Truce accords have little effect in Aceh
BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): Truce accords implemented in Aceh have had little effect in stopping the violence as 11 people were found dead in separate places in disputed Aceh province on Monday.
Five of the bodies were discovered by residents at two different locations near Lhokseumawe, the district capital of North Aceh.
"Three bodies were found near a hotel at Sawang Kupula village with gunshot wounds while two others were evacuated from Peusangan district," Teuku Junaidi, an Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) worker, said.
The five bodies were evacuated to Lhokseumawe General Hospital where a preliminary examination showed that they had been killed within 24 hours.
Representatives of the warring sides met in Banda Aceh and agreed last week to a five-point set of ground rules in a move to suppress violence, including regular popular consultation between the field commanders of both security forces and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).
Two other bodies were found on a hillside at Gunung Paro, some 30 kilometers away from the provincial capital of Banda Aceh in Aceh Besar.
"These bodies, however, had already decomposed," Muslim Tanjung, also a PMI worker, said.
Villagers called in hospital officials who removed them to a morgue at Zainoel Abidin Hospital here.
Three other bodies were found in East Aceh on Sunday and evacuated on Monday. The three, identified as M. Saleh, 50, his wife Mimi, and another man named Yusdar Ibrahim were all villagers of Alur Gading in East Aceh.
"The couple (Saleh and Mimi) were gunned down at their house on Sunday, while Yusdar's remains were located at the side of the street," an eyewitness said.
The 11th dead victim, a GAM rebel named Hamdani, 22, was killed in an incident around 12 p.m. on Monday at Simpang Usi village in Mutiara district, Pidie regency.
The Police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) personnel were patrolling the village when suddenly they came across Hamdani, who is a known rebel.
In Bireun, Batee Timoh village, a joint military-police operation arrested 26 people following a raid in the area which left several houses ablaze.
"The 26 people were just being questioned to explain about GAM activities in the area since their village has been used from time to time as a rebel base," North Aceh Police Adj. Sr. Comr. Wanto Sumardi said on Monday.
GAM's Abu Zarkata, however, accused the security forces of ransacking 25 boats, seven motorbikes and burning peoples' homes.
"I call all local leaders to stop the violence as we will never stop fighting if the security forces continue to hurt people," Abu said.
Officer Wanto, however, dismissed the allegations and said that "there were no reports of such items being seized by the police".
Director of Yadesa non-government organization and member of the humanitarian pause monitoring team Abdul Gani Nurdin said the rebels became aggressive due to Jakarta's statement recently issued by Minister of Defense Mahfud M.D. that "the government will take stern measures against the separatist movement in Aceh".
"Mahfud's statement has pushed the rebels to become more aggressive toward the security forces as they have their backs to the wall.
"If Jakarta really wants to settle Aceh problem peacefully.. he (Mahfud) shouldn't issue such remarks as it will worsen the situation and many more will die." (edt/50/51)