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)