24 missing in Idi Cut incident

BANDA ACEH, Aceh: Rights activists said on Monday 11 people were killed and 24 others went missing in the Feb. 3 incident in Idi Cut, East Aceh, when a group of unidentified men in military fatigues opened fire on a crowd returning home from a separatist speech.

Abdul Gani Nurdin of the Forum Peduli HAM organization said here that the most recent testimonies of East Aceh residents revealed that 24 people were still missing. There had been no previous reports about missing people.

There were varying death tolls, with another rights activist earlier saying that 12 people were killed in the incident.

Officials said seven were killed and that six of the bodies were found buried in the riverbed of Arakundoe.

Nurdin suspects the 24 residents of Kota Binjai are dead. They were among some 5,000 who listened to a speech by separatist leaders Tengku di Idi, Tengku di Ulim and Tengku di Bagok, he said. (swe)