Blast mars Boyce's visit to Aceh

Ibnu Mat Noor, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

At least 11 people were injured when a grenade exploded in Banda Aceh on Monday morning ahead of the arrival of United States Ambassador to Indonesia Ralph "Skip" Boyce in this restive Aceh capital for a three-day visit.

The victims included eight-year-old Rizki Nazira and her father Ansari, 40 and mother Khairiah, 36, who are being treated for serious wounds.

Witnesses said the grenade was thrown at a Vespa motorcycle belonging to Ansari. A police patrol car parked nearby was also damaged.

"It is an uncivilized act," Banda Aceh Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Sayet Hoesainy said at the scene.

He blamed separatist rebels for the blast, which took place at 8:30 a.m. outside the main Bank Negara Indonesia office and the Aceh Shopping Market (PAS). The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) has denied responsibility for the incident.

The blast occurred at least 1.5 hours before Ambassador Boyce arrived in the city at 10 a.m. on a commercial plane to meet with Deputy Aceh Governor Azwar Abubakar and other local senior officials.

Boyce declined to comment on the closed-door meeting as he is scheduled to give a press conference on Tuesday at the Darussalam State Academy of Islamic Studies (IAIN).

Sources said Boyce and Azwar discussed political issues, including the promotion of peace talks between the Aceh government and GAM.

However, Azwar said he and Boyce talked about the possibility of U.S. assistance to implement the wide-ranging autonomy package for Aceh.

"The U.S. government supports the unity of Indonesia. He wants to see the Aceh conflict end peacefully through dialog," he added.

It was the ambassador's first visit to Aceh since he assumed office in Jakarta last year. He will end the trip on Wednesday, during which he will also meet police and military leaders.