By 2002 Sarumpaet had returned to Indonesia, where she debuted a stageplay entitled "Alia, Luka Serambi Mekah" ("Alia, Wound of Serambi Mekah") at Ismail Marzuki Park in Jakarta; it was her first stageplay since the fall of Suharto. Dealing with Indonesian military operations in Aceh, the play was later performed in five other cities. In December 2002 it was scheduled to be broadcast on TVRI in commemoration of Human Rights Day, but pulled at the last minute due to intervention from the military. In 2001, she and her troupe put on "Dalam Kegelapan Panjang" ("In a Long Darkness"), which dealt with the children of victims of the anti-communist purges of 1965–1966.