Violence raises curtain on Aceh peace enactment

Violence raises curtain on Aceh peace enactment

BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): Violence persisted ahead of the
implementation of the humanitarian pause in the troubled province
of Aceh on Friday.

A military officer and four civilians were injured and over
2,000 people sought refuge in a fresh outbreak of violence on
Wednesday and Thursday. The four civilians are reportedly in
critical condition from gunshot wounds.

East Aceh Police Chief Lt. Col. Abdullah Hayati said a local
named Herman, 25, was shot by a Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob)
officer when he tried to attack the troops with a sharp weapon at
Peureulak district.

Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels group spokesman Ismail
Syahputra claimed that two more civilians, identified as Usman
bin Ahmad, 25 and Sulaiman, 30 were also shot by troops. They
were rushed to Langsa hospital, Ismail said.

In Bireun, police shot Sudirman, a resident of Lhok Awe Cot
Unoe village of Jeumpa district, when he tried to escape a police
sweep, North Aceh Police Chief Lt. Col. Syafei Aksal said.

In restive Pidie regency, which is known as a GAM stronghold,
more than 2,000 locals from Tiro and Mutiara districts sought
refuge in nearby mosques on Thursday, following high tension in
the area after an attack on a military officer, Chief Sgt. Asri,
a day earlier.

Asri suffered a slash wound to the head after being attacked
by an armed gang in Sukon village of Simpang Tiga district
Wednesday morning.

The attack prompted an intensive sweeping operation by troops
in several districts of Mutiara, Glumpang Tiga, Bandar Baru,
Trieng Gadeng, Meuredu as well as Jiem Jiem and Tiro, the two
areas known as the base of GAM commander Tengku Abdullah
Syafi'ie.

"We were afraid that despite the truce ... violent outbursts
will intensify rather than die down," Muhammad Rizal, a local
from Tiro, said.

A series of explosions and gunshots also hit the Aceh capital,
Banda Aceh, and neighboring Aceh Besar regency from Wednesday
until early hours of Thursday, while the Joint Committee on
Security Modalities, which focuses on reducing violence, held
meetings at Hotel Kuala Tripa.

The security committee -- consisting of five government
representatives, five GAM representatives and facilitated by
Geneva-based Henry Dunant Center -- convened their meeting on
Wednesday and continued until late Thursday.

Indonesian representatives comprise three police and two
military officers --- Col. Ridwan Karim, Col. Guliansyah, Col.
Rismawan, Col. Madani and Col. Sulaiman A.B.

GAM representatives are Nasiruddin bin Ahmad, Zulfani bin
Muhammad Rani, Muhammad Nazir, Amni bin Ahmad Marzuki and
Muzakkir bin Haji Muchtaruddin. While the envoys from Henry
Dunant Center are Louisa Chan and Bob Turner.

Meanwhile, the government again confused the people on
Wednesday when two top officials made contradicting statements on
President Abdurrahman Wahid's planned visit to Aceh.

Just a few hours after State Minister of Human Rights Affairs
Hasballah M. Saad announced that the President would go to Banda
Aceh to open the Aceh People's Congress (KRA) on Monday, a
provincial legislator said the president had canceled the plan.

Speaking to journalists after attending the installation
ceremony of Djohan Effendi as new state secretary at the State
Palace, the minister hinted there was no change to Abdurrahman's
scheduled trip to Aceh.

"He will go there on June 5," said Hasballah.

Just a few hours later, Aceh provincial council speaker
Muhammad Yus said Abdurrahman had canceled the plan after their
meeting at Bina Graha Presidential Office.

Citing the president, Yus said the he decided not to go to
Aceh in hopes of maintaining a conducive atmosphere in the
province during the implementation of the three month-
humanitarian pause between the Military and the Free Aceh
Movement (GAM) starting Friday in the restless province.
(50/51/edt/prb)