Six more killed in Aceh over weekend

Ibnu Matnoor and Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

At least six people, including two alleged members of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM), were killed in separate incidents in the restive province of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam over the weekend, reports said.

An explosive device, believed to be of TNT (trinitrotoluene), exploded in the athletes camp for the provincial sports festival in Sigli regency, which kicked off on Saturday. No casualties were reported.

Witnesses and residents in Lhokseumawe, North Aceh, said two people were gunned down on Saturday while they were riding a motorbike in Teumpok Teungoh district at about 7.00 p.m.

GAM spokesman for North Aceh area Tengku Jamaika claimed that the two civilians were shot dead by Indonesian security forces.

Indonesian Military (TNI) spokesman in Aceh Maj. Zaenal Mutaqin refuted the accusation, saying that the two civilians were shot dead by GAM members.

In South Aceh, two other civilians, identified as Anwar, 25, and Syahfudin, 24, were found dead with gunshot wounds to their heads on Saturday.

Witnesses said the two men had gone missing after members of the police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) patrolled the Trieng Meuduroe area in Blang Pidie subdistrict on Friday.

The GAM spokesman for South Aceh, Ayah Manggeng, said Anwar and Syahruddin were arrested by Brimob members from Blang Pidie. Their motorbike was confiscated.

However, local police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Dade Ahmad said the police did not arrest the men. The police only confiscated a motorbike while raiding a house in Trieng Meudoroe.

Separately, an alleged GAM member died during a clash with military troops in separate locations on Saturday.

A military spokesman, Maj. Ertoto, confirmed that during a clash in Montasik village, Aceh Besar, about 15 kilometers east of the provincial capital of Banda Aceh, a GAM separatist, identified as Baruna, 25, was killed.

The GAM leader for Aceh Besar regency, Tengku Maksalmina, confirmed the death of Baruna, but claimed that three troops were also killed in the clash.

Ertoto denied the claim.

In Pidie regency, an alleged GAM member, Fahrudin, 32, was gunned down during a clash with TNI troops at the Suwiek village of Indrajaya subdistrict on Saturday.

No confirmation was available from GAM headquarters.