TNI and Brimob clash, three dead in Aceh<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Three people died in internal fighting within the Indonesian
\nsecurity forces in Aceh on Saturday as rebel leaders said they
\nwould attend fresh rounds of peace talks with the Indonesian
\ngovernment later this month in Switzerland.<\/p>\n
Members of the Indonesian Military's (TNI) special force
\nKopassus were involved in a gunfight with members of the police's
\nelite Mobile Brigade (Brimob), leaving three people dead and
\nthree others injured, eyewitnesses and a humanitarian activist
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
They said that the incident occurred in Lhoksukon, a small
\ntown near the oil and gas field of ExxonMobil, about 30
\nkilometers east of Lhokseumawe.<\/p>\n
Witnesses said that the dead victims were a Kopassus officer,
\na Brimob officer and a driver of motorcycle taxi, while the
\ninjured were a woman named Maimunah, and her four-month-old baby,
\nSilviana.<\/p>\n
The victims from the military and police were brought to the
\nLilawangsa military hospital, near the small town, while the
\ninjured civilians were treated at nearby Cut Meutia hospital.<\/p>\n
They said that they could not identify the military and police
\nofficers as they could not get access to the military hospital.<\/p>\n
A humanitarian activist, who refused to be identified, told
\nThe Jakarta Post on Sunday that the gunfight lasted for about 30
\nminutes after 12:00 midday.<\/p>\n
The clash occurred after a Brimob officer traveling on a
\nmotorcycle taxi was shot at by a man wearing civilian dress near
\na bus station. Both the motorcycle taxi driver and the Brimob
\nofficer were shot dead.<\/p>\n
Seeing their friend had been shot, the Brimob members on duty
\nat a nearby security post fired at the shooter, who was later
\nidentified as a Kopassus officer.<\/p>\n
The incident caused Lhoksukon residents to immediately stop
\ntheir activities and stay indoors.<\/p>\n
TNI military spokesman in Aceh, Maj. Zaenal Mutaqin denied the
\ngunfight between the police and Kopassus on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\"Jamaika wants to tarnish our image by saying that we're not
\nworking in harmony in Aceh,\" he was quoted by Serambi Indonesia
\ndaily as saying.<\/p>\n
The daily, meanwhile, quoted Free Aceh Movement (GAM)
\nspokesman, Tengku Jamaika, last Saturday as confirming that there
\nwas a gunfight between Brimob and Kopassus in the town.<\/p>\n
The government and GAM are expected to discuss efforts to
\nrestore security in Aceh and the implementation of special
\nautonomy for the province which includes a greater share in
\nrevenue from natural resources and the implementation of Islamic
\nlaw.<\/p>\n
Another GAM spokesman Tgk. Sofyan Ibrahim said his group had
\nbeen notified by the Henry Dunant Centre, the dialog facilitator,
\nabout the peace talk plan.<\/p>\n
All GAM negotiators will attend the dialog to be held in
\nGeneva, he said. \"I think it would be strange if GAM negotiators
\nfrom Aceh did not attend the meeting,\" he was quoted by Antara as
\nsaying.<\/p>\n
No specified date was mentioned for the talks that would
\nfollow the latest dialog also in Geneva on Feb. 2, 2002, in which
\nGAM reportedly agreed to discuss the Special Autonomy Law for the
\nprovince, implemented by the government in January 2002, as the
\nbasis for future peace talks.<\/p>\n
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda, however, stopped
\nshort of saying the result of the February talks showed that GAM
\nhad softened its stance toward Indonesia, especially after the
\ndeath of its commander Tengku Abdullah Syafi'ie.<\/p>\n
\"The most important thing is that (GAM) appeared at the
\ndiscussions, when before it seemed to be reluctant to engage in
\nanother peace dialog with us ... There will be further meetings
\nin the near future,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The on-again-off-again dialog between Jakarta and GAM has been
\ngoing on for the past two years. However, there were no signs
\nthat the conflict would cease in the near future.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, two people were shot dead by unidentified gunmen in
\nAceh, residents told AFP on Saturday.<\/p>\n
One of the victims was a 37 year-old employee with state
\ntelevision TVRI in the Blang Bintang area of Aceh Besar district.<\/p>\n
The employee died from loss of blood on Friday night due to
\nmultiple gunshot wounds.<\/p>\n
In South Aceh on Thursday, unidentified gunmen opened fire on
\na group of people at a food stall in Sawang area, killing one and
\nwounding at least two others, witnesses said.<\/p>\n
As is often the case there were two wildly different
\naccusations from both sides.<\/p>\n
District military chief Lt. Col. Agus Permana claimed that the
\nshooting was carried out by GAM members.<\/p>\n
However, local GAM spokesman Ayah Manggeng denied the
\naccusation, stating that government troops were responsible for
\nthe incident.<\/p>\n
Also on Thursday, two residents were injured when two grenades
\nhurled by two unidentified men exploded near the office of the
\nLamapaseh Kota village chief in Banda Aceh.<\/p>\n
Neither side claimed responsibility for the explosions.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/tni-and-brimob-clash-three-dead-in-aceh-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }