Two more civilians shot dead in Aceh

By Ati Nurbaiti

LHOKSEUMAWE, North Aceh (JP): Residents in two districts buried two civilians who were shot by unidentified assailants on Saturday, a day after a police chief and a police sergeant also were shot to death in the eerily deserted regency.

Muhammad Nur, 47, an employee of the financial department of PT Asean Aceh Fertilizer here, died on Saturday evening in front of his house in the Dewantara district after men in military uniform placed a rifle at his right cheek and fired, witnesses said.

He died from the one shot at close range to the right side of his mouth, said Dr. Taufiq A.R. of PT AAF's clinic.

"The mouth was full of gunpowder and the shrapnel of a bullet was found in the back of his head," Taufiq said. Medical staff were prepared to conduct an autopsy but were told it was not necessary.

"We were told by police that the Dewantara Police chief had said it was not necessary since police had found a bullet case at the site," he said.

A source quoted two of the victim's four children and several friends, who witnessed the murder from the terrace of the house, as saying that three armed men in military uniform arrived in a Suzuki Escudo van.

They demanded that the victim lend his Kijang van for patrol purposes and that he could pick it up from the local military command on Sunday. Nur agreed but the men proceeded to reverse the van into a wall.

Nur came out of his house and was confronted by one of the men who accused him of using a derogatory local term for soldiers.

"You have been calling us Pa'i all this time, haven't you?" The man then pointed a rifle at the victim's mouth. "Do you know what this is? It's an AK-47," he said before firing the one shot.

A villager at the burial said: "There are lots of security personnel around but we never feel safe."

Local military commander Col. Syafnil Armen said the fact that the assailants wore military uniform was no proof that military personnel were involved. "Anyone could don a uniform," he said.

The other killing took place at about 2 p.m. on Saturday in Kuta Makmur district. Syahnial, 37, was riding his motorbike when he was shot in the neck by unknown assailants, a witness was quoted as saying by the director of the Iskandar Muda local legal aid office, M. Yacob Hamzah.

Yacob added five people were reported missing to his office by relatives, who alleged they were picked up by the military from Aug. 11 to Aug. 14. Except for one man, all were taken in the early morning hours. No warrant was shown and the abducted men were accused of being involved with the separatist Free Aceh Movement.

Yacob said he had yet to report the missing people to the police because he was buy preparing for the proper burial on Monday of seven residents shot on Aug. 9 and dumped in a hole.

Security is being intensified ahead of the Aug. 17 celebration of Independence Day. Police conducted a raid in Meuria Bluek village of Meurah Mulia district on Sunday and found hundreds of marijuana plants growing on three plots.

At least five villagers were taken to the police headquarters for questioning. The raid followed armed contact with unknown armed groups, police said.

Syafnil said on Saturday that he suspected that activities of armed groups may intensify ahead of Independence Day.

While reports of violence have been received almost daily, the Lilawangsa commander told reporters "there is a possibility that activities (of armed groups) will intensify" ahead of the commemoration of the Independence Day.

Police

The police chief, Second Lt. Usman Daud of Makmur district, was killed along with First Sgt. Sutrisno in Gandapura district by unidentified armed people, police said.

Two officers were taken to Lhokseumawe General Hospital for treatment.

Four vehicles were set on fire in Krueng Maneh district, drivers said, but North Aceh Police chief Col. Syafei Aksal could not be reached for comment.

Aceh Police chief Col. Bachrumsyah flew from Banda Aceh on Saturday to oversee the ceremony for the deceased at the North Aceh Police Headquarters. Usman's body was brought to his home district of Bireun while the Sutrisno's corpse was flown to Bandung, West Java, to be buried in Tasikmalaya.

Bachrumsyah said security personnel in Aceh faced difficulty because "we do not know who are the enemies and who are friends". Extra care is being taken in investigations of suspects, he said.

On Sunday, no public transportation was seen operating following circulars claiming to be from the Free Aceh Movement urged people against traveling and against raising the country's flag.

Syafnil did not believe the circulars were influencing the public.

National flags from the road leading to Lhokseumawe were hoisted "free of pressure" from authorities, he said, adding that people reported threats from parties claiming to represent the separatists if they dared raise the Indonesian flag.

"We hope that if people feel they can conduct business as, usual they will be assured of their safety," he said.

Thousands of refugees in North Aceh have also returned home, he said, but added he did not have the latest data.