Military fired at us blindly: Victims

Military fired at us blindly: Victims

By K. Basrie

BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): Victims and witnesses of the May 3
shooting at Krueng Geukueh in North Aceh asserted over the
weekend that the military has lied to the world about the
incident, in which at least 41 people, including children and
women, were killed.

Seven victims being treated in the intensive care unit at
Zainoel Abidin Hospital in Banda Aceh, their relatives and
witnesses, including local reporters, told The Jakarta Post here
on Saturday that the military's version stating that it fired in
self-defense after being attacked by Free Aceh rebels was nothing
but a lie.

Sopyan, 25, of Alue Garot whose kidney was perforated by a
bullet, said: "In the name of Allah, we were not there to attack
anyone, but to protect our area and all our neighbors from any
possible attack by the military."

According to the victims and witnesses, some 5,000 people from
different villages in Dewantara district formed a human barricade
at the KKA crossroads on Monday against the possibility of a
military attack. They also asked the head of the district and
local military officials to help settle a dispute between the
villagers and members of the nearby 001 Rudal Air Defense
Artillery (Arhanud).

"While some of the villagers were still discussing the matter
with personnel from the 113 Infantry Battalion, I saw two Arhanud
trucks heavily packed with the unit's uniformed personnel,
speeding from behind the Army battalion and blindly firing their
guns in our direction," recalled Nurdin M. Sabil, 35, of Lancang
Barat, who sustained a critical gunshot wound to the back.

Nurdin and other victims and eyewitnesses said the dispute
began on the evening of April 29 when local villagers held a mass
gathering on the Free Aceh movement at Cot Meurong field, which
is located near a mosque.

"During the gathering, an Arhanud trooper was spotted by the
villagers holding a walkie-talkie and standing near the podium.
The sergeant, identified as Editya Warman, was then questioned by
the people and later asked to leave the site," Masykur T.
Randista, a local reporter, said.

Muzakkir A. Thaleb of Bluka Tebai village, who was shot in the
left thigh, added that a group of Arhanud members rushed to the
area on the next day and forcibly demanded villagers hand over
their colleague, who they said was abducted by villagers.

Violence

"I saw with my own eyes how my neighbors were slapped by the
Arhanud personnel when the villagers said they knew nothing about
the abduction or told them that their fellow soldier had already
been freed.

"Some of them even had the barrel of the soldiers' guns put
into their mouths," Muzakkir added.

The military sweeps ended on May 1 after Dewantara district
chief ordered the Arhanud members to stop their search.

"Unfortunately, on the next day a number of angry soldiers
went to the villages at night for the same mission, triggering
the people's anger," added a local resident, who refused to be
named.

Fearing an incident with the military in which lives would be
lost, the people informed residents of nearby villages about
their problem and asked for backup.

"I received the message on Monday morning. I then rushed to
sharpen my machete and together with scores of my neighbors got
into a truck prepared by a senior resident in my village,"
recalled Sopyan of Alue Garot, located about 17 kilometers from
the KKA crossroads.

Nurdin of Lancang Barat, added: "We then gathered at the KKA
crossroads beginning at 8 a.m., urging the district chief and the
local military commander to once again remind the Arhanud
personnel not to break their promise", of not starting trouble.

According to reporter Masykur, the district chief was still
talking with officials from the 113 infantry battalion when the
Arhanud trucks filled with soldiers arrived from the back of the
battalion units and fired their guns continuously into the crowd.

"I saw a girl hiding inside a concrete house shot dead by a
bullet going straight through the concrete wall," he said.

Similar to Masykur, the critically wounded victims at the
hospital said the soldiers fired into the crowd for at least half
an hour.

Many of the victims were shot while lying facedown on the
asphalt road.

"They're so brutal. They blindly fired their guns at any
civilian without any warning," said Saridin, in his 30s, who was
shot in the right cheek.

Deceit

Lilawangsa Regional Military Headquarters Commander Col.
Johnny Wahab said earlier that the protesting crowd opened fire
first and troops returned fire in self-defense. The local
military also claimed villagers planned to take over a nearby
missile warehouse.

Many of the witnesses and the victims insisted that the
military's version was merely a lie.

"Why were there no fatalities on the military's side? What
about the killing of the children?" asked another reporter.

The victims' statements were strongly supported by the
findings of in-depth inquiries by local members of the Commission
of Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), a Jakarta-
based non-governmental organization.

Kontras chairman Munir told the Post in Banda Aceh: "If the
villagers really wanted to take over the missile warehouse, why
did locals leave the storehouse alone and instead join the crowd
at the KKA crossroads?"

Scores of villagers were also seriously injured in the May 3
incident at Kreung Geukeuh, 15 kilometers west of the North Aceh
capital of Lhokseumawe.

However, none of the critically wounded victims at the
hospital regret what it cost them to protect their villages.

"What for? It's better for me to die this way rather than to
be killed by soldiers from Java without any resistance. I'm proud
to die a martyr's death," said Sopyan.

Muzakkir added: "All of us here have had grim nightmares for
years. It's not easy to throw away the traumatic killing of tens
of thousands of Acehnese by the military. So, it's better for us
to die in this way."

He was referring to a notorious decade of military operations
to quell a separatist movement in the province.

The military operations began in 1989 and were only halted
last August. Thousands of Acehnese are believed to have died due
to the military operations.

Many believe the military shootings have ensured that tensions
will be high in the province ahead of the June 7 general
election.

"Most residents even don't care about the elections," said
sociologist Tamrin Amal Tomagola of the University of Indonesia.

On Friday, a battalion of 450 riot troops were dispatched from
Jakarta and will be stationed in and around Lhokseumawe.