Four more killed in fresh violence in Aceh
Four more killed in fresh violence in Aceh
Ibnu Mat Noor, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh
At least four people were shot dead in separate villages in
Aceh, three of whom were believed to be members of the Free Aceh
Movement (GAM), military and police sources said here on
Wednesday, despite GAM's insistence that they were civilians.
Chief of South Aceh Military District Lt. Col. Agus Permana
said that government troops encountered a group of GAM members in
the village of Pinto Rimba in Trumon district, some 500
kilometers south of Banda Aceh on Tuesday morning.
"Two (suspected) GAM members were shot dead, and a handgun was
taken from one of them. The other GAM members escaped," Agus
said.
One of the victims was identified as Yamin, 36, while the
other was unidentified. The two bodies were then buried by
locals.
Meanwhile, a 20-year-old man accused of killing Police Chief
Brig. Nazir in Aceh Besar, was shot dead by police in the village
of Pasie Engking, Aceh Besar, on Tuesday.
Local police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Agus Dwiyanto said in
Banda Aceh that the shooting of Faisal Alif took place during a
raid on the village suspected to be supportive of GAM.
Police also arrested four men suspected to be GAM members,
Nazaruddin, Azhari, Marjal Firmansyah, and Isal Nawawi, Agus
said, adding that a pistol was also confiscated.
According to Agus, the five GAM members had been on the
police's wanted list, as they were suspected of committing murder
and other crimes.
GAM spokesman in Aceh Besar Ayah Sofyan said that the man shot
by the police and the other four who were arrested were all
civilians and not members of GAM.
In a separate incident, residents of Tanah Luas district in
North Aceh said on Wednesday they found a dead body with gunshot
wounds in the village of Alue Gantoe, some 300 kilometers east of
Banda Aceh on Tuesday.
Local spokesman for GAM Tengku Jamaika said the dead man was
Hendri bin Kasim, 25. Hendri was nabbed by the military on
Sunday. The military denied the accusation.
Killings of suspected combatants and civilians continues
unabated in the province despite efforts to hold peace talks.