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.