Aceh continues to burn despite truce

Aceh continues to burn despite truce

BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): Three buildings in Pidie and Biereuen
regencies have been attacked by unidentified people in the last
three days, a sign that the situation in the riot-torn province
continues to deteriorate despite the recent agreement to extend
the humanitarian pause there.

The deputy chief of Aceh's Cinta Meunasah operation, Supt.
Yatim Suyatmo, speculated on Thursday that groups of armed
civilians were responsible for the arson attacks.

Cinta Meunasah is a special military operation meant to
contain the activities of separatist rebels.

Yatim said the district court building in Pidie, some 120
kilometers east of Banda Aceh, and a hotel and the social and
political affairs office in Biereuen were damaged in the
incidents.

"No fatalities were reported" in the attacks, he was quoted as
saying by Antara news agency.

The fire in Pide gutted two holding cells and a documentation
room in the court building, located 300 meters from the Pidie
Police station.

The Purnama Raya hotel in Cot Gapu village, about 220
kilometers from Banda Aceh, was set ablaze on Wednesday. "The
fire was extinguished before it destroyed the building," Yatim
said.

The social and political affairs office was completely
destroyed in an arson attack on Tuesday, Yatim said, adding that
he believed separatist rebels were responsible for the incident.

"The motive for the arson attacks is unclear, but the method
(in all three attacks) was similar. People poured gasoline inside
the buildings, where homemade bombs had been placed. Then they
detonated the bombs," he said.

Despite the agreement to extend the humanitarian pause in the
province, there seems to be no end to the violence, which the
military and the separatist Free Aceh Movement blame on each
other.

The humanitarian pause extension was signed in Geneva last
week, after the original three-month cease-fire ended in early
September. (50/lup)