Gunmen ignore boy's plea for mother's life in Aceh
Ibnu Mat Noor, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh
Two unidentified gunmen in Aceh ignored the cries by a schoolboy for his mother's life on Thursday morning, shooting her in the head before stealing her motorcycle, local residents said.
Rohana Hasan, 33, a school teacher, and her 10-year-old son were riding a motorcycle to school in Meuse Village, Gandapura district in North Aceh, some 220 kilometers east of Banda Aceh, when the gunmen stopped them at a bridge just 200 meters from the school.
The gunmen, wearing civilian clothes, demanded that Rohana hand over her motorcycle to them but the boy pleaded for the men to have mercy and not rob them. The plea apparently angered the men, with one of them immediately pulling his gun and shooting Rohana in the head.
Rohana fell to the ground unconscious. The two men then took Rohana's motorbike and wallet and sped away.
Local residents, upon hearing the gunshots, rushed for cover. They later went to the shooting site only after ascertaining that the gunmen already had left. They took Rohana to the Peusangan public health center where she passed away shortly after.
There was no confirmation or claims of responsibility yet from the military, police or the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), who have been fighting each other for decades.
An official at the Aceh National Education office Yulizar Usman confirmed the bloody incident but failed to provide details.
At least 60 teachers have been killed in Aceh in the past four years.
On Wednesday, First Lieutenant Armon Turnib of the Indonesian military (TNI) was killed Wednesday morning when GAM fighters ambushed two military trucks carrying 23 soldiers in Blang Blahdeh, 200 kilometers east of Banda Aceh, Aceh Military Spokesman Maj. Zaenal Muttaqien stated on Thursday.
Zaenal added that a fierce 15-minute gunfight between Jakarta troops and GAM fighters followed the ambush, during which Armon was shot on the head.
He was rushed to a hospital in Bireuen, some five kilometers from the ambush site, where he died.