­der to escort us through his province, a delicate security operati­on that could be very dangerous i f leaked to the enemy. His escorts met us at a pre-arranged place in the forest. So everything went as planned. When we arrived at the camp on the bank of a big river,

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there was a special feast waiting for us. Several bulls have been slaughtered to assure enough meat for our party. There are about 30 people in my party.

Our camp i s very well appointed. I have a separate quarters and a very spacious one. For us who have just come from the beleaguered Pidie Province and who have not lived near big rivers anymore for the last two years, we are no longer used to this luxury. By the way, this i s my 40th camps since I came back to Acheh from America, and one of the best. If my camp's size should be used for measure-ment then this i s a definite progress. Is i t not, as they say, the measure of the man i s his castle? Mine is certainly not diminishing but becoming bigger and better since my f i r s t one at Panton Wéng i n October, 19761 Today i n Batèe Iliek, i t i s March 2,1979. So you can see that I did not f a i l in my mission. In 1976, I did not have any­thing i n Batèe Iliek, l e t alone appointing i t s Governor. Not just Governor i n name only, but Governor who i s , as we say i t i n Acheh­nese, "teupat nunjok" that i s one whose index finger i s straight, meaning his orders are obeyed by the people. And today I have ap­pointed not just one Governor but 19, i n a l l of Acheh Sumatra, and everyone i s nearly as capable as this one i n Batèe Iliek.By now you have had a glimpse of what i s really happening in Achehnese Suma-tran countryside and the shape of things to come. As we are growing the Javanese-indonesian colonialists claim that we are diminishing. And some foreign correspondents dutifully echoed Javanese propagan­da by reporting that we "have been run to ground".

(MARCH 7, 1979)

Now I have re-established complete communication not "only with a l l of Acheh proper but also with a l l of Sumatra. I have daily Com­munications with our organization i n Medan which is in charge of Communications with a l l other provinces of Sumatra such as Lampung, Palembang, Djambi, Riau, Bengkulen, Minangkabau, Mandailing,Tapanu­l i , East Sumatra, etc. we have created our own administrative d i v i ­sions according to ethnic groupings, each one has their own state using their own languages. A l l Sumatran languages are o f f i c i a l l y re cognized by the State of Acheh Sumatra as i t s own, beginning with Achehnese, Gayo, Karo, Batak, Mandailing, Malay and Minangkabau. These are o f f i c i a l , equal languages to be used in Acheh Sumatra.

There are many Sumatrans from various provinces who had emigrat-ed to Java and who are being used by the Javanese regime as i t s tools to justify Javanese annexation of their homeland. These emig-rants are not elected representatives of the people of Acheh Suma­tra and have no right to speak on behalf of us who stay at home and remain loyal to our separate identities from the Javanese colonial­i s t s . This group of rootless people has been used to confuse the issue of our right to self-determination and independence.

Although I have given a s t r i c t order to the Governor of Batèe I-liek that my presence here should be kept s t r i c t l y confidential, i n order not to attract enemy's attention, but from the fact that at least one-hundred notables of Batèe Iliek had already trouped to the mountain to greet me here, makes that no longer possible to do.

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Tengku I d r i s Ahmad admits t h a t the enthusiasm of the people t o meet w i t h t h e i r Wali Neugara (Head of State) i s such t h a t he cannot stop them from coming. The whole Batèe I l i e k people f e e l proud t h a t Wali Neugara i s w i t h them and they are t a l k i n g about i t among themselves openly. People do f e e l t h a t we are already independent. Those who c o u l d not get permission t o come t o the mountain send l e t t e r s o f welcome t o me. On the average, one-hundred o f such l e t t e r s a r r i v e d everyday. What k i n d o f g u e r i l l a i s t h i s ?

Meanwhile Dr Husaini decided to make a r a d i o p l a y from The Drama of Achehnese History. A dozen tape-recorders were brought t o the camp. The members of the camp are s e l e c t e d t o p l a y the v a r i o u s cha-r a c t e r s . I t takes one week t o do the r e c o r d i n g on c a s s e t s . I t was a b i g success. The background music was very e f f e c t i v e l y used, mostly V i v a l d i , Bach, Beethoven, and i n a d d i t i o n the b e s t o f in s t r u m e n t a l s t h a t we have been t a p i n g from i n t e r n a t i o n a l broadcasts. T h i s p l a y has been reproduced and d i s t r i b u t e d i n the c o u n t r y s i d e . There i s so much demand f o r i t .

Because of continuous deluge of v i s i t o r s , the Governor decided, w i t h my consent, t h a t another camp should be b u i l t , f o r s e c u r i t y reasons, w i t h i n one hour wa l k i n g d i s t a n c e from t h i s one, s t r i c t l y f o r my r e s i d e n c e , where v i s i t o r s are not allowed. I w i l l have t o come down here t o r e c e i v e v i s i t o r s . T h u s another very sumptuous camp was b u i l t f o r my r e s i d e n c e , on a sm a l l s p r i n g , t o where I w i l l move i n a few days, my 4 l s t and best camp.

(MARCH 15, 1979)

Today a l l my s t a f f s r e c e i v e d a complete set of new uniforms. Batèe I l i e k was a b i g b a t t l e g r o u n d d u r i n g the war w i t h the Dutch.

General Van Heutz who l a t e r became the Governor General o f t h e Dutch East I n d i e s a l i a s " i n d o n e s i a " fought here i n 1905 and almost l o s t h i s l i f e , o n l y a few miles away from here. The e n t i r e p o p u l a t i o n of t h i s p r o v i n c e has become the m i l i t a n t s of the NLF. One o f the most famous Achehnese general i n h i s t o r y , Panglima Nalan,came from here. He was the r i g h t hand man of my great grandfather, Tengku T j h i k d i T i r o Muhammad Saman, i n the war a g a i n s t the Dutch invaders i n 1870s. Panglima Nalan was the ancestor of the present Governor of Batèe I -l i e k , Tengku I d r i s Ahmad.

I have decided t h a t I should leave Batèe I l i e k not l a t e r than March 28, f o r my urgent s e c r e t m i s s i o n abroad. No one i n the coun­t r y should know about i t except the Cabinet members and my c l o s e s t s t a f f s . I s h a l l r e t u r n as soon as my m i s s i o n i s accomplished. In p r e p a r a t i o n f o r t h a t we make s e v e r a l changes i n the Government system. I signed a Decree s t i p u l a t i n g t h a t i n my absence the Sta t e of Acheh Sumatra s h a l l be governed by the C o u n c i l o f M i n i s t e r s headed by a Prime M i n i s t e r and w i t h s e v e r a l Deputy Prime M i n i s t e r s who, i n case of death w i l l r e p l a c e one another i n succ e s s i o n . The Prime M i n i s t e r i s Dr Muchtar Hasbi w i t h Tengku I l y a s Leubè as F i r s t Deputy, Dr H u s a i n i Hasan the Second Deputy, Dr Z a i n i A b d u l l a h the T h i r d Deputy, and Dr Zubir Mahmud, the Fourth Deputy.That precedent i s e s t a b l i s h e d by t h e i r order of s e n i o r i t y i n the l e a d e r s h i p of the NLF. The C e n t r a l Committee of the NLF s h a l l a c t as the emergency

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l e g i s l a t u r e t o r a t i f y the a c t s o f the Cabinet. I a l s o signed l e t t e r s of appointments f o r a l l my s t a f f members,

those who have been my l o y a l companions a l l these years i n the f o r e s t s , who have l e f t t h e i r loved ones, j u s t l i k e me, and who have s a c r i f i c e d e v e r y t h i n g t o do t h i s d i f f i c u l t p a t r i o t i c duty f o r the s a l v a t i o n of our people and country; t o redeem our past and t o j u s t i f y our f u t u r e .

(MARCH 28, 1979)

T h i s morning I have a l e a v e - t a k i n g ceremony w i t h my wonderful comrades-in-arms, the t r u l y g r eat people to be w i t h , who have f o l ­lowed me through t h i c k s and t h i n s because they know t h a t was an a c t of f o l l o w i n g themselves, an a c t of c o n f i r m i n g who they are s i n c e October 30, 1976, u n t i l today, March 28, 1979; some of them have p a i d d e a r l y w i t h t h e i r own l i v e s : these men have s u f f e r e d a l l , sac­r i f i c e d a l l , dared a l l , and some have d i e d l Few of them knew me p e r s o n a l l y before I come back from America. They knew me only by r e p u t a t i o n . They knew whose son I was. That i s saying a great d e a l i n Acheh Sumatra. Achehnese c u l t u r e takes breeding f o r granted. Lo­y a l t y i s given and r e t u r n e d . You have been given some demonstration of i t . I have l i v e d w i t h my people, I have seen l o y a l t y , I know what i s t o love t h a t must a l s o be w i l l i n g t o d i e f o r the sake of the loved one, of being loved, by your f a m i l y , by your people. I have seen my men w i l l i n g to d i e f i r s t , so t h a t I may l i v e longer and t o s a c r i f i c e t h e i r l i v e s i n place of mine. I have s u f f e r e d t o o . I have had unpleasant s u r p r i s e s . I have seen t r e a c h e r i e s . I have learned i n between those two dates more things i n my l i f e than what 1 had learned d u r i n g my e n t i r e l i f e time be f o r e . To have su r v i v e d means to have been g i v e n another o p p o r t u n i t y t o f i n i s h the job w i t h more assurances of success. To have su r v i v e d means to have heavier duty and burden on the shoulders and i n my conscience to redeem the dead comrades, t o console the bereaved ones, to take care of the young and the o l d l e f t behind.

No one can do i t alone what we have done together. I c o u l d not have done i t by myself without you, my comrades-in-arms. Not even people w i t h guns can do what we have done together without using the guns. The c o n t r i b u t i o n of everyone of you i s as v a l u a b l e as mine. Have you seen the r i n g s t h a t make the chain? I f j u s t o n e , just one of them broke down, the c h a i n becomes u s e l e s s . So each r i n g i n the c h a i n has the same importance, the same v a l u e . Each of you are j u s t l i k e the r i n g i n the c h a i n of our Movement. Each of you have c o n t r i b u t e d as much as anyone e l s e .

Now I have t o go abroad f o r a while on a m i s s i o n that o n l y I can do i t . J u s t l i k e the mission t o p i e k up r i c e every day o n l y you can do i t , and I cannot do i t ; now i t i s my t u r n t o go t o the " v i l l a g e " t h a t I knew best t o do what needs t o be done t h e r e . I t i s not more dangerous than your t r i p s every morning. Nor i s i t more important than what you d i d . But you have your s p e c i a l area, I have mine. So t h e r e f o r e I raust go. Only c r a z y and s t u p i d man w i l l b e l i e v e t h a t I w i l l not come back. I had been away i n America f o r 25 years before but I came back, even when I d i d not know the f a c e of anybody any-more i n the country and because everyone I knew had d i e d - murdered

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by the Javanese invaders - or forgotten. I have not changed. I have not taken any other name than what my fathers had given me.Now that I know you are waiting for me, I know every leaf i n our forests, and every tree knows me,I w i l l come back even alone to t h i s f o r e s t . Nobody can stop us now. With a few thousand guns we w i l l have our country back. You knew what we have been able to do even without guns. I w i l l get you that guns. But even i f I cannot get i t , you can always get i t : f i r s t you get a k n i f e ; with a knife you can get the guns, r i g h t here, and with the guns you can have our country back, freed from Javanese colonialism. So have no doubt. He who i s sure of h i s motive can advance or r e t r e a t with confidence.

Then we raised the f l a g for the l a s t time i n my presence. I raised i t with my own hands. After the f l a g reached the summit and f l u t t e r s , I said to the men:"I have raised your f a t h e r s " f l a g . Never l e t i t go down again!"

Then I embraced them, one by one. A l l eyes are moist with tears. Some are sobbing uncontrollably. But a l l are awared of our uncom-promising resolution to do whatever necessary for our people*s s a l -vation.

I l e f t Batèe I l i e k Camp at 2 PM and arrived at the end of the forest a t 5 PM amidst r a i n storms. At 6 PM I went down to the v i l ­lage. I noticed there were people everywhere, men and women, who seemed to be expecting me and knew who I was by the way they greet-ed me. I asked my escort:"Why these people are out?" He r e p l i e d : "They are watching the security of the road for us." I asked him again:"Do they know who am I?" He answered:"Everybody knows." - "Did not I t e i l the Governor that no one should know?" I asked. - "Yes, but everybody knows." He re p l i e d matter of f a c t l y .

From the v i l l a g e I rode on the back of a motorcycle to go to the sea, passing the town of Djeunieb. Everybody was out there i n the streets to greet me. We passed i n front of the Javanese-indonesian police s t a t i o n so close that I could see two Javanese policemen i n uniforms with three c i v i l i a n s around them, a l l seemed to be chat-t i n g . My driver t o l d me the three men t a l k i n g to the enemy poli c e were our men to guard the Javanese policemen and to make sure they stay i n there while we are passing. I f the enemy police came to the beach tonight, the men w i l l grab them. When we arrived at the beach the boat was already waiting. When the time for boarding arrived, before I knew i t , I was carried bodily to the boat by several men, without ever asking my permission. They wanted to make sure that my feet would not be wet! The engine started and o f f we went i n the darkness. I could not see the face of my boat captain u n t i l day-l i g h t tomorrow morning, after more than 11 hours of s a i l i n g and were already i n the middle of the Malacca Straits.He i s Shaiman Ab­dullah whom I am meeting for the f i r s t time i n my l i f e .

(MARCH 29, 1979) The morning hours are very calm and nice i n the Malacca S t r a i t s

at t h i s time of the year. By now we have been s a i l i n g more than 12 hours. How many times have I passed through t h i s water, my lake,

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t h i s way, incognito! This i s the f i r s t time I have a close look a t Shaiman Abdullah, the captain of my boat. He i s about 2 7 , t a l l , with sparse moustache and beard. - "Where are you from, Shaiman?", I asked. - "From Kuala Djangka, Tengku!", he s a i d . I t was a v i l l a g e about 15 miles to the East from Djeunieb. - "Then you know everything around here w e l l ! " - "Yes, Tengku!" - "Where di d you go to school?" - "I have never gone to school. I run away from home when I was 13 years of age and have been f i s h i n g and boating ever since." - "How that happened?" - "I had a bad guarrel with my big brother who beat me up, SD I run away. I supported myself by helping fishermen on the beach and they were good to me." I t i s a custom among Achehnese fishermen that i f someone had helped i n the catch as l i t t l e as l i f t i n g a f i n g e r , he would be given a share, even a l i t t l e boy. - "How long have you been a fisherman?" - "I have never q u i t ever since. I taught myself how to f i x the en-gine, how to construct a boat, and I am i n business." - "Have you seen your parents since then?" - "Yes, i returned to see my parents and my brother a f t e r I got married and had my f i r s t son." - "Where do you c a l l home?" - "Djeunieb. I married a g i r l from Djeunieb. My house i s on the beach, about 200 meters from the place we boarded the boat l a s t night." - "But you do not keep your boat on that beach since I saw nothing there." - "Oh, no. My boat business s t a t i o n i s i n Sigli,where I always kept t h i s boat. I t i s located next door to the Javanese army garrison i n S i g l i . " - "When d i d you j o i n the NLF?" - "Two months ago." I thought that was when we were at Puntjeuek H i l l . - "Did you say two months ago?" - "Yes." - "Why not two years ago, why only two months ago? I mean what made you f i n a l l y decide to j o i n ? " - "I heard a Javanese army o f f i c e r d e l i v e r e d a speech i n S i g l i where he c a l l e d the Tengku a p i g . That was my l a s t straw." - "What d i d you do then?" - "I came back to Djeunieb and t r i e d to f i n d contact with the Free Acheh Movement." - "How did you manage to get the contact?" - "The moment I opened my mouth I found out that everyone i n Djeu­nieb i s already a member. what a f o o i I was to have been l e f t out alone a l l these years. But everyone d i s t r u s t e d me because I l i v e d among Javanese-indonesian s o l d i e r s i n S i g l i and worked with them too. And the people knew that." - "What kind of v/ork did you do with the Javanese army?" - "As an army i n t e l l i g e n c e agent." - "Hm. What s o r t of duty they had given you?" - "After the above-mentioned " i n d o c t r i n a t i o n " speech by the Java­nese o f f i c e r , I was qiven a D i s t o l and an assitmment- t-.o f-irri nut

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where the Tengku i s . " (Achehnese are very p o l i t e among themselves. Those whom they deern worthy of consideration to be t h e i r superior are never d i r e c t l y addressed but always i n an i n d i r e c t t h i r d person term. Even i n d i r e c t conversation they would never address me as "you" - even i n higher case - but always as "the Tengku".) - "Then what make you change your mind?", I asked. - "I have never changed my mind! I know l i k e everybody knows that without the Tengku t h i s country would have gone to the dogs!" - "What did you do then?" - "My contact i n Djeunieb t o l d me that our Movement needs a boat to take someone abroad. I t o l d them that my boat i s available any time. F i r s t they d i d not want to t e i l . me who i t was. Then they t o l d me i t was Dr Husaini. Only yesterday they t o l d me i t was the Tengku whom I have to take, a f t e r they made me swear by the Quran that I would keep my mouth shut." - "Then what happened?" - "I have not done anything wrong i n my whole l i f e . I ' d o not want to cheat anybody, even the Javanese, So I returned to them the p i s t o l they gave me before, yesterday, I do not want to be accused of stea l i n g i t . " - "Say that again, please!" - "I gave back the p i s t o l to them yesterday," What a p i t y , I said to myself, Shaiman i s a man who decides h i s own things without gonsulting anybody else, - "Anybody knew that I was leaving with you l a s t night?" - "In Djeunieb, everybody knew." - "What do you mean "everybody"?" - "I mean everybody. There i s no one who did not know about i t , The indonesian police knew i t . The indonesian army l o c a l commander knew i t . L u c k i l y they are a l l Achehnese, They knew i f they betrayed us they would get into big trouble with the people," - "How are you so sure about that?" - "I am sure. The army from Djeunieb went to Takengon i n Central A-cheh to search for the Tengku there, yesterday!"

Just at that time, as i f to put a period to the conversation, I heard a cannon blast over my head, When I looked around I could not see any warship. Then I looked up to the sky where I saw the streek of white vapor made by an indonesian a i r f o r c e attack plane f l y i n g j u s t above us. The cannon shot must have come from that plane which i s presumably on reconnaisance flights«Clearly the enemy had sight-ed us. I looked at my wrist-watch: i t was 11:45 AM. So t h i s i s i t . The time to die has f i n a l l y come. We are going to f i g h t with every­thing we have i f the enemy came for us, as I f u l l y expected. There are a dozen of us, well armed. We w i l l never be taken a l i v e . F i r s t to be sent i n t o the bottom of the Malacca S t r a i t s , a t the f i r s t sign of enemy approach i s my briefcase. Oh, how many of our secrets have been buried there before us i n the bottom of t h i s waters of ours, Thus, I s i t q u i e t l y , waiting for death to come....

Every time we sighted a ship we thought that might be i t . There are so many ships cri s s - c r o s s i n g the Malacca S t r a i t s going East, West, North and South at that point.The most l i k e l y v i s i t o r s for us would be helicopter gunships, warships, patrol boats or m i l i t a r y a i r c r a f t s . Six hours are very long to wait for death to come while every second counts. By 6 PM i n the evening i t s t i l l didnot come.

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I knew then that we were saved, for the time being at l e a s t , u n t i l next time! The only person who was not perturbed inthe l e a s t during that time was Shaiman. The other one Army Commander Daud Husin. Nor di d I show to anyone of my concerned. By n i g h t f a l l there was no­thing more to worry about except not to c o l l i d e with one of those huge o i l tankers that clogged our waterways. By tomorrow we are no longer i n "indonesian" t e r r i t o r y .

Shaiman and Army Commander Daud Husin are to take me to a neigh-boring country - which for the time being s h a l l be kept nameless -from where I s h a l l f l y to Europe, and Shaiman and h i s party to go back to Acheh. Everything went p e r f e c t l y as planned.

Two weeks l a t e r I flew back from Europe to the place where Shai­man brought me to get the l a t e s t reports on the s i t u a t i o n back home, I was informed that Shaiman and party had returned to Acheh s a f e l y . Shaiman got a hero welcome from the people for h i s successful mis­sion to take the Wali Neugara out which i s known to a l l . He went up to the mountains to the Headquarters of the Governor of Batèe I l i e k . When he came back to h i s v i l l a g e i n Djeunieb,Shaiman found out that he had acquired a new status now as a hero of the people and the Re v o l u t i o n . The people flocked to wherever he i s seen. For the f i r s t time i n h i s l i f e he had tasted what recogni t i o n means. Honor i s the thing) He had been so much ignored i n h i s hard l i f e before. He ap-preciates the d i f f e r e n c e and h i s well-earned honor. Having been to the summit, he decided never to go down again. He q u i t s h i s l i f e as a fisherman and a boat captain to assume h i s new r o l e as a formida-ble and mysterious cadre of the NLF. The only thing he wants now i s to go to Mecca for pilgrimage to seal h i s new prominence with the t i t l e of a "Hadji" thus to become Hadji Shaiman Abdullah.. His wish w i l l be granted. Shaiman Abdullah, having grown up from among the people, knows what i s the most important things i n l i f e of h i s peo­p l e : l o y a l t y , honor, and freedom. His case shows the s o c i a l appro-v a l of the p o l i t i c a l aims of the NLFAS and why i t w i l l succeed i n bringing back l i b e r t y and freedom to the people of Acheh Sumatra from under Javanese-indonesian oppression. His case shows the grass roots nature of the FREE ACHEH MOVEMENT or the NATIONAL LIBERATION FRONT OF ACHEH SUMATRA. The idea that existed only i n my head, when I landed i n Acheh i n October, 1976,has now been s a f e l y transplanted i n the head of Shaiman Abdullah and m i l l i o n s l i k e him who are w i l l ­ing to do anything, s a c r i f i c e everything, including t h e i r l i v e s , to restore the independence of Acheh Sumatra.And they are now organiz­ed and raobilized throughout the country. I have planted the seeds of my highest hope, under the points of the enemy bayonets. And i t i s growing before my eyes. My ground i s s t i l l r i c h enough for that!

POST SCRIPTUM: While I was v i s i t i n g a f r i e n d l y country i n A f r i c a , I read reports

of Javanese-indonesian o f f i c i a l announcement of my "death" i n 1980, k i l l e d by t h e i r troops. This i s the patent example of " f a c t s " manu-factured i n the make-believed world of Javanese-indonesia.

The Far Eastern Economie Review wrote:"Hasan d i T i r o maybe a l i v e and reading the account of h i s death with amusement." I do not know i f I should be amused or not but i t sure proved that the Javanese are j u s t a bunch of l i a r s !

TO BE 007HT TMIF!D

The author

TOP RIGHT: Showing the f l a g , Crescent-and-Star w i t h two black s t r i p over the red ground, i n the l i b e r a t e d t e r r i t o y cf Acheh.

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