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)