INDONESIA: Bomb kills three youths in troubled Aceh

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Att.Editors: The following item is from the Qatar News Agency (QNA)

JAKARTA, Feb 22 2003 (IPS) - A bomb killed three youths in Indonesia’s troubled Aceh province, where a shaky peace agreement between the government and a separatist guerrilla force has been in place since December, news reports said Saturday.

The bomb, apparently discovered by the three victims outside a recently burned-down sub district government office, exploded Friday as the youths were carrying the devise away, Indonesia’s Antara news agency reported.

Major Eddi Fernandi, an information officer at Aceh’s military operations command, said the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) had never used bombs in the province, situated 1,700 kilometers northwest of Jakarta. The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) also denied planting the bomb.

The Indonesian government and GAM signed a peace pact on December 9, which mapped out a peaceful settlement to Aceh’s 26-year-old struggle for independence from Jakarta, which has claimed more than 11,000 victims over the past decade.

While casualties have fallen off since December 9, infringements of the ceasefire by both sides have been reported.