15 killed in Aceh as troops open fire

15 killed in Aceh as troops open fire

JAKARTA (JP): At least 15 people were killed and 77 injured
when military troops fired on villagers in Pulo Rungkom, near
Lhokseumawe, on Monday.

Lhokseumawe Military Commander Col. Johny Wahab told The
Jakarta Post the incident was triggered after thousands of people
took 80 soldiers, who were searching for two missing personnel,
hostage.

The officers were believed to be abducted by a group linked to
the Free Aceh Movement on Saturday.

Johny said the clash -- the second in less than a month -- was
an exchange of gunfire between soldiers and civilians.

"The shooting was a act of self-defense after the mob began to
open fire. It was also unknown whether the fatalities were killed
by our bullets, because some people in the crowd were armed with
rifles," Johny said, adding that military personnel found a
number of projectiles from the Russian automatic AK-47s.

Johny said his troops used only rubber bullets.

No arrests were made following the clash and no deployment of
reinforcement troops, Johny said. "We have restored order and
business will be normal as usual."

A doctor at Lhokseumawe General Hospital, Ridwan, said over 50
people who were admitted to the hospital suffered gunshot wounds
to the head, stomach, legs and genitals. He confirmed live
bullets wounded or killed the victims, although he did not
disclose whether the team of doctors found any bullets in the
casualties' bodies.

As of Monday evening at 7.30 p.m. West Indonesia Time, surgery
to save lives was still underway, according to Ridwan. Three
surgeons and eight public doctors took part in the operations, he
said.

As well as the Lhokseumawe Hospital, medical workers admitted
casualties to a clinic belonging to state-owned fertilizer
company Pupuk Iskandar Muda and another health center in the
nearby town of Arun.

A witness who requested anonymity told the Post the victims
included women and children.

"I saw hundreds of people, including old women and children
aged under five being rushed to hospitals," she said.

The previous clash in the North Aceh capital of Lhokseumawe
occurred on April 21 when thousands of students tried to attack
local police headquarters. A student and a member of the Mobile
Brigade were killed.

Provocateurs

Col. Johny said there were signs of the Free Aceh Movement's
involvement in the incident, due to the presence of people from
outside the village.

"We came to the village to negotiate the release of our
members, but the villagers had been told that we would attack
them," Johny said.

He said the mob fired on four military trucks loaded with the
soldiers. As negotiations failed the crowd, armed with swords and
machetes, surrounded the personnel and stoned them.

A resident who requested anonymity, told Antara locals took
the soldiers hostage in retaliation for the alleged recent
beatings of villagers. "We seek justice, but there has been no
response from the security authorities. It appears to be (an act
of) vengeance," the news agency quoted the resident as saying.

Johny said North Aceh Military Commander Lt. Col. Giyono was
prepared to talk directly to the villagers, but he could not
reach the scene because the crowd had blocked off access to the
village.

Antara reported the mob also erected barricades on a section
of the highway connecting the provincial capital of Band Aceh and
the North Sumatra capital of Medan. The barrier lasted five hours
until 1 p.m. when warning shots were heard.

Shop owners stopped trading from midday. No public
transportation was seen on major thoroughfares.

Demands for a referendum in the westernmost province have
intensified in the past year, despite the government and military
apologizing for past atrocities and human rights violations.
President B.J. Habibie issued a reconciliatory gesture during his
visit to Banda Aceh last month.

Meanwhile in Bali, police said on Monday they had deployed 500
personnel to maintain order at Kuta beach, near Denpasar,
following a brawl that killed a trader supervisor identified as
Herlima on Sunday.

Badung Police chief Lt. Col. S. Sebayang told Antara the
security personnel were posted in places prone to conflict
between local and migrant traders around the tourist area.

Sebayang said two suspects were being questioned. He added
that the case was purely a crime.

More than 200 people burned down at least 175 kiosks belonging
to migrant traders last week, the result of an ongoing dispute
between local and migrant traders. (amd)