THOUSANDS gathered in acclamation as a rented Dakota airplane touched down at Lhok Nga Airfield, Greater Aceh, on June 15, 1948. President Sukarno exited the main cabin, glanced at the assembled crowd for a moment, then made his way down the steps. That day marked Sukarnos first visit to Aceh, at a time when the republic was in dire straits.

A year earlier, Indonesia was being pounded by Dutch colonial aggression. Most of the nation had already b