Medical aide bludgeoned to death in troubled Aceh

PIDIE, Aceh (JP): Local residents found the body of a medical assistant near his home in Teupin Raya here on Wednesday.

Zulfan was discovered at about 5 a.m.

"We saw bruises on the body and assumed that he had been beaten to death with a blunt object. There were no gunshots or stab wounds to the body," a resident said.

Relatives of the 45-year-old man said the victim left with four unidentified armed men from his home at about 11 p.m. on Tuesday.

"The men carried rifles on their shoulders and came here in a van. They knocked on the door, and said that somebody was ill and needed help," one of the relatives told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

"With Zulfan inside, the vehicle proceeded west. We assume it was heading for Sigli," a relative, who asked for anonymity, said, adding that the unidentified men had crewcuts.

Zulfan's house stands on the main road connecting Aceh and Medan.

Early this week another medical aide, identified as Idris, was arrested for his alleged involvement in the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

"We don't think Zulfan's death was connected to the arrest of Idris," a resident said.

The situation in most of Aceh in the past few days remained tense, with people preferring to stay at home instead of venturing outdoors.

Commercial and social activities have been affected.

Teachers at Senior High School II Mutiara in Pidie decided to suspend the school's activities after one of its students, Amri, was kidnapped on Feb. 18.

Amri is still missing.

An Indonesian Military deserter was arrested in South Aceh on Tuesday for allegedly joining GAM.

Chief of intelligence at the South Aceh Military District Command Capt. Hariyadi said on Tuesday that Sgt. Usman was arrested during a routine check of public transportation vehicles in front of the police station in Sawang district.

Usman and two other soldiers, Sgt. Asral and Sgt. Sukirman, were declared deserters on Nov. 10.

"They each had rifles with them when they disappeared," Hariyadi said, adding that Asral and Sukirman were still at large. (50/51/edt)