Aceh's horror continues as mass grave discovered

Aceh's horror continues as mass grave discovered

BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): Horror and tension again reigned here
over the weekend when three suspected rebels were killed in a
gunfight with police in North Aceh, while in Central Aceh the
stench of rotting bodies led residents to a hidden mass grave.

The three identified men were killed during a 20-minute
gunfight on Saturday morning when police raided a suspected rebel
base.

Aceh Police spokesman Lt. Col. Sayed Husaini said the incident
occurred in Ulee Nyeueu village, Nisam district.

"After the gunfight, we continued combing the area and we
seized items such as a walkie-talkie, grenades and grenade
launchers from the three dead men," he added.

The incident over the weekend brought this month's death toll
in Aceh to at least 93.

Separately, police also divulged that villagers had found a
site containing 11 decomposed bodies near Uning village, Central
Aceh.

Local police chief Lt. Col. Misik Natari said the bodies were
found with their hands tied.

Without elaborating on how many victims were men, he claimed
that the men appeared to have been shot in the mouth.

"Locals found their bodies in a 300-meter ravine in Linge Isaq
district of the mountainous Burlintang area here on Thursday,"
Misik said.

Judging from the condition of the bodies it seems that they
were killed about two weeks ago, he said, adding that "they were
probably thrown into the ravine after being shot dead".

Witnesses said the putrid odor around the ravine led them to
the location of the bodies, a remote area far away from any
housing settlement located on the border of Central and Southeast
Aceh.

Police and residents evacuated the bodies on Thursday at noon
and decided to bury them properly in a plot near the ravine.

"It is almost impossible to identify them. Only one of the
remains has a full skull. He had gray hair and false teeth,"
Misik said.

Up until Sunday afternoon no one had claimed knowledge of or
to be related to any of the victims.

"We're also trying to cross-check this finding with reports of
missing persons, but so far to no avail," he added.

Misik also said that on Feb. 5 there was a similar discovery
when the bodies of six unidentified men were found in a ravine
near the border of Central and East Aceh.

Central Aceh is a mountainous regency with thick forest and
deep ravines. It has a total population of about 300,000 people.

The area is widely regarded by military and police as an
alternative escape route for the Free Aceh Movement (GAM)
separatist rebels when they are cornered in North and East Aceh.

Disappearances have become a common occurrence in Aceh. Both
sides -- security forces and rebels -- often blame the other over
various incidents.

Meanwhile in Banda Aceh on Sunday, about 500 women held a
demonstration to demand that peace be immediately sought to free
people from the sense of fear and intimidation which has haunted
them for so long.

They lamented that what essentially began as a political
conflict escalated to unnecessary acts such as the destruction of
schools.

"We want all this violence to stop so our children can play
and study in peace," read a statement issued by the women.

"Children and their parents no longer want to hear of the
sudden discovery of a body near where they live."

The conflict in Aceh has escalated in the past year, with
separatist rebels openly attacking security forces in the
province.

The government has yet to provide a concrete solution to the
problem despite continued boasting from President Abdurrahman
Wahid that the violence will end within the next few months.

A joint military-civilian court is due to try alleged
violators of human rights in Aceh in the coming months which many
hope will help alleviate discontent in the province. (50/51/edt)