German tourist killed in Aceh

German tourist killed in Aceh

The Jakarta Post, Lhokseumawe/Jakarta

One German national was killed and another wounded, as they were
shot by military soldiers in an apparent accident after a
villager reported suspicious movements behind his house in Lhok
Gayo village, Teunom district in Aceh Jaya regency.

It was the first foreign casualty since martial law was
declared in Aceh almost three weeks ago when the government
warned foreign organizations and individuals against traveling to
the province for security reasons.

Luther Hendrick Albert, 54, was shot and killed on Wednesday
night, and his companion Elizabeth Margareth, 49, was shot in the
knee and currently in the hospital, said the operational
commander of military operation in Aceh, Brig. Gen. Bambang
Darmono.

"The shooting followed a report at 9 p.m. from Zakaria, a
local villager, about suspicious flashlight beams from behind his
house. Based on the information we received, Zakaria was under
threat by GAM," Bambang told a press conference on Thursday,

The victims were admitted to the military hospital in Meulaboh
in West Aceh, but were later flown by Army plane to the Aceh
capital of Banda Aceh.

It was not immediately clear what the Germans were doing in
Aceh. Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the couple had been in Aceh since
May 16 and visited several places in the province, including
Takengon, Pidie and West Aceh.

Local reporters quoted Margareth as saying that she and her
companion understood the danger of visiting a conflict-torn area.

Darmono flew to the site of incident as an investigation into
the circumstances of the shooting is being conducted.

Quoting local police reports, Bambang said the two Germans
entered Indonesia on a tourist visa and declared that they would
go to Belawan in Medan.

Darmono said Zakaria reported his findings to the nearest
military post of the 521st Battalion, located about one kilometer
from his house.

Soldiers were dispatched to the sight where Zakaria saw the
flashlight. The flashlight was visible when the soldiers arrived.

"The soldiers shouted a warning and asked 'who is there?',"
said Bambang. He said there was no response and the soldiers
fired three warning shots into the air. The flashlight went off
immediately and soldiers then took aim in the direction of the
light.

When combing the site, they found the German couple.

In Jakarta, the government expressed "deep concern" over the
incident and called for an immediate and thorough investigation.

"I asked for an immediate, thorough, honest and objective
investigation. This is an undesired incident and this issue could
trigger the wrong perception among the international community
about what we are doing now in Aceh," Susilo said.

The German Embassy in Jakarta said it would send two officials
as soon as possible to Aceh to collect "information about the
circumstances of the shooting" and to provide consular assistance
to Margareth.

In its statement, the embassy said it had been informed by the
Indonesian government of the incident.

It refrained, however, from giving further details on the
victim's identity or the circumstances of the shooting.

Also on Thursday, a power blackout hit Lhokseumawe. Head of
the North Aceh office of state electricity company PT PLN,
Sulaeman Daud, said the blackout was a result of an arson attack
on two electricity relay stations in Perlak in East Aceh.

Sulaeman added that the power blackout might also affect other
Aceh areas, including North Aceh, East Aceh, Central Aceh and
Pidie.