Recently saw the movie Ararat, written and directed by Atom Egoyan, which narrates the efforts of the main characters, mostly Armenian-Canadians, to uncover the truth of their pasts, especially in relation to the Armenian Genocide of 1915 for which Ottoman forces were held responsible but the very existence of which the Turkish government vehemently denies to the present day.
The execution was brilliant, if unconventional; in the plot, the acclaimed director Edward Saroyan sought to make a movie dedicated to his mother about the genocide; Ani, a history lecturer, got roped in as a historical consultant, pitting her idea of factual accuracy against the director's artistic license. Meanwhile, Ani's son Raffi sought to come to terms with his father's death attempting to assassinate a Turkish ambassador, and his step-sister/lover Celia with her father's apparent suicide after discovering Ani's extra-marital affair.
Brilliant performances by a star-studded cast including Christopher Plummer, Charles Aznavour and Elias Koteas, though the stars of the movie must be David Alpay as Raffi. Those outside UK who have not seen it probably have to get it on DVD; the movie was shown in UK only recently but was released last year in France, Canada, Armenia and USA.
The movie probably has a special meaning for Armenians around the world, as well as people like myself, nationals of régimes responsible for ethnic repressions akin to the Genocide portrayed in the movie, albeit mostly on smaller scales.
In the case of Indonesia, the parallel is with the Indonesian occupation of East Timor, as well as the ongoing insurrection in Aceh. There are other peoples around the world facing similar repressions, for example the Chechens in Russia and the Turkish Kurds, but being an Indonesian national I shall focus my case on Aceh.
East Timor is now independent as Timor Lorosae, leading to a cynical joke back home 'when is our turn?' - this is not after a series of massacres during a bitter struggle throughout the 1975-1999 Indonesian occupation though, most infamously the Santa Cruz Massacre, in which an unarmed peaceful demonstration was gunned down by Indonesian troops, bringing international attention on the issue.
In the case of Aceh, the international community has decided to side with Indonesia; the main concern being that of stability. Indonesia is a by-product of Dutch colonialism; indeed, a national identity was not forged before the 1920s. The central government has claimed, from the time of independence, all previous Dutch territories in the region, leading to a confrontation with the Dutch over West Papua (now Irian Jaya) in 1961-3. It is thus feared that should Aceh go independent, the case for Indonesian nationalism will be dealt a crushing blow and a domino effect will end in the balkanization of the country into hostile ethnic-demarkated pieces.
To add to the Acehnese's cruel fate, the 'province' is rich in natural gas and oil, with ExxonMobil being the main foreign investor, in collaboration with the Indonesian military which provides security for the operation. (For the uninitiated, the Indonesian military derives only roughly 25% of its operational budget from central government funds, raising the rest from businesses of all stripes, from legitimate to downright criminal); the army is still jealously clinging to its socio-political role as the guardian of the secular, unitary state, and would stand to lose a lot of prestige as well as lucrative revenue streams, should Aceh go its separate way.
It is estimated that 500,000-1,000,000 civilians died in anti-communist purges during the Army's rise to power in 1965-6; a further 200,000+ in East Timor (one-third of the population); and tens of thousands in Aceh. A bleak human rights record that is justified in the name of the modern-day sacred cow of stability.
Resources:
Update: keep track of the ongoing 'security and humanitarian operation' in Aceh, courtesy of Google News
Thoughts, ideas? Should the principle of self-determination outweighs that of national sovereignty, and where does one draw the line? What sort of pressure should the outside world bring to bear in defense of human rights?
