Body of slain serviceman found, ABRI says

JAKARTA (JP): The Armed Forces say an intensive sweep of East Aceh regency bore results on Thursday with the discovery of the body of one of eight servicemen reportedly attacked and kidnapped by residents near Lhok Nibung village.

Second Private Tulus P. Sidabutar of the Bireuen 113 Infantry battalion was found dead with extensive head injuries. His body was discovered in the Arakundo River, East Aceh.

Maj. Gen. Ismed Yuzairi, the chief of the Bukit Barisan Regional Military Command, accused on Thursday Aceh Merdeka separatists of provocation and of being behind a series of unrest and of torturing soldiers in North and East Aceh regencies.

"ABRI is now chasing after Ahmad Kandang, one of the figures who has provoked people to commit violence," he told reporters on Thursday in Medan, North Sumatra.

An on-duty officer at Lilawangsa Military Command in East Aceh, contacted by The Jakarta Post by phone on Friday, said his office had not been informed of any new development in the search for the still missing seven soldiers. The seven are believed to be dead.

"We are awaiting a report from the military district command," he said.

The whereabouts of the other seven soldiers -- marine Maj. Edyanto Chairuddin, chief of the marines' task force in Bireuen, and chief Sgt. Syaefuddin of the North Aceh military district, and privates Respon Sialagan, Mangatas Turnip, Marasil Sinaga, Joulas Sirait and Yunus Tarigan, all members of the Bireuen Infantry Battalion -- is still unknown.

The sole survivor and witness to the reported kidnapping is Second Sgt. Askani.

Earlier reports said two separate incidents occurred in Simpang Ulim and in Lhok Nibong, on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.

In the first case, Edyanto, Syaefuddin and Askani were patrolling the area when they were kidnapped.

In the second incident, the six Bireuen infantrymen -- together with 10 fellow infantrymen -- were on a bus heading for Medan, North Sumatra, for a Christmas vacation, when some 200 residents near the village of Lhok Nibung stopped and searched the vehicles for Armed Forces personnel.

Ten of the second group of the servicemen escaped because they reportedly were able to show the mob their civilian identity cards. The other six only had military identity cards on them and were dragged out of the bus.

Assistant for intelligence operations at Bukit Barisan Regional Military Command, Col. Liliek A.S., said the authorities obtained reports from witnesses to the hanging and burning of the kidnapped soldiers.

Liliek confirmed the atrocities were committed by separatist rebels. He said the rebels had been addressing the public, including at mosques, in North Aceh about their Aceh Merdeka (Free Aceh) cause.

He said police had detained 14 suspects, who had admitted to being members of the separatist group, for questioning.

Unrest also took place in West Sumatra on Wednesday when hundreds of residents of Tarusan, Pesisir Selatan, went on a rampage following reports that police had released two alleged thieves.

Rioters pelted stones at the police station and the residence of the police chief. They demanded police recapture the two alleged thieves.

West Sumatra Police chief Col. Boedi R. Koestono said police had no grounds to keep the two men in detention.

"There was no strong evidence... with which to prosecute the two," he said. He suggested the unrest was incited by "certain parties".

Meanwhile, military observers Indria Samego and Lt. Gen. (ret) Hasnan Habib supported on Friday a request by Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto that the National Commission on Human Rights investigate the reported killings of the officers in Aceh.

Both believe the request was a challenge for the rights body, which over the years has consistently investigated and revealed rights violations committed by the military.

Both men also called on the rights commission to conduct a thorough, fair and impartial investigation into the case.

Hasnan pointed out how the public now found it difficult to trust the military, which was why an independent body was needed to investigate the reported murders. (21/28/01/imn)