Simpang KKA incident

Simpang KKA incident

Part of the insurgency in Aceh
Date	3 May 1999;26 years ago (1999-05-03)
Location	Dewantara, North Aceh, Special Region of Aceh, Indonesia
Perpetrator	Indonesian National Armed Forces
Deaths	52
Non-fatal injuries	Over 100 (Human Rights Watch)

Simpang KKA incident, also known as the Dewantara Incident or Krueng Geukueh tragedy 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.

Incident

Simpang KKA is a junction on the Banda Aceh - Medan road near the PT Kertas Kraft Aceh 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]

References

1. "In Aceh there is peace but no justice | Amnesty's global human rights blog".
2. "Aceh for Beginners".
3. "Indonesia: The May 3, 1999 Killings in Aceh (A Human Rights Watch Press Backgrounder, May 1999)". www.hrw.org. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
4. "Indonesia: The May 3, 1999 Killings in Aceh (Human Rights Watch Press Backgrounder, May 1999)". www.hrw.org. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
5. "Sejarah Aceh Hari Ini – Tragedi Simpang KKA 3 Mei 1999, Tembakan Membabibuta oleh Aparat ke Warga". Serambinews.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2025-07-23.
6. "Aceh: Musisi yang karyanya dibredel militer di tengah konflik bersenjata - 'Disangkakan kita jadi propaganda GAM'". BBC News Indonesia (in Indonesian). 2023-12-26. Retrieved 2025-07-01.