AK-20, Jakarta – The Acehnese Popular Democratic Resistance Front (FPDRA) and Student’s Solidarity for the People (SMUR) have condemned the shooting of a Hong Kong Red Cross volunteer in Lamno, Greater Aceh, on Wednesday June 22.

According to Thamrin Ananda, the shooting of Eva Yee Wayeung (27) will undermine trust in the peace talks between Indonesia and the Free Acehnese Movement (GAM) which is being supported by the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) and will enter its fourth round in July. “This incident has reduced the level of trust in the peace process which to date has won [considerable] support”, said the chairperson of FPDRA’s central organisational committee.

Ananda further added that the incident proves that the conflicting parties’ control over their troops is weak. “This proves that [their] control over their troops is extremely weak”, he explained without saying which party was responsible for the first shooting incident since the December 23 tsunami.

As reported on the Aceh Kita web site, the TNI (armed forces), Indonesian police and GAM have all denied responsibility for the incident. What is clear said Ananda, is that information on the incident is being restricted. Even for journalists it has been difficult to get information from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). FPDRA and SMUR are therefore urging the government to form an independent team to investigate the shooting.

Ananda is worried that the incident will become a reason for the government to isolate ie close Aceh again and for security reasons foreign volunteers may be asked to leave Aceh. “If Aceh is isolated again, the chances for peace will close again. Because, it was the tsunami disaster which inspired the international community to support the peace process there”, Ananda said at a press conference which took place at the offices of the Commission for Missing Person’s and Victims of Violence (Kontras) in Jakarta today. “The fact is that peace is one of the requirements for [successfully] implementing the process of reconstruction and rehabilitation”.

IFRC spokesperson Virgil Grandfield said meanwhile, that Eva was shot while trying to distribute aid to Lamno. At the time, the Hong Kong Red Cross volunteer was transporting aid in the form of food, provisions for infants and mosquito nets.

During the journey however, at a village some 3.8 kilometers from the centre of the Lamno sub-district, Eva, who was driving a white Toyota Land Cruiser with Red Cross markings was shot by around six to eight people. “[Her] condition a the moments is very grave. There is almost no ray of hope”, he said. “There were only around two houses near the location of the incident. They were surrounded by rice paddies”, explained Grandfield when Aceh Kita spoke with him at the IFRC’s offices on Jalan Fatahillah in Banda Aceh today. [sam]