Ex-Aceh governor physically attacked by angry Acehnese

JAKARTA (JP): Former Aceh governor and minister in Soeharto's cabinet, Ibrahim Hasan, was attacked by a man during a break in a discussion on the province's development held at Hotel Cempaka in Central Jakarta, Saturday morning.

According to Mustafa Abubakar, chairman of Taman Iskandar Muda, an organization for Acehnese people living in Jakarta, which organized the dialog, Ibrahim suffered a minor injury to his nose but was seemingly still in a fit condition.

"His nose was bleeding after the attack and a medical report stated a minor wound to his nose," Mustafa told The Jakarta Post yesterday.

He said he still has no idea on the motive of the attacker, who is being detained at Central Jakarta Police precinct.

Many believed that the attacker landed his punch on Ibrahim's face mainly to express his anger over people allegedly killed by the military in Aceh, which occurred during Ibrahim's tenure.

However, it remains unknown whether relatives of the attacker were among the victims.

"To be frank, we're still gathering information to find out his real motive," Mustafa said.

Screaming

Police said Saturday that Ibrahim, who governed Aceh from 1986 to 1993, was attacked by the man, in his early 30s, in front of an elevator in the four-star hotel.

Chief of Cempaka Putih Police, Capt. Gatot, said the man was yelling abuse at Ibrahim before hitting him in the face.

With blood on his face, Ibrahim -- former minister of food -- screamed and was rescued by other guests and treated in one of the hotel's rooms. The attacker was dragged from the scene to the police.

"The attacker is apparently a member of the organization (Taman Iskandar Muda) and participated in the dialog.

"But I cannot yet reveal his name as everything is still under investigation," Gatot said Saturday.

As of last night, the identification of the man was still a mystery.

Ibrahim himself refused to comment. When contacted at his mansion at the plush Permata Hijau housing complex in South Jakarta, a woman on the line answered: "Bapak has handed over the situation to Taman Iskandar Muda."

Giving no specific reason, Central Jakarta Police Chief Lt. Col. Iman Haryatna also refused to identify the attacker.

"We're still questioning him," Iman said briefly.

Mustafa said the attacker was young, probably a student or an activist, who also attended Saturday's dialog.

"So, he's not an outsider. Moreover, we've learned that he is also an Acehnese living in South Jakarta," he said.

Mustafa said there would be a meeting among senior Acehnese in Jakarta today to discuss the incident.

"If he (Ibrahim) wants to settle the incident through legal procedures, we'll do so. But if he wants to settle the problem peacefully, it will be okay with us," Mustafa said. (edt/bsr)