School torching greets Susilo in Lhokseumawe

Ibnu Mat Noor, The Jakarta Post, Lhokseumawe

The torching of two school buildings greeted Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during his peace mission in Lhokseumawe, North Aceh on Friday.

Locals, including workers of joint venture company PT Arun NGL. Co and their relatives, were shocked by a strong explosion in the education complex near the company's housing compound which was followed by the burning of two individual school buildings on Thursday night, only hours before the minister arrived in the town to hold talks with local leaders.

No casualties were reported during the explosion and fires but Irwandar, media officer of Arun NGL, said the burning of the building caused Rp 354 million in material losses to the company.

The local police accused the Aceh Free Movement (GAM) of being behind the incident, saying it was aimed at terrorizing local leaders to prevent them from attending the planned dialog with the minister.

Lhokseumawe is known as a stronghold of GAM in the conflict- wracked province.

PT Arun is a joint venture between state oil company PT Pertamina, ExxonMobil Oil and Japan's JELCO.

Susilo arrived in the town under tight security both from the local military and the local police, from the provincial capital of Banda Aceh. He was scheduled to spend the night at Arun's guest house in the company complex, where the two school building were torched.

On Saturday, the minister was scheduled to hold talks with North Aceh officials and religious leaders, including local clerics.

Susilo prayed on Friday at the Jamik Mosque in Sigli, Pidie, where he spoke to local officials, religious leaders, orphans and widows whose husbands were killed during the 26-year-long conflict.

Susilo reiterated that the central government had a strong commitment to resolving the conflict through peaceful negotiations, instead of a repressive approach.

"The government is striving to seek a comprehensive and peaceful solution to the prolonged conflict through dialogs and negotiations with all sides, including GAM, in the province," he told Pidie's officials and religious leaders.

Susilo was on a week-long visit to the province to seek input from all sides amid the increasing call for the imposition of a state of emergency due to increasing tensions in the last two months.

Both local administrations, legislatures, clerics and NGOs have expressed their opposition to the government's plan to impose a state emergency, saying more and more civilians would die.

More than 6,000 people, including rebels and servicemen, have been killed since the central government launched a military operation to restore security and order in the province one and half years ago.

On Thursday, a senior high school building was also torched in Rantau Selamat, East Aceh, and a rebel was shot dead by the police in Indrajaya Subdistrict in Pidie.

Adj. Sr. Comr. Mariyanto, chief of the Pidie Police Precinct, said that 25-year-old Sukirman, a member of GAM, was shot when he fired shots at a passing military truck in Sigli.

"Soldiers riding in the truck took revenge and the victim died instantly," he said.