Aceh rebels kill five soldiers, injure 20 others
JAKARTA (JP): A group of separatist rebels shot five anti-riot troop personnel dead and injured a score of others on Monday in a dawn ambush in Reng Krueng village in Pidie regency, 170 kilometers east of the provincial capital Banda Aceh.
The clash took place amid attempts to initiate a peace process, with a number of Acehnese figures, including separatist movement leaders in exile, planning a meeting in Bangkok on July 24 and July 25.
The chief of Lilawangsa Military Command overseeing North Aceh, East Aceh and Pidie regencies, Col. Syafnil Armen, told a news conference that a group of at least 10 rebels killed privates U. Pasaribu, Sugianto, Hasibuan and Agus during the shoot-out. The armed fight also left 10 soldiers severely wounded, while 10 others suffered minor injuries.
The troops, riding on a truck, were on their way back to their post in Sigli, the capital of Pidie, after aiding their friends whose truck overturned on a sharp bend late on Sunday. Two soldiers were injured in the accident.
Syafnil declined to identify those who were injured in the gunbattle, which lasted about 30 minutes. They are now being treated at a military hospital in Lhokseumawe and the Sigli state hospital.
The rebel group escaped into nearby forests after the ambush. Fatalities on their side are unknown, Syafnil said.
Speaking at a media conference here on Monday, Aceh Police chief Col. Bahrumsyah labeled the separatist rebels "criminals" and said the security authorities "would pursue justice for their unlawful deeds".
He also alleged the group to have purchased weapons through selling marijuana.
An angry Indonesian Military Chief of General Affairs Lt. Gen. Sugiono called for tougher measures against the rebel groups, referring to their actions as "brutal acts which endanger the national unity".
Separately, Acehnese figure Hasballah M. Saad said the planned exclusive Bangkok meeting among Aceh natives was aimed at putting an end to violence in the province.
Hasballah told The Jakarta Post that Hasan Tiro, an Aceh resistance leader living in Sweden, and Carmel Budihardjo have confirmed their participation in the two-day meeting.
Aceh Governor Syamsudin Mahmud, Sidney Jones of the Human Rights Watch in Malaysia and Hasballah himself would also attend the meeting.
"The most important thing is that we will sit together and listen to one another in a bid to help calm down the tension and stop the continued killings in Aceh," Hasballah said.
"The longer the tension continues the more the people will suffer," he said.
Hasbalah warned that despite the mounting tension, the Acehnese people would never give up to the use of violence exerted by the security authorities.
Several Aceh leaders have suggested the withdrawal of security personnel from troubled Aceh. But Indonesian Military Commander Gen. Wiranto insisted that the anti-riot troops would remain to restore order.
Also on Monday, Minister of Transportation Giri Suseno Hadihardjono announced that the government would fulfill some of the promises made to the people of Aceh during President B.J. Habibie's visit in March.
Giri said the government would start building 15 kilometers of a 486-kilometer railway linking Banda Aceh and Medan in North Sumatra. The government plans also to extend the runway of the Iskandar Muda airport in the provincial capital to enable haj pilgrims to fly directly to Jedda in Saudi Arabia in March. (rms/prb)