School torching greets Susilo in Lhokseumawe<\/p>\n
Ibnu Mat Noor, The Jakarta Post, Lhokseumawe<\/p>\n
The torching of two school buildings greeted Coordinating
\nMinister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang
\nYudhoyono during his peace mission in Lhokseumawe, North Aceh on
\nFriday.<\/p>\n
Locals, including workers of joint venture company PT Arun
\nNGL. Co and their relatives, were shocked by a strong explosion
\nin the education complex near the company's housing compound
\nwhich was followed by the burning of two individual school
\nbuildings on Thursday night, only hours before the minister
\narrived in the town to hold talks with local leaders.<\/p>\n
No casualties were reported during the explosion and fires but
\nIrwandar, media officer of Arun NGL, said the burning of the
\nbuilding caused Rp 354 million in material losses to the company.<\/p>\n
The local police accused the Aceh Free Movement (GAM) of being
\nbehind the incident, saying it was aimed at terrorizing local
\nleaders to prevent them from attending the planned dialog with
\nthe minister.<\/p>\n
Lhokseumawe is known as a stronghold of GAM in the conflict-
\nwracked province.<\/p>\n
PT Arun is a joint venture between state oil company PT
\nPertamina, ExxonMobil Oil and Japan's JELCO.<\/p>\n
Susilo arrived in the town under tight security both from the
\nlocal military and the local police, from the provincial capital
\nof Banda Aceh. He was scheduled to spend the night at Arun's
\nguest house in the company complex, where the two school building
\nwere torched.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, the minister was scheduled to hold talks with
\nNorth Aceh officials and religious leaders, including local
\nclerics.<\/p>\n
Susilo prayed on Friday at the Jamik Mosque in Sigli, Pidie,
\nwhere he spoke to local officials, religious leaders, orphans and
\nwidows whose husbands were killed during the 26-year-long
\nconflict.<\/p>\n
Susilo reiterated that the central government had a strong
\ncommitment to resolving the conflict through peaceful
\nnegotiations, instead of a repressive approach.<\/p>\n
\"The government is striving to seek a comprehensive and
\npeaceful solution to the prolonged conflict through dialogs and
\nnegotiations with all sides, including GAM, in the province,\" he
\ntold Pidie's officials and religious leaders.<\/p>\n
Susilo was on a week-long visit to the province to seek input
\nfrom all sides amid the increasing call for the imposition of a
\nstate of emergency due to increasing tensions in the last two
\nmonths.<\/p>\n
Both local administrations, legislatures, clerics and NGOs
\nhave expressed their opposition to the government's plan to
\nimpose a state emergency, saying more and more civilians would
\ndie.<\/p>\n
More than 6,000 people, including rebels and servicemen, have
\nbeen killed since the central government launched a military
\noperation to restore security and order in the province one and
\nhalf years ago.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, a senior high school building was also torched in
\nRantau Selamat, East Aceh, and a rebel was shot dead by the
\npolice in Indrajaya Subdistrict in Pidie.<\/p>\n
Adj. Sr. Comr. Mariyanto, chief of the Pidie Police Precinct,
\nsaid that 25-year-old Sukirman, a member of GAM, was shot when he
\nfired shots at a passing military truck in Sigli.<\/p>\n
\"Soldiers riding in the truck took revenge and the victim died
\ninstantly,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/school-torching-greets-susilo-in-lhokseumawe-1447893297",
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