Pelita airplane shot at in Lhokseumawe
Pelita airplane shot at in Lhokseumawe
BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): A Pelita Air Service plane carrying 17
passengers was shot at by unidentified gunmen on Monday as it
prepared to land at Malikus Saleh Airport, some 45 kilometers
west of Lhokseumawe.
The pilot aborted the landing and flew instead to Polonia
Airport in Medan, North Sumatra, for safety.
Many speculated that the shooting was linked to President
Abdurrahman Wahid's visit to Aceh on Tuesday, despite warnings
from various parties.
North Aceh Police chief Sr. Supt. Wanto Sumardi identified the
gunmen as members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), stressing that
Lilawangsa Military Commander Col. Moh. Jahja and North Aceh
Military District Commander Lt. Col. Suyatmo witnessed the
shooting.
Jahja and Suyatmo refused to comment on the incident. Suyatmo
said they were escorting a guest when the shooting took place.
Separately, North Aceh GAM deputy commander Abu Sofyan Daud
said military officers had shot at the plane.
He said some 100 officers posted at the airport were
"instructed" to create chaos so that a state of civil emergency
could be imposed in Aceh.
Another speculation was made by Special Police Operation Cinta
Meunasah spokesman Sr. Supt. Kusbini Imbar, who said the shooting
was committed by frustrated Army members, who had ended their
duty in the troubled province. "They were waiting for an airplane
to pick them up. They were so excited at seeing the airplane
descending that morning. They fired random shots in joy, and hit
the plane."
The officer did not say if any of the soldiers were arrested.
Reports from Polonia Airport said there were seven bullet
holes in the body and one on its wings.
Pelita spokesperson Julia Tumengkol, confirmed the incident,
saying no fatalities were reported.
She said the motive for the shooting was not yet known.
President of Pelita Air Service Soeratman said in Jakarta that
service to Lhokseumawe was temporarily halted due to the
incident.
"We will resume operation once the plane is fixed and the
situation is relatively safe. We will do our best to continue
service and so far there is Indonesian Air Transport (IAT), which
can transport workers," Soeratman told The Jakarta Post by phone.
The PK-PSX DAS-7 plane had left Lhoksukon Air Base shortly
before the shootings took place at about 7:50 a.m, he said.
Reports said the 48-seat plane left Medan at 6:38 a.m.
carrying a total of 47 passengers. Twenty-six passengers
disembarked the aircraft in Lhoksukon.
"Our estimated loss is about US$4,000 a day, since we received
about that much revenue from the daily flights," Soeratman said.
Pelita Air Service is one of the airlines serving the Medan -
Lhoksukon - Lhokseumawe route for hundreds of employees from
leading oil corporation Exxon-Mobil and gas company PT Arun.
The Malikus Saleh Airport is a special air base located at
Pintoe Weu village, Muara Batu district. It is jointly managed by
state oil company Pertamina and PT Arun.
The runway, measuring 1,800 meters long and 30 meters wide, is
used to serve two regular flights, usually by Fokker-27 or DAS-7
airplanes, to the North Sumatra provincial capital of Medan each
day.
Soeratman said the plane was shot at when it was between 150
feet and 200 feet in altitude. "Pilot Widayanto decided to head
for Polonia and the plane landed there at 8:45 a.m."
"All passengers and crew members are safe. They were a bit
shaken, but everything is okay. The plane is now being checked at
a hangar in Medan.
"The bullets hit several spots on the plane, such as the left
fuel tank, the propeller, a passenger seat and a spot near the
cargo landing door. Thank God none of them harmed any of the
passengers or crew," Soeratman said.
On Feb. 5, an armed gang attacked and set fire to the terminal
at Malikus Saleh Airport, which serves the economically strategic
Arun gas fields.
The gas fields are a major supplier of liquefied natural gas
to countries like Japan and South Korea. (50/lup/edt)