Gunmen fire on choppers carrying minister, reporters
Gunmen fire on choppers carrying minister, reporters
By Johannes Simbolon
LHOKSEMAWE, Aceh (JP): Gunmen fired on two helicopters
carrying Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo
Yusgiantoro and other officials inspecting gas and liquefied
natural gas (LNG) operations in Aceh on Tuesday.
Another helicopter carrying journalists covering the
minister's visit also was fired on.
There were no casualties in the shootings, but they underlined
the surge in violence in the province following the government's
decision to launch a military operation against separatist rebels
after failing to hammer out a peace deal at the negotiating
table.
The incident took place less than one week before President
Abdurrahman Wahid is due to visit the province on Monday.
Purnomo was visiting the gas-rich Arun area in North Aceh
regency to observe the situation at the natural gas liquefaction
plant of PT Arun NGL Co. and the gas fields owned by American oil
and gas giant ExxonMobil. His visit came more than one week after
both companies stopped or cut production.
ExxonMobil, which is the sole supplier of gas to Arun, halted
production at its gas fields because of security concerns,
forcing Arun to cut its LNG output.
Bukit Barisan Military Commander Maj. Gen. I.G. Purnawa, who
was on board the helicopter with Purnomo, said the shooting took
place at about 10 a.m. during the flight from Malikussaleh
Airport, owned by PT Arun, in Lhoksemawe to ExxonMobil's gas
fields in Lhoksukon.
"(The helicopter) was shot at by unidentified people, and a
bullet put a hole in the bottom of the cockpit," Purnawa said.
The helicopter carrying journalists, including a reporter from
The Jakarta Post, was fired on shortly before landing at the
airport in Lhoksukon.
None of the eight reporters on board the helicopter were aware
of the shooting until they were informed of the incident by the
helicopter's engineer upon landing.
The minister's visit also was marked by an exchange of gunfire
between Army soldiers guarding ExxonMobil's Point A gas terminal
in Lhoksukon and suspected separatists. The violence flared while
Purnomo and his entourage were waiting to depart to PT Arun's LNG
plant in Lhoksemawe.
During the visit, Purnomo met with local community leaders at
PT Arun and with ExxonMobil employees in the North Sumatra
provincial capital Medan.
ExxonMobil moved all of its employees, except for a number of
security guards, to Medan after stopping production at its Arun
fields.
Purnomo said the closed-door meetings with the ExxonMobil
employees and Lhoksemawe community leaders were meant to gather
suggestions and comments ahead of a Cabinet meeting that will
discuss the future of ExxonMobi's operations in Aceh.
Purnomo said most of the community leaders expressed their
desire for ExxonMobil to resume operations, but he said the
Cabinet would decide on the matter.
The military also has urged ExxonMobil to resume its gas
production, promising to step up security at the company's
facilities.
Purnawa said the military, which has so far deployed three
battalions and dozens of armored vehicles to guard the company's
facilities, would send in another battalion to protect the
company's operations.
Purnomo noted, however, that most ExxonMobil employees were
reluctant to return to Aceh because they did not believe the
measures taken by the military were sufficient to protect them
from attacks by separatist rebels.
"I will report all of these things at the Cabinet meeting,
which will decide on the ExxonMobil matter," Purnomo said.
Meanwhile, PT Arun general manager Sunardi said his company
would soon halt its LNG production because of the cut in gas
supplies from ExxonMobil.
He said ExxonMobil was still supplying the plant with gas from
its NSO field in the Sumatra Straits, but the gas was only enough
to feed its fuel plants.
Purnomo insisted, however, that despite Arun's supply
problems, none of the country's LNG customers in Japan or South
Korea had indicated they would cancel their LNG purchase
contracts with state oil and gas company Pertamina.
He said Pertamina would try to meet its commitments to these
customers by shipping LNG from the Bontang LNG field in East
Kalimantan, and would ask LNG suppliers in Malaysia and Australia
to cover any shortfall.
He said LNG producers in other countries had experienced
similar problems, and when they did Pertamina had stepped in to
help cover their shortfalls.
"What is happening to Arun is not a rare case," Purnomo said.