Civilian Killed in Violence in Indonesia

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia —  A civilian was killed in a mob attack and three soldiers were abducted in a clash between separatists and security forces in Indonesia’s Aceh province, police and army sources said Thursday.

The violence came as President Abdurrahman Wahid flew to the United States to meet with President Clinton before traveling to Japan. Indonesia’s Minister for Human Rights Hasballah Saad was also on the way to Aceh, preparing the way for a visit by Wahid after he returns from his trip.

Also Thursday, Mobil Oil Indonesia Inc. announced that it has started evacuating families of employees working in the oil-rich region because of the potential for further bloodshed.

The clashes followed a protest by hundreds of thousands of independence supporters on Monday in the regional capital of Banda Aceh to press for a referendum on the future of their province.

The demonstration, the biggest in Indonesia’s recent history, sparked fears that the country was beginning to unravel in the aftermath of East Timor’s secession. That territory recently voted for independence.

2,768 Have Died in Past 10 Years

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

Human rights groups say 2,768 civilians have died and 3,862 have disappeared at the hands of Indonesian security forces since the Aceh separatist rebellion escalated 10 years ago.

In the most recent violence, a civilian was killed and three were injured late Wednesday when a mob attacked and set ablaze a police post in the town of Samadua, 165 miles southeast of Banda Aceh, police Maj. Tassar said.

Tassar, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, said the attack happened after officers arrested four people at a nearby checkpoint. This angered some townspeople, who attacked the local police station.

Also in Samadua, unidentified assailants abducted three soldiers guarding a military petroleum dump, said army spokesman Maj. Sunarto.

Wahid, who was elected president three weeks ago, has said he would consider allowing a referendum in Aceh, but he has emphasized that the province would be better off if it opts to remain part of Indonesia as an autonomous region.

Analysts say that while Wahid is in the United States, he will try to persuade Clinton to resume military ties that Washington suspended following the outbreak of Indonesian-backed violence in East Timor in September.

“Indonesia is a very important country that we want to help move forward both in terms of democracy and economic reforms,” said one U.S. official who asked not to be named.

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was also due to participate in the meeting.

“Now that we see progress is being made in East Timor, I think the president is looking toward improving those relations, to restoring better relations,” said another U.S. official who asked not to be named.