Simpang KKA incident
Shooting of protesters in Indonesia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Simpang KKA incident, also known as the Dewantara incident or the Krueng Geukueh incident, was a massacre of protestors during Aceh insurgency that occurred on 3 May 1999 in North Aceh, Special Region of Aceh, Indonesia.[1] 52 people were killed and more than 100 wounded[2][3] after the Indonesian Armed Forces randomly shot at hundreds of peaceful protesters against an earlier shooting incident (30 April) at Cot Murong, Lhokseumawe.
| Part of the insurgency in Aceh | |
| Date | 3 May 1999 |
|---|---|
| Location | Dewantara, North Aceh, Special Region of Aceh, Indonesia |
| Perpetrator | Indonesian National Armed Forces |
| Deaths | 52 |
| Non-fatal injuries | Over 100 (Human Rights Watch) |
Incident
Simpang KKA is a junction on the Banda Aceh–Medan Main Road, near the Kertas Kraft Aceh (KKA), a kraft paper factory at Dewantara, near the city of Lhokseumawe. On 3 May 1999, hundreds of civilians protested against the previous Indonesian military shooting at Cot Murong, where two villagers disappeared and twelve were beaten.[4]
Witnesses said the army opened fire without warning. 52 people were killed, with Human Rights Watch stating their age ranged from seven to 60, and were shot with lead bullets.[5]Video footage shows the army shooting indiscriminately as protesters flee.
In popular culture
Alongside three other atrocities, the Simpang KKA incident was featured in the song Harô-Hara (lit. 'Pandemonium') in the album Album Aceh: Nyawöung.[6]
