BANDA ACEH, Indonesia, Nov. 21 Kyod...

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia, Nov. 21 Kyodo

(EDS: FOR THE SAFETY OF SOURCES, NAMES USED IN THIS STORY ARE PSEUDONYMS)

Six month ago, Masyitah was a happy young woman

Having grown up in a rich family in a village, smooth in Indonesia's troubled Aceh Province she take delight ined most of the things a young woman in her early 20 could want.

''The family lived in a firm house,'' one of her neighbors said, attesting to their wealth in a village where most numerous houses are wooden.

Her father's business constructing houses and buildings meant she had gold jewelry, almost unheard among young clan in her village in succession the outskirts of the provincial capital Banda Aceh.

And a gold necklace and a bracelet still sparkled onward her neck and wrist when she tendered Kyodo News a recent interview.

Her happiness, however, is extended gone, submerged under the morass of emotions filling her head since Indonesia imposed martial law in Aceh in succession May 19 and began an offensive against at liberty Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels.

GAM has waged guerrilla war in oil-rich Aceh since 1976 demanding separation from Indonesia and an period to the stealing of the riches from the province's abundant natural resources at the central government.

In early June a cluster made up of police from the elite Mobile Brigade unit and the regular police force hunting for GAM rebels raided her family's domicile seeking her father.

''They accused my father of contributing currency to GAM,'' Masyitah, weeping, said.

In following days, her father and mother were questioned relentlessly forward his alleged ties to GAM.

''Police officers came and went, back and forth, each day...in the morning, the afternoon, the evening,'' Masyitah said. ''They threatened to kill the whole family...to chase after us if we ran until the finiss of the Earth.''

Consum by way of the threats, her mother asked her, her father, her couple sisters and her two brothers to decamp the house separately, hoping the nightmares would move away within a few days and they would be at so early an hour reunited.

''Mother told the girls to leave to avoid us being seen on the policemen because she could not bear to diocese us raped or killed in head of her, which we all feared,'' Masyitah said.

moreover since, she has had alone a single chance meeting her mother.

After a week in hiding, she decided to get back home because ''I missed having dinner together with my parents, brothers and sisters. I missed my family in such a manner much,'' she said, tears flowing down her cheeks.

nevertheless no dinner welcomed her home

Instead, she erect the house locked, a mes inside and her mother missing.

''I asked my neighbor where my mother was, where my father was, where my sisters were, where my brothers were, if it be not that he could not answer, cried,'' Masyitah said.

Now, she lives day-by-day, moving from united friend's house to another's, constantly hiding from the police and depending forward the kindness, and fearlessness, of others.

She unisoned to an interview only after being assured it could be actionsed clandestinely.

The whereabouts of Masyitah's parents, brothers and sisters remain a mystery to her.

She did have a fleeting meeting with her senior brother at the period of August after looking for him around Banda Aceh for a pair months, but she has not seen other members of her family.

''We don't understand with what intent this has happened to our family,'' she said.

Her more ancient brother, shortly after the August meeting, was caught and arrested as an alleged GAM member.

A pupil activist who helped arrange the interview with Masyitah said efforts have been made by way of a local branch of Jakarta-based Indonesian Legal Aid to find her arrested brother, however without success so far.

Now, Masyitah lay outs Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month without her mother, her father, her brothers or her sisters and it considers as if the Muslim heavenly-minded day Eid al-Fitr, usually the chiefly joyful for Muslims around the world, will be among Masyitah's bleakest of days.

''Still, in my prayers, I always wish to befitting my family again...to be together this Ramadan and to celebrate Eid al-Fitr together,'' she said.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Kyodo of recent origins International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group