Rumors of attacks cloud Idul Fitri in Lhokseumawe
JAKARTA (JP): Idul Fitri passed quietly on Tuesday among tense residents of Lhokseumawe, North Aceh, as rumors circulated that alleged separatist leader Ahmad Kandang was planning to attack the town during the holiday.
Antara said no festivities were seen in the town, about 300 kilometers east of the provincial capital of Banda Aceh, with streets and alleys were deserted. Troops from Lilawangsa Military Command, which oversees North Aceh, East Aceh and Pidie regencies, were seen patrolling the town and nearby district of Ujungpeuseung.
Troops were also observed guards banks, state-owned electricity company PLN's building and other government facilities in Lhokseumawe.
Budi, a staff member of Lido Hotel in Lhokseumawe, told the news agency rumors forced most of the hotel's guests to leave on Tuesday despite a 20 percent discount.
The mood was different in nearby Bireuen and Keudemane in North Aceh and Langsa and Peureulak in East Aceh on Tuesday. Residents left their homes in the towns to visit relatives and friends as part of the Idul Fitri celebration.
The military accuses Ahmad of being behind the killings of seven off-duty soldiers in Lhoknibung in East Aceh and the kidnapping of two marines in the North Aceh district of Muara Dua last month.
Military operations launched to hunt down Ahmad since late last month have claimed at least 21 lives and injured dozens more civilians.
Lilawangsa Military Commander Col. Johnny Wahab told The Jakarta Post from Lhokseumawe the situation had returned to normal in the town on Wednesday.
Johnny said another violent incident broke out in a village in Pidie regency on Tuesday when a mob torched the house of a suspected military informant, called locally cuak. The man escaped and sought shelter at a local military post.
On Monday, nervous police officers in Blangjeruen, North Aceh, shot at residents in panic. It was earlier reported that police saw a crowd approaching a police station and fired warning shots at them. The military said two were wounded.
The people were actually carrying a victim of a traffic accident to the police station. Rights activist Yacob Hamzah from the Iskandar Muda Legal Aid Foundation in Lhokseumawe said one person died and another was injured.
Also on Monday, police questioned five witnesses about the killing of a soldier early on Sunday. Police said witnesses saw the killers use firearms, and that they only knew three of the mob who killed the soldier, First Sgt. Burhanuddin, a member of the military unit in Meurah Mulia district.
Burhanuddin left his home to settle a reported scuffle but was instead beaten by the mob for unclear reasons.
His killing occurred amid swift trial procedures for military members charged with involvement in attacking detainees, leading to the deaths of four of them, on Jan. 9.
The prosecution on Sunday demanded a four-year prison term for one defendant, former battalion commander Maj. Bayu Najib, who was tried separately from four other troops. They are among 27 defendants the military plans to court-martial for the deaths and injuries to detainees.
North Aceh Military Police chief Lt. Col. Musmarsono told the Post from Lhokseumawe on Wednesday the trials were to resume on Jan. 26 and Jan. 28 in Banda Aceh. (rms/byg/anr)