The silence o­n the rape of Aceh is indeed deafening. Where are all the peaceniks? Where is the call for jihad by PAS?

With military actions in Aceh, the Indonesian government is o­nce again showcasing the gross violations perpetrated by its inept armed forces.

Be it in East Timor, West Papua and now Aceh, ABRI (Indonesian armed forces) have become masters at perpetrating massacres, almost emulating the Nazi repression of the Jews and the Turkish repression of the Armenians.

In a more related case, brutal repression was perpetrated in West Papua by the Jayawijaya Military District Command (Kodim 1702) in Wamena, Papua just last month.

"Given Indonesia's past abuses in Aceh, there is tremendous potential for civilians to be targeted in the violence. Past military approaches to ending the conflict in Aceh have failed to bring about peace and stability, while resulting in large-scale human rights violations," said Brad Adams, executive director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division.

The Umno-led government sees fit to be silent. It should discuss the issue with the Indonesian government, but it won't.

Is it okay and acceptable for Muslims to kill Muslims as is going in Aceh? Why no mass rallies condemning the Indonesians, isn't this war about oil too?

Looking back at 1996, efforts to bringing into public view the atrocities perpetrated by ABRI were stifled by then deputy home minister Megat Junid Megat Ayob with the blessings of the despot, (Prime Minister) Dr Mahathir Mohamad. The event saw participants of the Asia-Pacific Conference o­n East Timor (Apcet II) in Kuala Lumpur - there to seek a peaceful solution to the East Timor conflict - terrorised by the so-called 'Malaysian Action Front' (comprising of thugs from Umno Youth, MCA Youth and the MIC Youth).

To imitate MGG Pillai , Indonesia will be stuck in this quagmire for quite awhile. After Aceh, West Papua is set to be next o­n the calling cards. Indonesia has no business being in West Papua. But unlike the Americans in Iraq, Indonesia has no plans for an exit strategy.

The Indonesian military is trained to be brutal, not professional. They are poorly equipped and over-stretched, and are widely-known to moonlight as pirates, smugglers and border 'tax collectors'. How do you think you get your kretek cigarettes? At joint patrol posts along the Malaysia-Kalimantan border, even their food is funded by Malaysian taxpayer dollars.

With an Indonesian army like this, be prepared to see Aceh as a repeat of East Timor. For the so-called 'Peace Malaysia' movement, where art thou?