Aceh death toll hits 38

JAKARTA (JP): The number of confirmed deaths from Monday's shooting of protesters by the military in North Aceh rose to 38 on Wednesday, while medical supplies destined for local hospitals overwhelmed by victims were not expected to arrive until early on Thursday.

"Nineteen people died in hospital or were dead when they arrived here, while 19 bodies were taken straight home from the scene by relatives," T.S. Sani, coordinator of the local government fact-finding team, told The Jakarta Post by phone from the North Aceh capital of Lhokseumawe.

Sani said that at least a further 115 people were injured during the incident.

The local government has set up a fact-finding team which includes local members of the Red Cross, government officials, students and members of non-governmental organizations to investigate the incident.

Earlier in the day, Lilawangsa Regional Military Commander Col. Johnny Wahab, who oversees the regencies of North Aceh, East Aceh and Pidie, told the Post that 31 people were killed in the incident. On Tuesday, the military insisted that only 18 people died, with a further 81 injured.

The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) said on Tuesday that up to 65 people could have been killed, although it had only been able to confirm 23 deaths.

On Monday, troops opened fire on thousands of protesters blocking a junction in the town of Krueng Geukueh, 15 kilometers west of Lhokseumawe.

The incident was the latest in a succession of violent clashes between the military and campaigners for a referendum on independence in the troubled province.

Sani also said that at least two people, Sofian Nurdin, 17, and Mahendra Husni, 35, were still missing after the incident, with thousands of Krueng Geukueh residents fleeing amid fears of further violence.

Meanwhile, Philippe Beauverd, a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Lhokseumawe, told the Post that the Jakarta office of ICRC had dispatched six boxes of medical supplies to Lhokseumawe General Hospital on Tuesday.

"I hope they will arrive later today or tomorrow morning," he said adding that the situation in Lhokseumawe on Wednesday was "better" than on Tuesday.

Mulya A. Hasjmy, head of Lhokseumawe General Hospital, said on Tuesday that the hospital was running short of anesthetics, high- dose antibiotics and sutures due to the large number patients requiring surgery on Monday.

Mulya said that as of Wednesday, at least 47 people were still being treated at the hospital.

"Earlier today, two more people were transferred to Zainal Abidin Hospital in Banda Aceh (275 kilometers west of Lhokseumawe) for surgery," Mulya told the Post, adding that the hospital was still packed with hundreds of relatives of the victims.

Meanwhile, Johnny Wahab insisted his troops opened fire "in self-defense".

"The crowd were armed and they fired first, so we had no other choice...they were members of the separatist movement and if I have to, I will risk my own neck to defend the unity of this country," Johnny said.

Kontras coordinator, Munir, rejected the military's claim on Tuesday, saying that troops opened fire on the crowd after some of the protesters began to pelt them with stones.

The crowd had gathered to protest against the unnecessary force used by soldiers during a house-to-house search in the nearby hamlet of Cot Murong on Saturday, Kontras said.

The military said members of the guided missile detachment were in Cot Murong to search for fellow soldiers who were captured by villagers during a Free Aceh movement rally on Friday.

A fact-finding mission from the National Commission on Human Rights is scheduled to leave for the troubled province next Monday to investigate the latest violence.

Meanwhile, Bambang Widjojanto of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) on Wednesday urged the rights body to set up a permanent office in the troubled province to prevent further human rights abuses.

"Monday's violence shows that repressive measures are still being used in Aceh, despite promises of no more violence from the government," Bambang said.

Meanwhile, the military information center said in a statement that an off-duty member of Tanah Luas police sub-precinct in North Aceh was shot dead by two unidentified men riding a motorcycle. The shooting took place on Wednesday morning in front of a coffee house in the village of Blang Jruen, which lies 16 kilometers west of Lhokseumawe.

"Chief Sgt. Helmy Juhaeri, 38, was shot in the head, chest and left hand and died on the spot," the statement said.

The unidentified attackers fled the scene, leaving behind at least eight spent cartridge cases for the Russian-made AK-47 automatic rifle.

The statement said that Helmy was buried in the North Aceh village of Biereun later in the day. (byg)