Memorialization at Conflict Heritage Sites in Aceh based on Major Events

Aceh’s conflict heritage is a category of dark heritage that has been taking shape since the start of the political conflict between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement in 1976 and the post-tsunami peace agreement in 2005. These events have left a contested tangible and intangible legacy. There is the need to learn from past events with the aim of truth-telling, restoration of victims’ rights, maintaining and nurturing peace. This research aims to identify conflict heritage sites in Aceh and see how the process of memorializing sites is starting to take place. The identification process was conducted through literature review, interviews, focused group discussions, and field verification. Preliminary findings show that 20 significant heritage sites have been mapped, concentrated in the main conflict zones. The heritage objects are identified based on main events timeline and collective narratives of conflict. It also examines the typology of the physical memorials built across the main conflict heritage location and analyzes the process and the results of these memorialization efforts. The results show memorialization efforts face challenges in both the process and form of memorialization. Also, in realizing inclusive and empathic memorialization, it does not only rely on the multi-parties involved but more on the local environmental and cultural context.


Introduction 1.Background of Study
The most recent conflicts in post-colonial Aceh emerged after the proclamation of Aceh Independence on December 4, 1976 in Pidie by Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM), pioneered by Muhammad Hasan Tiro.GAM was born due to Acehnese ethnic nationalism that rose in response to the centralized policies of the central government.The Aceh conflict was declared politically over when the peace agreement was signed on August 15, 2005.Many victims of the Aceh conflict hold a memory that grows in the shadow of past violence.Despite nearly two decades of peace, the process of reconciliation is still ongoing.However, several things agreed upon during the peace agreement have not been actualized after decades of conflict [1].
As a post-conflict region, Acehnese has a strong collective memory of the conflict.This difficult collective memory is part of Aceh and Indonesia's dark heritage and contested history.However, it can be used to strengthen peace and deliver justice in relation to past human rights violations.This collective memory can be represented in some form of memorialization, which opens a space to express grief and appreciate the victims of an event.It also provides a space for individuals and communities to find meaning in the conflict [2].
Based on the foundation of transitional justice, as a form of effort to resolve past human rights violations, it is important to consider four pillars: the right to truth, the right to justice, and the right to remedy and guarantees of non-repetition [3].Therefore, the memorialization process is part of the right to truth, which creates an obligation for the community to continue caring for memory and recovery.Utilizing the conflict sites and relics as a bridge to bring back the collective memory of the Acehnese and the efforts to confirm that Acehnese is a religious and tolerant community and to build public awareness to maintain peace in Aceh.
The form of memorialization in Aceh is part of the internationally agreed transitional justice process.An element of transitional justice is needed in a country.The armed conflict in Aceh occurred during the authoritarian New Order era.When the government switched to President Megawati in 2003, armed conflict continued in Aceh.Therefore, it is necessary to have a memorialization monument that can serve as a reminder for the government to uphold human rights in conflict areas and also to restore victims and elements of society involved in the conflict.However, there has not been much development of studies related to negative events.Experts have not yet agreed that negative values have an importance to be preserved [4].Whereas legacies such as dark events, natural disasters, and conflicts that leave behind some artifacts, places, and intangibles like experiences and testimonies from victims' stories that are very strong can be a lesson for both individuals and the public [5].The community stated that the most significant values for them are religion, memory, history, trauma, resilience, social, and tourism.
In the process of revealing facts and educating the Aceh peace process, a detailed inventory of conflict heritage objects for conservation purposes has not yet been conducted.This is partly due to the fact that the events were considerably recent, have not yet distanced by the passage of time, the people and perpetrators are still alive, and emotionally attached to the objects or locations.The issue of conflict is also still a very sensitive issue.The priority of action is still on the aspects of revealing the truth, restoring rights and trauma.Objects of conservation have not been prioritized, even though it is an integral part of truth-telling or revealing the truth process and has the potential to be key to peacekeeping.This study was conducted to start the inventory of conflict sites in Aceh based on major event trajectories, as well as to identify potential conflict heritage sites in Aceh and see how site memorialization processes have been carried out so far.This was done as a first step to formulating an inclusive and empathetic form of memorialization, which emphasizes the local environmental and cultural context.

Research Aim
This study aims to identify the distribution of conflict heritage based on the path of major conflict events and analyze the typologies of memorialization that have taken place in locations affected by the main events of the conflict.

Scope of Studies
Despite the large number of conflict events reported in Aceh and outside Aceh, even outside Indonesia, this study serves as an initiative for a more comprehensive mapping and identification in the future.The current report only covers locations in Aceh and only based on major events.The events are based on literature review and interviews with key informants.The list is by no means extensive.They are intended to set the framework for future works.
The mapping includes the locations of conflict that still left some conflict objects and those that are intangible based on the path of major conflict events that occurred.The study is also identifying memorialization objects scattered in Aceh Province.

Study Area
The study is located in Aceh Province, which has 23 districts and cities (Figure 1).Conflict occurred throughout Aceh, but with different intensities in each district.This study focuses on districts that experienced the worst impact of conflict such as Pidie and Pidie Jaya, North Aceh, East Aceh, Aceh Jaya, West Aceh, etc. by taking several samples of memorial objects based on the timeline of major conflict events.

Data Collection and Processing
The identification process was carried out through literature review related to the distribution of conflict locations and objects of conflict heritage, conducting interviews with key informants and focus group discussions with relevant stakeholders.The data include the testimonies of conflict survivors and community perspectives in interpreting the conflict, as well as in providing recommendations for post-conflict memorialization.

Identification of Conflict Heritage Distribution Based on the Timeline of Major Conflict Events
According to data collection on the distribution of conflict locations that were based on the timeline of major conflict events, many objects of physical conflict heritage tend not to be preserved and end up being lost over time due to a sense of not wanting to remember wounds and fear of reawakening grudges that existed in the past.However, in reality it is quite the opposite, as a quote says that "those who forget are condemned to repeat" so that the removal of historical evidence is not actually something that can be a solution that the trauma of this conflict will disappear.Instead, it will hold a grudge that will be passed on to the next generation without fully understanding to maintain peace through learning from conflict relics.As for the process, the identification of conflict heritage objects begins by first mapping the location points of the conflict based on the thematic path of the main conflict events.According to the timeline of major conflict events, there are 20 conflict locations spread across several districts in Aceh.The following is the distribution of conflict points based on the timeline along with the typology of conflict heritage objects that have been classified.The table above shows that the major conflicts occurred in a variety of locations, but were concentrated on the East Coast of Aceh, specifically Pidie, Pidie Jaya, North Aceh and East Aceh.The rest were spread across several districts such as Aceh Jaya, South Aceh, West Aceh and Central Aceh.
According to interviews with the Kontras team, in Aceh the legacy of conflict can be identified as both tangible and intangible.According to Fuad [6], Tangible legacies of conflict can be in the form of sites, objects, landscapes, buildings, structures, being the place of an important event during the conflict such as mass graves, battlefields, places of torture, or places where agreements were made during the conflict.In addition, Van Dyke and Alcock [7] subdivide memory's materiality into several overlapping categories: narratives, representations, objects, ritual behaviors, and places.Interestingly, in addition to physical forms related to locations, conflict documents are also considered tangible objects of conflict legacy because they are strong evidence in the disclosure of the truth.While intangible heritage includes narratives or stories that are passed down along with the witnesses, which shows that the conflict heritage itself is not only what is physically visible.Yet, folklore is also evidence that must be preserved.Folk memory is invisible that we must try to make tangible, through document validation.Therefore, when narratives are disseminated through text or other verbal media, Bradley [8] likens archaeologists to have a history that contrasts with material records through narratives.Narrative representation is like rock art in that it is possible to depict intangibles indirectly while placing them in the landscape.Based on the timeline of major events during the conflict, the Aceh Truth and Reconciliation Commission has taken testimonies from 5,400 conflict victims spread throughout Aceh.These testimonies are spread across all points of conflict, both those that occurred in major events, as well as in daily conflict events that have not been fully mapped.Interview with Kontras Aceh revealed that the victim testimonies also managed to show the type of conflict distribution that was not only concentrated in major events, but also included more sporadic events that occurred in their daily lives, such as in torture camps scattered in several public areas where the conflict occurred.
On the basis of the above it can be concluded that public memorialization generally lies on a conceptual plane that ranges between commemoration and social activism.That is, to a greater or lesser extent depending on the type of commemoration and the circumstances of its creation, the acts and objects of public memory refer to known persons and events, and also propose attitudes─social positions─regarding those deaths and the circumstances that led to them [9].So it is not uncommon, in the process of disclosing conflict heritage sites, that many survivors feel that these conflict heritage objects do not need to be cared for, and sometimes almost destroyed.This is due not only to past trauma, but also to the fact that there is still a fear of recurrence.So that quite a lot of conflict heritage sites are forgotten.Not only that, the object of conflict heritage is declared as contested heritage because memories are associated with conflict or events of violence and death, it is likely that narrative disputes will arise, because perceptions among members of society are different and have different interests as well.Depends on how the narrative is built.Therefore, the interpretation of dark heritage can be ambiguous and controversial [10].

Interpretation of Post-Conflict Memorialization Forms in Aceh
Based on the victims' statements, people are optimistic that preserving conflict sites is one way to pass on knowledge related to Aceh's peace.This is reinforced by efforts to conduct a memorialization process at several conflict sites, especially in large-scale conflicts.For survivors, it is important to leave memories at the place of death, because it is the last place the person lived and leaves many memories attached.Therefore, sites and shrines often symbolize life rather than death, at least in one sense [9].According to Giblin [11], post-conflict heritage is a process of cultural production/development that symbolizes healing from the trauma of conflict events that have occurred in the past.This process creates a renewal of the social, political, economic and cultural situation in post-conflict societies.The following is a map of the distribution of memorialization objects scattered in the area of the major events of the Aceh conflict (Figure 4).

Figure 4. Distribution of Memorialization Objects at Location of Main Conflict Events
As for the form of memorialization objects that have been built after the conflict, 10 points were found that have carried out the memorialization process.memory can be interpreted in archaeological forms, such as monuments and shrines, interpretation of certain expressions, and history/stories/messages that are poured into various media [7].
Based on the type, there is a classification of memorialization forms that occur in Aceh, such as in the form of monuments and monuments, public buildings such as meunasah (local community place for praying) and libraries, murals, and advice on messages for future generations.The following is a detailed explanation of some interesting characteristics of post-conflict memorialization that are closely related to the values and local context of the community:

The role of Empathy Value in the embodiment of memorialization objects. Object: Monument and Mural Site -The Tragedy of Bukit Janda, Cok Keng.
Cot Keng Village is a representative of the many villages in Aceh where the incident victimized men (heads of families) and left only women living in the village.Based on the foundation of transitional justice, as a form of effort to resolve past human rights violations, it is important to consider the four pillars of rights, which are the right to truth, the right to justice, and the right to remedy and guarantees of non-repetition.Therefore, the process of memorialization is part of the right to truth, which creates an obligation for the community to continue to care for memory and recovery.The forms of memorialization that have been built are inscriptions and murals.However, there are plans to build a library that will provide a space for the community to get information related to conflict, Aceh's history, and human rights.This aims to improve literacy for the gampong community and the younger generation.As for the interpretation of memorialization expression forms, almost all forms basically show implied messages and prioritize the spirit and religious values to evoke the spirit of peace in the future.According to Hannum [13] historical memory in the form of public art acts as a pedagogical tool, which reveals the artist's interpretation of history and serves as a historical tool for the community.For example, for the object of memorialization in the form of a mural in Cot Keng village, there are several changes in the image that are deleted and modified.Initially, the memory of the army post and its soldiers during the conflict was clearly depicted.However, based on considerations of community trauma and concerns about continuing past grudges, the application of image illustrations was adjusted to forms that symbolized the daily activities of the community.Yet, there is something very interesting about the hopes of the residents of Cot Keng, which is written in the mural's text:"Teu ingat wate nibak saboh thon uroeug lam duson abeh sengsara, Nibak wate nyan hana soe tanggong, jinoe lam gampong hudep seujahtera" means, I still remember when one time everyone in this village was very miserable, when at that time there was no one who was responsible, now in this village the people live prosperously.Emphatic, through the meanings and messages conveyed in the mural, it shows that the social practices of the community and the messages conveyed have a practical role in the environment related to building spirit and meaningful dialogue between communities [12].In addition, publicly accessible commemorative art has the potential to increase the historical understanding of young people [13].

Interpretation of Memorial Objects by Preserving Conflict Memory at Krueng Sabi Monument in Aceh Jaya, North Aceh KKA Crossing Tragedy Memorial Monument, Jambo Keupok Inscription, South Aceh District.
These monuments were built in the city center and are located at the location of the incident which functions universally to memorialize all conflict tragedies and human rights violations that occurred at several points of conflict in Aceh.This memorial object is in the form of a monument and there are several slabs containing all the names of victims of the conflict tragedy.Thus, this aspect of the memorial is a space for communal emotions and shared memories through writing the names of victims and events.Public memorials are an expression of human architectural language.They contribute to preserving memory, as well as expressing values about who should be remembered [14].Hence, the reconciliation process through memorialization objects can become real evidence in revealing the truth of the Aceh conflict.Nevertheless, in its implementation, the maintenance process is not yet optimal.The existence of this monument is also inseparable from the support of the people of Aceh Jaya to continue to maintain the memory of the conflict which aims to be a lesson for future generations.Because stories through generations are feared to be forgotten, the embodiment of

Benefit of Memorialization Objects as Public Spaces for Communities. Object: Recitation Hall -Incident of Abduction / Enforced Disappearance of Gampong Officials and Community of Hudaibiyah Mosque.
One form of memorialization that is quite unique in Aceh is to create a public space in the form of a recitation hall.In this incident, seven village officials were kidnapped during a joint mutual cooperation.Now the village has been divided into two villages, so it was agreed to build a memorialization monument at the mosque owned by the two villages.The community wanted to build a recitation hall to make it more functional, so KKR funded it, but it was the local community who built the hall.Thus, it was decided that on the left and right sides of the stairs of the prayer hall there would be plaques containing the names of the victims.
In its application of the several types of memorialization that have been built, the recitation hall has the greatest impact because it is widely used by the community for worship activities and village meetings.Hence, the attachment of memory that is integrated with the social space of the community is an effective form of memorialization to be applied.This is also due to the location of the memorialization which was built close to the main access and used as a tourist spot.This is also based on the consideration that whatever the scale of memorialization, and whoever the sponsor (official or unofficial), the memorial architectural or ritualistic isn't complete without those who visit it, in whom memory is invoked [15].So, the existence of a form of memorialization that can support activities and needs in the context of the location is very important to note for the sustainability of memorialization at every point of conflict.

Inscription as a Form of Memorialization in Maintaining Conflict Memory.
At some conflict points, some forms of memorialization are carried out by building inscription objects, which contain information about conflict events and the names of victims.However, the problem is that the objects of memorialization in the form of inscriptions are often not optimally utilized because they are not touched by the general public because they are not connected to the social context.As a result, many inscriptions are neglected and unmaintained.Sometimes, stakeholders translate the meaning of the memorial with what they consider to be an acceptable alternative marker.Often this latter compromise is deemed unacceptable by the affected communities.Here we see a dispute over public space, and who has access to it, who defines it, and who controls it [16].Therefore, the consideration of building objects in the form of inscriptions as memorialization must be accompanied by aspects that are integrated with the community and local context so that the sustainability of these memorialization objects can be widely used.

The Role of Politics in Contested Heritage: Monument of Rumoh Geudong.
At present, the process of memorialization at the Rumoh Geudong site is the Rumoh Geudong Tragedy Memorial Monument built by civil society organizations and victim communities.The process of memorializing Rumoh Geudong has enormous challenges due to the involvement of political aspects in maintaining the historical memory of the conflict.The long list of history is proof that Rumoh Geudong is a potential site that can strengthen people's memories related to Aceh's historical memory, especially the conflict for Aceh's peace.Prior to being used as a torture camp, Rumoh Gedong had considerable heritage conservation values.The architectural style and significance as a community leader's dwelling and use during Japanese occupation were key values.It has the potential to be a comprehensive and important conflict heritage memorial.It's a shame it's being phased out in this way.However, because until now the reconciliation process is still ongoing in various ways, the determination of the Rumoh Geudong site as a conflict heritage object faces several challenges, so it is not uncommon for there to be contestation in identifying and creating narratives of a post-conflict heritage object.For example, there are efforts to eliminate the traces of conflict heritage with consideration of trauma, such as by burning Rumoh Geudong and demolishing the entire structure of Rumoh Geudong according to the local government.
Despite the fact that some of the decisional approaches taken by KKR and NGO active in conflict heritage recognition have been from the perspective of the victims and have stated that they agree to preserve the memory of the conflict by maintaining the conflict heritage object, this is also a challenge because it can be considered detrimental to one of the warring parties and unacceptable because there are still conflicts of interest.Sometimes, the authorities replace hand-crafted memorials with what they consider to be acceptable alternative markers.Often this latter compromise is deemed unacceptable by the affected communities.Here we see a dispute over public space, and who has access to it, who defines it, and who controls it [16].Based on several processes of the formation of memorialization objects in post-conflict Aceh and looking at some of the potential and level of effectiveness in determining the built memorialization objects, it shows that it is important to consider elements of inclusiveness, empathy, and the application of local values in the community.Conflict heritage and memorialization objects show the importance of the relationship between people and places, where places are interpreted with intellectual, conceptual values that apply, and spiritual aspects.Thus, the success of an inclusive memorialization process can be realized explicitly if socially constructed-meanings that people attach to that place.Cognitive ownership supports a multiplicity of groups and values and is not static but inherently dynamic [17].By making the historical relics left behind to foster historical awareness as a shared collective memory, the community will be reduced to the values taught on the object of the relic.Thus, the community will be more familiar with itself, have a deeply rooted identity with its ancestors, and it is used as social capital in facing the times [18].

Memorialization is an Alternative Approach to Strengthen Community Engagement in Aceh After Conflict.
Based on the form of implementation of the post-Aceh conflict memorialization objects above, this shows that each memorialization object has quite unique characteristics, is full of social meaning, and has a very strong foundation in Islamic values, as well as meaningful messages in it.For example, several locations such as Juli District, Bireuen Regency, by building meunasah (social space) as a place for community deliberation and worship, show that the idea of using memorialization as an alternative approach to building social connections is also by considering the implementation of Acehnese's (people in Aceh) everyday life that cannot be separated from Islamic culture, identity and the pride of being Acehnese, which aligns with the implementation of heritage in South East Asia cities that strongly accentuates spiritual and cultural views [19].
An interesting fact shows that the locations that have already carried out the memorialization process have a fairly strong level of community kinship.They are very aware of the importance of preserving the memory of conflict through memorialization objects to be able to continue to remember IOP Publishing doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1301/1/01201614 the sense of pain for peace education.Because the active sense of construction and expression through identity and collective memory through objects of memorialization strongly helps communities to promote their sense of awareness, and to define and constitute who they are.In this sense, it does not only try to build the sense of not being genuine, rather this sense of pain is also important to build an emotional effect in creating a sense of belonging to the loss of heritage.This is also shown by people who have a greater level of awareness having greater initiative to build memorial objects in their area.
So through the various forms of memorialization above, it shows that each community group has a different expression in interacting with the memorialization process.Different societies have culturally specific ways of managing trauma, their needs, and the way they connect with each other [20].So taking into account the empathic context and cultural context is considered quite effective in increasing social connections and engagement after conflict.Thus, this strong community attachment also brings valuable benefits regarding their initiative to protect their place of memory from destruction.

Conclusion
The KKR Aceh has recorded at least 5400 testimonies from victims of human rights violations.This data is thought to reflect the tip of the iceberg, meaning that the actual number is much higher.Some of the data are major events that are widely known, covered by the media and have even been designated as cases of gross human rights violations.These major events can be a door to memorialization with national and even international importance.These objects or sites can be a door for memorialization efforts with the aim of revealing the truth and maintaining peace.The mapping of the location of major events shows a concentration that is in line with the conflict conditions concentrated on the East Coast of Aceh.
There are currently 10 memorial sites that have been built (Figure 2).The physical forms of memorialization that have emerged consist of inscriptions, monuments, sites, murals, and even public spaces in the form of religious buildings.However, it has not been seen how the memorialization process is in the form of conservation of the existing condition of the building.Rumoh Geudong as one of the conflict heritage sites illustrates that political dynamics and the ongoing reconciliation process make efforts to maintain Rumoh Geudong as a conflict heritage object face great challenges.It is not uncommon for there to be contestation in identifying and creating narratives of a post-conflict heritage object.For example, there is an attempt to eliminate traces of conflict with consideration of trauma, such as by burning Rumoh Geudong and demolishing the entire structure of Rumoh Geudong.The memorialization point also provides a message that there are at least several priority aspects that can be considered in building memorialization objects in the context of contested heritage, namely the scale of the conflict (how much impact and victims caused) so that this major event must be memorialized in order to educate future generations more broadly.Next is the acceptance of the community and conflict victims in accelerating the memorialization process.Although reconciliation is still ongoing, but to make the object of memorialization as an educational site for Aceh peace will not work without the acceptance and role of the local community also in determining the form that will be memorialized and its broad usefulness.However, obstacles also occur such as the lack of funding allocation for the memorialization process at conflict sites and time constraints making some of the realization of this program unable to run optimally.
The process of interpreting the forms of memorialization that have been implemented in Aceh shows that the environmental context and local characteristics are closely related to creating an inclusive memorialization process.As for the process, there are several forms of memorialization, such as sites (inscriptions and murals) in Bukit Janda, Cot Keng, Aceh Jaya and Sedia Jadi Village Bener Meriah, with messages of local wisdom and the value of community empathy for conflict events and victims.As well as forms of memorialization such as public spaces, namely meunasah in Juli Subdistrict, Bireuen, which so far has been considered quite effective and widely used because it is a social space for the community.Moreover, meunasah with the function of worship and religious rituals is related to spiritual matters which are generally owned by entities.Thus, the maintenance process becomes easier because of its usefulness and strong social integration that makes the memorialization process run well.In addition, there are also several memorialization objects such as inscriptions, monuments, monuments placed on conflict heritage sites (such as in the Beutong Ateuh Tragedy), placing the Tugu Syuhada adjacent to mass grave sites and Islamic boarding school complexes.As well as several other memorialization objects, such as the KKA intersection Tragedy Memorial, the KKA intersection Tragedy Justice Monument built by the North Aceh local government.Based on the memorialization process, not only the inclusiveness of the building is considered, but also the integration with the local context, access, and its widespread usefulness are the main considerations so that conflict memories and peace education through objects of conflict heritage and memorialization objects can be maintained and continue to be used by the next generation.

Figure 2 .
Figure 2. Conflict timeline through thematic paths of main events from 1976

Figure 3 .
Figure 3. Distribution of Conflict Event Locations Based on the Timeline of Major Conflict Events

Figure 5 .
(a) Memorialization Inscription and (b) Mural depicting alleged human rights violations in Bukit Janda and Message to Future Generations.Source: KKR Aceh, 2022[1]

Figure 7 .
(a) There are inscriptions of the names of the victims on the left and right sides of the stairs as a reminder; (b) the KKR inaugurated a recitation hall as a form of memorialization in the South Juli Settlement, Juli District, Bireuen Regency.Source: KKR Aceh (2023)[3]

Figure 8 .
(a) Rumoh Geudong is conflict heritage as a torture camp in the conflict era, (b) Destruction of Rumoh Aceh leaving only the steps of Rumoh Geudong Source: Kontras Aceh, 2022[4]

Table 1 .
List of Conflict Locations Based on Timeline of Major Conflict Events and Typology of Relic Objects Documents 14 RI and GAM pioneered the HDCmediated dialog.The Indonesian delegation was led by Wiryono Sastrowardoyo, GAM was represented by Prime Minister Malik Mahmud.February 2-3, 2002 Jeneva, Switzerland Intangible (Stories) 15 RI and GAM advanced dialogue.GAM negotiator Ibrahim Tiba said GAM accepted special autonomy as a commentary and not as a final solution to the conflict.May 9-10, 2002 Jeneva, Switzerland Intangible (Stories) 16 After the Humanitarian Pause I and II failed, RI-GAM pioneered the following Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA) signed by Zaini Abdullah (GAM) and Wiryono Sastro (RI).

Table 2 .
Objects of Post-Conflict Memorialization