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)