THIS long tale is called Aceh. From colonial times until this "era of change," this province at the northern end of Sumatra seems to have known no end to suffering. Last week, a new story came out of New York, the headquarters of Human Rights Watch, a watchdog whose credibility is hard to doubt. The story was contained in a 55-page report entitled Aceh at War: Torture, Ill-Treatment and Unfair Trials.

President Megawati Sukarnopu