Prosecutor's office, schools burned in Aceh

Prosecutor's office, schools burned in Aceh

JAKARTA (JP): The prosecutor's office in Meureudu district,
Pidie regency, Aceh, was set on fire by unidentified persons in
the early hours of Tuesday.

Earlier, dozens of buildings, including schools and
administration offices, were torched by unidentified persons.

Many people, particularly the military, believe members of the
Free Aceh separatist movement are responsible for the attacks.

According to Meureudu Police, the prosecutor's office was
burned about 1 a.m.

"No fatalities have been reported so far," an officer told
Antara.

The news agency also reported that a senior high school and an
elementary school in the nearby Lungputu and Geulumpang
districts, respectively, were burned early on Tuesday.

"Unlike many other buildings which have been burned, local
residents managed to put out the blazes quickly before the
buildings were completely destroyed," a witness said.

Administration offices in the districts of Samalanga and
Peudada in North Aceh were torched by unidentified people on
Sunday night and Monday morning, respectively.

Samalangan district chief Azhari said he believed the fires
were set by a group of armed people intending to disrupt Monday's
elections in the province.

"Nobody knows who did it because none of the residents were
willing to leave their houses when the fires were burning," he
said.

No fatalities were reported and material losses were estimated
to reach Rp 100 million (US$11,000).

On Sunday morning, another school in Pidie regency was torched
by an unidentified group, raising the number of schools burned in
the province to 25.

Pidie Police chief Lt. Col. Sirwandi Laut Tawar said state SMP
2 junior high school in the Pekan Pidie subdistrict was razed by
a fire at 8:15 a.m.

Witnesses said none of the nearby residents left their homes
to investigate the fire.

"We were afraid because there were blasts from the area and we
had no idea what the cause was," a resident said.

The tension in Aceh has escalated in the past few weeks ahead
of the general election.

Separately on Tuesday, public transportation services plying
Banda Aceh-Sigli-Bireuen and Banda Aceh-Meulaboh routes started
to resume normally again after operations stopped Friday when
four intercity buses were torched by an unknown group.

But many bus owners were still reluctant to operate their
fleet to full capacity.

Most ran only one or two vehicles to one destination.

"We're still afraid to operate our buses in a large number
because a number of clash-prone villages at several districts
will hold belated polls," Zulfan, one of the bus operators, said.

He said his company only operated one bus to serve passengers
heading from Banda Aceh to Meulaboh in West Aceh and another bus
from Banda Aceh to Sigili and Bireuen.

The limited number of buses serving the area on Tuesday was
also due to a lack of passengers, who apparently refused to make
trips during uncertain security. (bsr)