Many Acehnese voters stay away from voting process

Many Acehnese voters stay away from voting process

LHOKSEUMAWE, Aceh (JP): Calls for an election boycott in the
troubled province of Aceh were realized on Monday, as the gas-
rich city turned into a ghost town.

Streets were completely deserted amid widespread rumors of
fresh violence in the North Aceh capital.

A convoy of troops comprising 20 motorcycles and an armored
vehicle with two loudspeakers mounted on it were seen patrolling
the city urging residents to vote. A military helicopter hovered
over the city.

Small groups of women began arriving at the main polling place
at General Soedirman square, located in front of local military
headquarters, at about 8:30 a.m.

Voting started 30 minutes later and local officials said the
polling place was scheduled to be closed at 11:30 a.m, hours
earlier than the original 2 p.m. scheduled time.

"Most of us are soldiers' wives, and we live in the nearby
military barrack," Kasinah, 36, told The Jakarta Post, just
before entering one of the polling booths.

Low turnouts were widely anticipated, as separatist sentiment
has been on the rise in Pidie, North Aceh and East Aceh.

Many Acehnese have expressed skepticism that the elections
would bring them any change, saying the polls were only for "the
people in Jakarta".

"We are tired of promises, we actually do not want to separate
Aceh from Indonesia, we just want justice and to bring those
killers to trial," Iskandar, a taxi driver, said.

Pidie, North Aceh and East Aceh are the regencies worst
affected by a decade of anti-rebel operations, during which the
military was accused of perpetrating widespread human rights
abuses. More than 1,000 were killed during the operations, and
thousands of others suffered during the military operations.

"Nobody else from our village in Hagu Tengah is coming to the
polling place here, except us," said Irma, a junior high school
teacher who came with a friend to the city's second polling place
at Iraq square.

Cancellation

Earlier in the day, the local elections committee said the
elections would only be held in 11 out of 26 districts in North
Aceh for security reasons.

The districts were Banda Sakti, Muara Dua, Dewantara, Muara
Batu, Gandapura, Makmur, Jeumpa, Peusangan, Peudada, Jeunieb, and
Samalanga.

Voting, however, was canceled in at least Peudada and
Samalanga, about 70 kilometers and 100 kilometers west of here
respectively. District offices in these two areas were set on
fire by unidentified people early Monday.

The two districts are now sheltering thousands of refugees who
fled their villages on Sunday fearing a military crackdown.

Smoke was still seen smoldering from the ruins of the
buildings on Monday afternoon. Locals said the buildings were set
on fire because they were going to be used as polling places.

The main road connecting the provincial capital of Banda Aceh
and the North Sumatra capital of Medan was completely deserted on
Monday following the attacks on four intercity buses near the
border between North Aceh and Pidie, some 120 kilometers south of
here, early Saturday.

The Indonesian Military (TNI) said members of the Free Aceh
separatist movement (GAM) were behind the attacks. The military
has also accused the group of intimidating residents to boycott
the elections in the province. The accusations were flatly denied
by GAM leaders.

Military Police Commander Lt. Col. Musmarsun said three
officers of the Lilawangsa Military Command and one civilian had
been arrested in connection with the attacks on the district
offices. The civilian was identified as the son of the TNI
faction chief at the local legislative body.

In Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh, chairman of the provincial
elections committee Farhan Hamid told Antara the polls in the
unrest-prone districts of Pidie and North Aceh would be held in
stages to provide an opportunity to as many residents as possible
to vote there.

According to the election law, polls can be delayed up to 30
days after the original schedule. (48/49/byg)