Smuggled Letters from McCulloch & Sandler
September 23, 2002 11:15 PM,

Laksamana.Net -

The letters are preceded by an explanatory letter, and an edited cover-letter from a member of the Aceh chapter of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras).

The original uncorrected copy of the cover-letter is included after the unchanged texts of the letters by McCulloch and Sadler.

The cover-letter incorrectly identifies General Ryamizard Ryacudu as “commander of the military strategic command”. He was former chief of the Army’s Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad) and is now Army chief.

A few spelling errors in the two women’s letters might have occurred when they were being typed for email by the Kontras member.


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Explanatory Letter

Dear friends,

Please find hereunder letters from Lesley and Joy smuggled out and copied for email by Teuku Samsul Bahri of Kontras-Acheh.

There is an accompanying note from Teuku Samsul Bahri. For easier reading I corrected his English a little bit hereunder, and i'm also including the original text intact for your reference.

Thanking you,
[name withheld upon request]


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Corrected Text of Cover Letter:

Dear Friends

I am Teuku Samsul Bahri, coordinator of the Research and Public Information of the Commission for Missing People and Victims of Violence (KONTRAS-Acheh).

I would like to inform you about the condition of Lesley McCulloch, a British national and Joy Lee Ernesting Sadler, an American who have been arrested and detained by the Indonesian military and Police in Aceh since September 10, 2002. They are accused of visa violation as tourist. [The fact is] they only went to South Aceh, and the villagers there were talking to them about their suffering due to Conflict, and the two wrote what the villagers said; some times they helped the children who were sick and in poor health. But the Indonesian Police and Military suspected them [of doing other things]. They were sexually harassed, beaten up, punched and inflicted with other kinds of violence, when they were first detained at the place of their misfortune.

Later at the POLDA (Regional Police Hq in Banda Aceh), they were not allowed to have access to their Embassies and friends; [even now] only their lawyers who are allowed to see them. The Police provide them with unsuitable food.

Meanwhile, the general situation in Aceh has become worse lately after the commander of the military strategic command, General Ryamizard Ryacudu said that the Indonesian Military had to suspect all of foreigners in Aceh, resulting in [many] villagers being arrested and killed by the Indonesian troops. In fact, the villagers in South Aceh who were visited by Lesley and Joy have now fled to refugee camps (about 20 villages consisting of 3,000 villagers). Lesley and Joy are being held at the POLDA office in a very sad condition and on suffering. Most Acehnese hope they would be released [as soon as possible] because both of them have brought solace to Acehnese.

At the last interrogation, they were accused with violating their visa conditions and were charged under the Indonesian immigration law articles 40 and 52, facing a maximum five year jail and/or a fine of about 25 million rupiah or conviction. [In addition] the authorities are very angry because in Lesley's laptop, the Police and military investigators have found notes about the Indonesian military and police illegal business dealings she wrote in Germany in 1999. This document has become a big new problem for Lesley in the interrogation process, and Lesley's defense is that this article was written outside Indonesia, and thus does not constitute visa violation.

Banda Aceh, 23 September 2002 at 3.30 am (Local time)
Aceh commission for missing people and victims of violence - KontraS Aceh
Teuku Samsul Bahri
Research and public information

Below is the text of the letters written by Lesley and Joy at the place of their misfortune today:

[end of corrected text of cover letter]


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Texts of letters from Lesley McCulloch and Joy Lee Sadler:
Lesley McCulloch’s First Letter

Dear friends

We appreciate the efforts of our governments who we know are working hard at diplomatic level to secure our release, but we feel isolated here in Banda Aceh, and all of requests to contact our embassies are being denied.

Friends cannot visit and the police provide no food, only 3 meals in four days, so, we are dependent on the wonderful team from LBH and KONTRAS ACEH not only for legal advice, but for all of our needs.

The outcome of this situation is dependent as much on the political power struggles as it is an any due legal process.

We request our embassies an present here in Banda Aceh to ensure neither us nor threats in this flawed and fluid legal system. We fear that without the presence of our embassies, the out come of this process may be unfavourable to us. although since arriving in Banda Aceh we have not been physically harmed, intimidation + constant pressure from the police continues.

Many thanks to those who are working tirelessly for our release

-Lesley and Joy


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Lesley McCulloch’s Second Letter

Dear all

We have no access to news papers or others media but we know of the international campaign to seek justice + secure our release.

We are going through s pretty tough time and are worried about the outcome process.

Staff from our embassy were waiting to meet with us on arrival at the police station in Banda Aceh, but we have since returned Medan - Jakarta .
Since then, all effort by embassies staff to talk to us by Telephone have been blocked by Police.Who tell the embassies we are free to call them any time?. this is a lie. repeated request to call embassies are refused. Friends cannot visit, and The Police Provide us with no food. we are reliant on the wonderful LBH and KONTRAS team to everything. the police said : we were in possession of GAM (Free Aceh Movement) documents, this is not so, we had only stories from victims of the conflict. But, they are trying desperately to final proof of something more sinister - they will not.

Knowledge of the international campaign is certainly what gives us strength trough these difficult times of intimidation process is dependent on as much on laws - which is flexible and corrupt.

We owe so many so much thanks with all our hearts.

In solidarity

Lesley and Joy


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Joy Lee Ernesting Sadler's Letter

Dear all

I came to Acheh with my son on holiday and with hope of securing a volunteer heatlh position with a local organization here. While going to a popular tourist island in south Acheh we were stopped at a military cheek point and harassed, beaten, and taken into custody for reason unknown. We were refused calls to our embassies for help and imprisioned for 8 days without contact to out side world.

We have been interrogated for hours, deprived of sleep and food and denied medical care for our injuries. I have been unable to eat from the infection in my mouth from the beatings. They tried to force us to sign documents of statements, we did not make and threats of shooting us.

We were kept hidden for 8 days at two police posts until our transfer here to Banda Aceh. At which time our first and only contact was allowed with our embassies. We have not been allowed to contact since that time.

We have been officially charged with visa violation but are accused of carrying GAM documents. The papers I had were only villagers stories of their trauma being, caught in between the conflict here in Acheh.

I am ensure of the out come of our situation as we our dealing with a legal system. I cannot communicate with and whose laws are written with disappearing ink and reappear only when it suit their purpose.

I am confident the American Government will interview this matter and ask the American peoples for their prayer and support as this could happen to anyone traveling in Indonesia.

Joy Ernesting Sadler


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Letter By Lesley McCulloch and Joy Sadler

Dear Friends:

We strongly refute the allegation of RI governmant and statement made by some media that GAM documents were found in our possession. In fact, the papers found were statement victims of the conflict. In addition, lesley was carrying copies of the article written as the result of her previous academic research but which have aroused much suspicion . we believe our attention for such a long priod is complatelly without meri. we were detained on 10th september but charged only on 17th with violation on tourist visa.

We ask to the international for their continuing support and assistance in pressing the RI to bring this matter to a speedy, fair and just closure, many thanks to our friends, family, and all arround the world who are working for our release, thanks also to the british, amarican, and australian gov't for their support.

Lesley and Joy


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Original uncorrected text of the cover letter from Teuku Samsul Bahri:

Dear Friends

I am Teuku Samsul Bahri as a coordinator of Research and public information with Aceh commission for disappearances and victims of violence (Komisi orang hilang dan tidak kekerasan - KontraS Aceh), I would like to inform you about the situations of Lesley Mc. Cullogh, British and Joy Lee Enesting Sadler, American who were arrested and detain by Indonesian Military and Indonesian Police in Aceh since September 10, 2002. they were accused with Visa violation as tourist, but they only went to South Aceh, and The villagers there were talking to them about the villagers suffering because of Conflict, they wrote what villagers said regarding their suffering days, some times they helped to children who sick and the poor health, on the contrary, Indonesian Police and Military suspected them. They got Sexual harassment, beaten, punched and other kinds of violence, the first of their detained place was misfortune to them, and the second is in POLDA (Region Police in Aceh), they are not allowed to have access with their Embassy and Friends, only their Lawyers who are allowed. Police has given unsuitable
foods to them.

The while, The situations in Aceh more bad than the last day, after commander of strategic command of army force unit, Rymizard Rycuzu said Indonesian Military must suspicion to all of Foreigners in Aceh and then the villagers who arrested and killed by troops. in fact, The villagers in south Aceh who were visited by Lesley and Joy have been in Refugee camp (about 20 villages and 3,000 villagers), and then Lesley and Joy who being held in POLDA very sad to this situation on suffering, mostly Acehnese hopefully they will be released, because both of them are fortune to Acehnese. until the last interrogation, they are accused with violation visa, and Indonesian immigration laws article 40 and 52, they may be charged about five years put in the jail or fine about 25 millions rupiah, but in other side Indonesian very angry because in Lesley Laptop, Police found Indonesian military in Police illegal business who written by Lesley in Germany in 1999, thus document have been a new big problem on interrogate process, and Lesley is still defence about this article was written out of Indonesia, and she is detained because visa violation.

Banda Aceh, 23 September 2002 at 3.30 am (Local time)
Aceh commission for disappereances and victims of violence - KontraS Aceh

Teuku Samsul Bahri
Research and public information