IAIN rector Safwan Idris slained in restive Aceh
IAIN rector Safwan Idris slained in restive Aceh
BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): Restive Aceh was again rocked by a
killing when the rector of the Banda Aceh-based State Islamic
Institute Arraniry Darussalam (IAIN), Prof. Safwan Idris, was
shot dead by unidentified assailants at his residence on Saturday
morning.
Antara news agency reported that two youths on a motorbike
shot Idris in the neck at his official residence on Jl. Al-Kindi
No. 3 at about 6:45 a.m. local time.
Sources were quoted as saying that two unknown men visited the
professor's home, located in the institute compound, at about 6
a.m. when he was sitting in front of his computer. The men shot
the 51-year-old chairman of the local branch of Ulemas Council in
the head.
Safwan, a nominee for governor of Aceh, died in the Zainoel
Abidin hospital. He is survived by his wife and four children.
The sources speculated that members of the armed separatist
rebel group, Free Aceh Movement (GAM) could be behind the
assassination.
Observers regretted the killing as the humanitarian pause was
just extended.
Ayah Muni, GAM commander Aceh Besar, said that GAM knew
nothing about Safwan's murder.
He said Safwan, who graduated from the University of
Wisconsin, United States, in 1981, was a model figure for Aceh
people.
"It was an incident perpetrated by the Indonesian military, in
their effort to impose military emergency status in Aceh," Ayah
said, citing several recent bombings at the police chief's
residence and some government offices as other examples of
violent actions aimed at creating chaos.
"All GAM intelligence agents have been deployed to find the
murderers," he said.
Soon after the shooting, police found two projectiles.
Aceh Police chief Brig. Gen. Doddy Sumantyawan confirmed the
finding and told journalists that the projectiles were believed
to be from a hand gun.
The projectiles would be used in further investigation, he
said, speculating that the killing related to the gubernatorial
succession in Aceh.
The death of the 51-year-old Safwan was a shock for the people
of Aceh.
People wanting to pay last respects had to go by foot for one
kilometer from the highway to the victim's residence as vehicles
blocked the road leading to the house.
Among the crowd were Aceh governor Ramli Ridwan and
Sumantyawan.
Deputy chairman of Aceh provincial legislative council Moesyid
Minosra and Teuku Bahrum Manyak delayed the council's plenary
session on the governor's accountability until Monday.
Bahrum Manyak said, "The killers might be people who have no
religion," adding that Safwan was a neutral figure. "He had never
condemned either GAM or the Indonesian military and police in his
statements or actions."
Nurniwati, one of Safwan's students, said; "His death is a big
loss to us. We want the police to reveal their findings soon."
Rusjdi and Aliyasak Abubakar, two senior post-graduate
lecturers at the institute said Safwan was a "low profile"
figure, a rarity in Aceh.
Mawardi Ali, secretary of Darussalam Student Youth
Association, said police must be held responsible for the
killing. "As the legal security authority, police must be able to
reveal the motive for the murder and apprehend the murderers."
A day earlier, Secretary of the East Aceh chapter of the
provincial Development Board (Bappeda), Nazaruddin, 40, was shot
to death at his residence in Kampung Melayu village, Kota Langsa
subdistrict in East Aceh at dawn. (50/sur)