Losing More Hearts and Minds

When the people of East Timor decided 20 months ago to secede from Indonesia, the backlash was swift and horrendous. The Indonesian military, using local militia groups, spearheaded a three-week rampage of pillage and slaughter. The toll: 1,200 dead, wanton destruction of property and a population of survivors traumatized to this day.

It's happening again.

Aceh, an oil- and gas-rich province on the opposite end of the Indonesian archipelago, is starting to relive the East Timor tragedy. Separatist sentiment is building in the seaside towns, the jungle up-country and rice-growing villages. In reaction, the military has revived its time-honored strategy...