More deaths feared in Aceh unrest

More deaths feared in Aceh unrest

JAKARTA (JP): More deaths are feared following the latest
round of Aceh violence early Wednesday which involved some 20,000
people, as the Legal Aid Office in the provincial capital said
families had buried 12 civilians.

As of Thursday around 500 people were still searching for
missing relatives in fear of their bodies having been thrown into
the local Arakondo river, Yakob Hamzah of the Iskandar Muda Legal
Aid office said.

The incident took place in the hamlet of Meunasah Blang Idu
Cut of Darul Aman subdistrict, Idi Rayeuk.

However, Aceh military chief Johnny Wahab said his
subordinates in the East Aceh capital, Langsa, only reported one
death at the site located 370 kilometers east of Banda Aceh.

"It has made me very, very disappointed and I am very sorry
for the dead," he told The Jakarta Post from Lhokseumawe by
phone.

Johnny was asked to confirm the report of the lawyer who had
identified 12 victims.

They were Nurdin, 18, Irwansyah, 22, Rusli, 16, Mukadin, 14,
M. Yusuf, 35, Jamaludin, 18, Ali Yusuf, 20, Alamsyah, 35, M.
Dahlan, 25, Samsul Kamal, 28, Ali Gamar, 20 and Mustafah, 18.

"All died of gunshot wounds to the head, chest and back,"
Yacob said, adding that relatives had buried all the victims by
Thursday.

He said shots were fired by soldiers who were dispersing a
crowd. The people had just attended a gathering where they had
been allegedly instigated by Free Aceh activists. The gathering
lasted from 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

From Banda Aceh, D&R quoted the East Aceh administration chief
of sociopolitical affairs Salim Sungkar as saying the crowd was
20,000 strong. He said one had died: M. Yusuf, 35, while eight
had suffered gunshot wounds.

Federal

Separately Governor Syamsuddin Mahmud was quoted by Antara as
saying that he believed the best solution to maintain the
integrity of this diverse country was a federal state. Other
governors have said they only seek a larger share of the state
budget.

"Based on my observations of the country's situation in
general, I personally think the solution which would ensure that
Indonesia remains as it has been is a federal state," he told the
agency at the Sultan Iskandar Muda airport before departing for
Jakarta on Thursday.

His argument was that the country had diverse cultures and
that a federal state would improve their respective resources.

The fact that Aceh was home to devout Muslims, he said, raised
the possibility of the Islamic law being applied. In a
federation, he said, Aceh province would maintain good relations
with others, given similar historical, political, and cultural
backgrounds.

Pancasila, he said, instead of "oneness" or "unity"
(kesatuan), stresses "union" (persatuan) meaning the union of
elements. Such a decision would have to be reached in the general
session of the highest law making body, not a referendum, he
said. His statements were not linked with the recent violence.

Official Salim added of the Idi Cut incident that the crowd
were shouting "Long live Free Aceh", "Long live Hasan Tiro
(renowned separatist leader)", "Kill ABRI and cuak (traitor)" in
response to the reportedly provocative speeches given to the
gathering.

He said the gathering was heavily guarded by some villagers
who were armed with sharp weapons and backed by some "men in
black jackets" carrying guns. He did not elaborate on who the
black-clad men were.

It was after the impassioned gathering dispersed and crowds
were heading in two separate directions that violence broke out
following mysterious shots right in front of a post office in Idi
Cut, Idi Rayeuk subdistrict's capital town.

The shooting lasted for about 10 minutes until around 30
airborne troopers tried to break up the crowd.

As many as 32 people were detained in a police subprecinct.
There were no reports of injuries from among the security forces.

In Langsa, East Aceh military chief Lt. Col. Ilyas told D&R on
Thursday that the situation was secure.

"From the past rounds of violence, I think we need an
international watch body to come here and conduct a fact-finding
mission to see whether genocide really has happened," Yacob said.

Aceh Timur police chief, R. Suminar, could not be reached for
further comment on Thursday.

Governor Syamsuddin has said the 1989-1998 military operations
in Aceh left 874 civilians dead, 1,148 widows, thousands of
orphans, 677 people tortured, 792 missing and 292 disabled.

From late last year through early this year, violence
involving civilians and the military has left seven soldiers dead
along with a number of civilian fatalities. (aan/anr)