Pelita airplane shot at in Lhokseumawe<\/p>\n
BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): A Pelita Air Service plane carrying 17
\npassengers was shot at by unidentified gunmen on Monday as it
\nprepared to land at Malikus Saleh Airport, some 45 kilometers
\nwest of Lhokseumawe.<\/p>\n
The pilot aborted the landing and flew instead to Polonia
\nAirport in Medan, North Sumatra, for safety.<\/p>\n
Many speculated that the shooting was linked to President
\nAbdurrahman Wahid's visit to Aceh on Tuesday, despite warnings
\nfrom various parties.<\/p>\n
North Aceh Police chief Sr. Supt. Wanto Sumardi identified the
\ngunmen as members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), stressing that
\nLilawangsa Military Commander Col. Moh. Jahja and North Aceh
\nMilitary District Commander Lt. Col. Suyatmo witnessed the
\nshooting.<\/p>\n
Jahja and Suyatmo refused to comment on the incident. Suyatmo
\nsaid they were escorting a guest when the shooting took place.<\/p>\n
Separately, North Aceh GAM deputy commander Abu Sofyan Daud
\nsaid military officers had shot at the plane.<\/p>\n
He said some 100 officers posted at the airport were
\n\"instructed\" to create chaos so that a state of civil emergency
\ncould be imposed in Aceh.<\/p>\n
Another speculation was made by Special Police Operation Cinta
\nMeunasah spokesman Sr. Supt. Kusbini Imbar, who said the shooting
\nwas committed by frustrated Army members, who had ended their
\nduty in the troubled province. \"They were waiting for an airplane
\nto pick them up. They were so excited at seeing the airplane
\ndescending that morning. They fired random shots in joy, and hit
\nthe plane.\"<\/p>\n
The officer did not say if any of the soldiers were arrested.<\/p>\n
Reports from Polonia Airport said there were seven bullet
\nholes in the body and one on its wings.<\/p>\n
Pelita spokesperson Julia Tumengkol, confirmed the incident,
\nsaying no fatalities were reported.<\/p>\n
She said the motive for the shooting was not yet known.<\/p>\n
President of Pelita Air Service Soeratman said in Jakarta that
\nservice to Lhokseumawe was temporarily halted due to the
\nincident.<\/p>\n
\"We will resume operation once the plane is fixed and the
\nsituation is relatively safe. We will do our best to continue
\nservice and so far there is Indonesian Air Transport (IAT), which
\ncan transport workers,\" Soeratman told The Jakarta Post by phone.<\/p>\n
The PK-PSX DAS-7 plane had left Lhoksukon Air Base shortly
\nbefore the shootings took place at about 7:50 a.m, he said.<\/p>\n
Reports said the 48-seat plane left Medan at 6:38 a.m.
\ncarrying a total of 47 passengers. Twenty-six passengers
\ndisembarked the aircraft in Lhoksukon.<\/p>\n
\"Our estimated loss is about US$4,000 a day, since we received
\nabout that much revenue from the daily flights,\" Soeratman said.<\/p>\n
Pelita Air Service is one of the airlines serving the Medan -
\nLhoksukon - Lhokseumawe route for hundreds of employees from
\nleading oil corporation Exxon-Mobil and gas company PT Arun.<\/p>\n
The Malikus Saleh Airport is a special air base located at
\nPintoe Weu village, Muara Batu district. It is jointly managed by
\nstate oil company Pertamina and PT Arun.<\/p>\n
The runway, measuring 1,800 meters long and 30 meters wide, is
\nused to serve two regular flights, usually by Fokker-27 or DAS-7
\nairplanes, to the North Sumatra provincial capital of Medan each
\nday.<\/p>\n
Soeratman said the plane was shot at when it was between 150
\nfeet and 200 feet in altitude. \"Pilot Widayanto decided to head
\nfor Polonia and the plane landed there at 8:45 a.m.\"<\/p>\n
\"All passengers and crew members are safe. They were a bit
\nshaken, but everything is okay. The plane is now being checked at
\na hangar in Medan.<\/p>\n
\"The bullets hit several spots on the plane, such as the left
\nfuel tank, the propeller, a passenger seat and a spot near the
\ncargo landing door. Thank God none of them harmed any of the
\npassengers or crew,\" Soeratman said.<\/p>\n
On Feb. 5, an armed gang attacked and set fire to the terminal
\nat Malikus Saleh Airport, which serves the economically strategic
\nArun gas fields.<\/p>\n
The gas fields are a major supplier of liquefied natural gas
\nto countries like Japan and South Korea. (50\/lup\/edt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pelita-airplane-shot-at-in-lhokseumawe-1447893297",
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