Fortunes of War – 35 min documentary

Watch full film here: vodsite.journeyman.tv March 2005 Indonesia’s armed forces are quietly positioning themselves to cash in on the reconstruction boom in Aceh. It’s fuelling concerns about their actions in the province. In the aftermath of the Tsunami, the TNI, or Indonesian armed forces, was put in charge of the massive relief effort in Aceh. But at the same time, it’s also continuing its brutal war against GAM rebels. “When they don’t find GAM, they just grab ordinary people and torture them,” laments Nurdin from the Free Aceh Movement. And the TNI’s interest in the province goes much further than combat and relief. “The TNI makes an awful lot of money out of Aceh,” states expert Damien Kingsbury. “They’re basically given free reign.” Only 30% of the army’s budget comes from the government. The rest comes from its business empire and bribes. “Every company, every business in Aceh, has to pay them.” Now its mobilising its business empire to secure valuable reconstruction contracts.