Independence Group Blames Military

AP Photo

By SLOBODAN LEKIC Associated Press Writer

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) - Pro-independence student groups blamed the Indonesian military today for a riot that left three people dead and 22 injured in Aceh province, where residents have been staging rallies demanding independence.

Troops fired into a crowd of rock-throwing pro-independence demonstrators on Tuesday in Meulaboh, 1,100 miles northwest of Jakarta. There were no reports of violence today as residents picked up the pieces in the small town, where several cars and buildings were set ablaze, including the local assembly, a police station and a jail.

In a statement issued today, pro-independence student groups in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, blamed Tuesday's violence on military commanders angry at President Abdurrahman Wahid's order for them to be investigated for human rights abuses.

The students alleged that 30 military agents in civilian clothes provoked the crowd and then disappeared.

Separatist leaders planned to hold a major demonstration Thursday in the town of Sigli.

Three people were killed and 22 injured Tuesday, said Syadi Muchti of the Indonesian Red Cross.

``It's tense here at the moment. There are few people on the street,'' the Red Cross official said. Only a few shops opened, he said.

East Aceh police chief Lt. Col. Abdullah Hayati said today that police shot a man to death during a clash with rebels Tuesday night in Peureulak. He said nine other rebels escaped but that police confiscated several guns.

Separatists in Aceh were emboldened by East Timor's vote for independence earlier this year. But they were angered when Wahid said Monday it was not the right time to discuss such a vote for the oil-rich province.

``There are a lot more independence rallies now,'' local newspaper columnist Muharram Nur said. ``At least 90 percent of the people want independence.''

While East Timor, a former Portuguese colony that Indonesia invaded in 1975, is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, Aceh is staunchly Islamic. Most Indonesians are also Muslim, but not as fundamentalist as the Acehnese. Aceh, which earlier fought for independence from the Dutch, was part of Indonesia when the country was established in 1945.

There have been concerns that allowing East Timor to break away could lead to the disintegration of the Southeast Asian nation of 210 million people. Aside from Aceh, the provinces of Irian Jaya and Ambon also have their own independence movements.

In Aceh, though, the political dissent has led to public chaos. Hundreds of soldiers attacked northern villages Monday night, seeking revenge for the killing of a colleague earlier in the day. One person was reported dead, and others were in critical condition.

The local military commander said 36 houses were burned, and 136 people were arrested.

The attack came a few hours after Wahid ordered a recall of all Indonesian military units that had been sent to Aceh to quell the separatist movement.

Wahid launched negotiations with the rebels on Sunday in an attempt to bring peace to the region.

Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra island, has suffered from a decade-long struggle for independence that has left more than 2,000 people dead and 150,000 displaced. In the last year, the insurgents have intensified their campaign.

Earlier Stories

• Indonesian Province Tense But Quiet (November 3)
• Indonesian Separatists Protest (November 2)
• Indonesia Troops Fire on Protesters (November 2)
• Indonesian Protesters Burn Building (November 2)
• Indonesia Begins Talks With Rebels (November 1)
• Indonesia Probe Finds Aceh Massacre (October 31)