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.