Soldier murders two civillians, kills himself

Soldier murders two civillians, kills himself

Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam

A soldier from East Java apparently just snapped on Sunday night
and shot several civilians in Takengon market in Central Aceh,
killing two people and injuring four.

After shooting indiscriminately into the crowded market, Chief
Pvt. Kurniawan, who was sent to fight in Aceh several months ago,
then turned the gun on himself.

The tragedy began when Kurniawan, a member of an intelligence
unit in the Indonesian Military (TNI), was having a drink in a
coffee shop in the market.

After finishing his drink, he suddenly got up and shot two of
the employees with his gun, which killed them on the spot. The
victims were Mulyadi, 25 and Maimunah, 28.

Kurniawan, a member of the Intelligence Task Force (SGI), a
joint military-police intelligence unit, left the coffee shop
after the killing, and he shot randomly at a car and other
passersby in the market, which is located in the heart of
Takengon.

As a result, four people were seriously injured after the
shooting spree. They were Sarmudji, 18, Gempar Ariyanto, 30,
Marwan, 60 and Rosmiyati, 25. They are currently being treated at
the Datu Beru hospital in Takengon.

According to witness accounts, after the six people fell to
the ground, suddenly Kurniawan shot himself in the head.

Chief of the Central Aceh military command Lt. Col. Yakraman
Yagus confirmed the shooting. "We, on behalf of the TNI,
apologize for the incident," he said.

He claimed that Kurniawan had been suffering from malaria for
a long time. He speculated that the disease had recurred on
Sunday night, which was why Kurniawan had lost it.

Separately, the spokesman of the TNI's Operational Command in
Aceh, Lt. Col. Asep Sapari, said that the TNI was investigating
the case.

The remains of the civilian victims have been buried, while
the remains of the soldier have been handed over to his family in
East Java for burial.

The suicide incident was the first case reported to the media
since the TNI began the massive military offensive against the
Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in May last year.

However, the killing spree was the second case reported to the
media in Indonesia. In 1996, an officer with the Army's Special
Forces (Kopassus) killed 16 people, five of them civilians, in a
shooting spree at the Timika airport in Papua province. The
officer, the 37-year-old Second. Lt. Sanurip, was sentenced to
death a year later, but won his appeal.

In the previous trial session in Jayapura, Sanurip's defense
lawyers said he had too much stress after spending months in the
Papuan jungles. Earlier reports also said Sanurip was afflicted
by malaria.