Search continues for victims of Aceh violence

Search continues for victims of Aceh violence

JAKARTA (JP): The authorities confirmed seven bodies have been
discovered following a bloody clash in the village of Meusanah
Blang Idi Cut in Idi Rayeuk, East Aceh. A human rights group,
however, said the death toll has risen to 21.

"The total number of dead bodies discovered so far is 21,"
Hamzah Yakob of the Legal Aid Institute was quoted by Reuters on
Sunday.

The dead bodies were pulled out of a local river and all had
gunshot wounds. Yakob said at least eight of the bodies had been
weighed down in sacks with stones.

On Thursday, the Iskandar Muda Legal Aid Office in Banda Aceh
claimed 12 deaths had occurred during the violence.

Colonel Johnny Wahab, the military commander for Lhokseumawe
in East Aceh, said the death toll from the shootings currently
stood at seven but the number may rise.

"We are currently verifying the numbers," he said also on
Sunday.

He also said a team comprising police and military police has
been set up to investigate the shootings and whether members of
the Armed Forces were involved in the violence.

On Wednesday, police opened fire as they tried to disperse a
crowd of around 5,000 people listening to a separatist speech in
Idi Cut.

Meanwhile, hundreds of villagers in East Aceh continued their
search in the Arakondo River for missing relatives following the
clash.

The search along the river is being led by the chief of Blang
Nie village, Razali Muhammad, and involves residents of four
nearby villages in several boats. Razali said he had received
daily reports of missing people, Antara reported from Banda Aceh,
the provincial capital.

"No less than 100 villagers participate in the search each
day," Razali said.

The search has focused on the river after villagers said they
saw a truck parked on a bridge spanning the river, later
discovering blood where the truck had been parked.

The news agency also said that police had detained three
locals and two people were being treated at the Idi Cut hospital.

Meanwhile, a correspondent in North Aceh capital of
Lhokseumawe said a resident of Blang Raleu, Kuta Makmur district,
was shot twice from the back when he was watching television on
Friday. Sugiharto alias Anto, 36, was known as a former cuak, the
much-hated informant working for the military.

Commander of the 0103 military district, Lt. Col. Giono
confirmed the shooting by two unidentified men, and the finding
of two projectiles.

Separately, Aceh Governor Syamsuddin Mahmud's suggestion of a
federal state has drawn comments from several quarters. Minister
of Justice Muladi reacted harshly to the idea, saying on Sunday
in the Central Java capital of Semarang that Syamsuddin was
acting in an undisciplined manner if he really supported the idea
of a federal state.

"That's wrong. What is constitutional is the unitary state,"
(We will) defend every inch of this country, excluding East
Timor, with the last drop of our blood," he said as quoted by
Antara.

Legal expert Soehardjo S. agreed, saying that it was not
fitting for a government official to remarks about a federal
state. "If it was someone else, such as (politician) Amien Rais,
making the remark, it would be all right."

"But Syamsuddin took his oath as an official of the unitary
state of Indonesia," he said on Sunday in Semarang.

Students in Aceh responded positively to Syamsuddin's
suggestion, adding that a total separation from Indonesia would
be even better.

However, politician Yusril Ihza Mahendra said that justice was
what Aceh really sought.

Aceh was subjected to a military operation aimed at quashing a
separatist movement in the province from 1989 to 1998. After the
operation ended, reports of human rights abuses committed by the
military in the province began to surface.

Yusril, who is also a legal expert, said in Mataram on
Saturday that justice would include a more balanced allocation of
the state budget.

The governor told Antara on Thursday that a federal state
would be the best way to maintain the integrity of the highly
diverse country. He also mentioned the possibility of applying
Islamic law in Aceh because of the province's devout Muslim
population.

Yusril said he was of the opinion that a unitary state was
still the best option, but with wide autonomy given to provinces.
"It would be the best way to solve local problems," he said.

Yusril said the idea of a federal state would be further
discussed by the new Aceh council which will be formed after the
general election in June. (rms/anr/swe)