2003 Aceh New Year's Eve bombing

Last updated
2003 Aceh New Year's Eve bombing
LocationPeureulak, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, Indonesia
Date31 December 2003
10:20 p.m. [1] (UTC+7)
TargetNew Year's Eve festival
Attack type
 Improvised explosive device
Deaths10
Injured45
PerpetratorsSuspected Free Aceh Movement separatists

The 2003 Aceh New Year's Eve bombing was a terrorist attack that occurred on 31 December 2003 in Peureulak, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam province, Indonesia. [2] The bombing, which occurred during a concert at a night market, [3] killed at least 10 people, including three children, and wounded 45 others [4]

The attack was the deadliest in Aceh since the start of hostilities between Indonesian troops and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) on 19 May 2003. The Indonesian military blamed GAM, but GAM denied responsibility for the bombing. [4]

The attack

The bomb, thought to have been triggered by a timer mechanism, detonated around 9:00 PM at a night market in the eastern town of Peureulak. [4] [5] According to first responders, the device had been planted beneath a stage, where three local girls were performing. [4] [6]

The New Year's Eve festival, attended by hundreds, was allegedly organised by the military. [7] Of the victims, many were teenagers and children; the victims included a 1-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy who died at the scene, as well as a 4-year-old girl who died in the hospital. [4] Other victims included the mother of two of the children, numerous teenagers, [1] as well as a man later identified as member of GAM. [8] The majority of casualties were treated in Langsa general hospital, which lacked enough surgeons to operate on injured victims; they requested more doctors be sent from the provincial capital Banda Aceh and the North Sumatran city of Medan to supplement them. [1]

Lt. Col. Ahmad Yani Basuki of the Indonesian military described the bomb as powerful and stated that no group but GAM could have staged such an attack, describing Peureulak as a "rebel stronghold". [7] However, a spokesman for GAM denied responsibility, stating the separatist group had never staged an attack to kill Acehnese. [5] Due to a victim being a member of GAM, local police investigated the possibility of a suicide attack; findings were inconclusive. [8] At the time, the Free Aceh Movement separatists had no history of targeting civilians or public bombings. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jemaah Islamiyah</span> Southeast Asian salafist organization founded in 1993

Jemaah Islamiyah is a Southeast Asian Islamist militant group based in Indonesia, which is dedicated to the establishment of an Islamic state in Southeast Asia. On 25 October 2002, immediately following the JI-perpetrated 2002 Bali bombings, JI was added to the UN Security Council Resolution 1267.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free Aceh Movement</span> 1976–2005 Acehnese separatist group in northwest Sumatra, Indonesia

The Free Aceh Movement was a separatist group seeking independence for the Aceh region of Sumatra, Indonesia. GAM fought against Indonesian government forces in the Aceh insurgency from 1976 to 2005, during which over 15,000 lives are believed to have been lost.

This page is a partial listing of incidents of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 2005.

A market was bombed on 31 December 2005, in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. An improvised explosive device, described as a nail bomb or similar, detonated around 7:00 a.m. within a Palu butcher's market mostly frequented by Christians shopping for New Year's Eve celebrations, killing eight people and wounding a further 53.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haifa bus 37 suicide bombing</span> 2003 terrorist attack by Palestinian militants in Haifa, Israel

The Haifa bus 37 suicide bombing was a suicide bombing carried out on 5 March 2003 on an Egged bus in Haifa, Israel. 17 passengers were killed in the attack and 53 were injured. Many of the victims were children, teenagers and students from Haifa University.

In June 2000, the North Caucasian Chechen separatist-led Chechen insurgents added suicide bombing to their tactics in their struggle against Russia. Since then, there have been dozens of suicide attacks within and outside the republic of Chechnya, resulting in thousands of casualties among Russian security personnel and civilians. The profiles of the suicide bombers have varied, as have the circumstances surrounding the bombings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hasan Tiro</span> Founder of the Free Aceh Movement

Hasan Muhammad di Tiro, was the founder of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), an organisation which attempted to separate Aceh from Indonesia from the 1970s. It surrendered its separatist goals and agreed to disarm as agreed to in the Helsinki peace deal of 2005. He was the maternal great-grandson of Tengku Cik di Tiro, an Indonesian national hero who was killed fighting the Dutch in 1891. In 2010 he obtained his Indonesian citizenship back shortly before his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrorism in Indonesia</span> Overview of terrorism in Indonesia

Terrorism in Indonesia refer to acts of terrorism that take place within Indonesia or attacks on Indonesian people or interests abroad. These acts of terrorism often target the government of Indonesia or foreigners in Indonesia, most notably Western visitors, especially those from the United States and Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2003–2004 Indonesian offensive in Aceh</span> Anti-separatist offensive that helped end the insurgency in Aceh

The 2003–2004 Indonesian offensive in Aceh against the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) separatists was launched on 19 May 2003, and lasted nearly one year. It followed a two-week ultimatum to GAM to accept special autonomy under Indonesian rule. It was one of the Indonesian military's largest campaigns since the 1975 invasion of East Timor. It severely disabled the rebel movement, and along with the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake brought the 30-year conflict in Aceh to an end.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insurgency in Aceh</span> 1976–2005 conflict in northwest Sumatra, Indonesia

The insurgency in Aceh, officially designated the Rebellion in Aceh by the Indonesian government, was a conflict fought by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) between 1976 and 2005, with the goal of making the province of Aceh independent from Indonesia. The aftermath of a strong military offensive in 2003 and the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami brought a peace agreement and an end to the insurgency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aceh Party</span> Political party in Indonesia

The Aceh Party is a regional political party in Indonesia. It contested the 2009 elections in the province of Aceh, and is the largest party in the Aceh provincial legislature.

A market in the center of Tentena, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia was bombed on 28 May 2005. Two improvised explosive devices, set to explode 15 minutes apart, detonated during the morning, killing 22 and wounding at least 40 more. The fatalities included a Christian clergyman and a 3-year-old boy. Several Islamic militants were later charged and sentenced to jail terms in 2007 and 2010 for their roles in organizing the bombing, among other sectarian attacks in the Poso region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allenby Street bus bombing</span> 2012 suicide attack in Tel Aviv, Israel

The Allenby Street bus bombing was a suicide bombing that occurred on September 19, 2002 on a Dan bus in the center of Tel Aviv's business district. Six civilians were killed in the attack and approximately 70 were injured. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1990–1998 Indonesian military operations in Aceh</span>

The 1990–1998 Indonesian military operations in Aceh, also known as Operation Red Net or Military Operation Area was launched in early 1990 until 22 August 1998, against the separatist movement of Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in Aceh. During that period, the Indonesian army practiced large-scale and systematic human rights abuses against the Acehnese. The war was characterised as a "dirty war" involving arbitrary executions, kidnapping, torture, mass rape, disappearances, and the torching of villages. Amnesty International called the military operations response as a "shock therapy" for GAM. Villages that were suspected of harboring GAM operatives were burnt down and family members of suspected militants were kidnapped and tortured. Between 9,000 and 12,000 people, mostly civilians, were killed between 1989 and 1998 in the operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military history of Indonesia</span>

The military history of Indonesia includes the military history of the modern nation of Republic of Indonesia, as well as the military history of the states which preceded and formed it. It encompassed a kaleidoscope of conflicts spanning over a millennia. The ancient and medieval part of it began as tribal warfare began among indigenous populations, and escalated as kingdoms emerged. The modern part is defined by foreign colonial occupations, battles for independence through guerrilla warfare during Indonesian National Revolution, regional conquests and disputes with neighbouring countries, as well as battles between the Republic and separatist factions. Since the formation of the Republic, the military has played significant role in state affairs. However, in Post-Suharto era, the Indonesian military has retreated from politics, yet it still possesses some influences.

This article lists a chronology of events in the South Thailand insurgency from the 1960s. Most take place in the Muslim-majority, contested provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, and Yala in the far south of Thailand bordering Muslim Malaysia.

Nurdin bin Ismail Amat, better known as Din Minimi, is a former militant of Free Aceh Movement who led an armed band based in Aceh during the 2010s.

The following lists events that happened during 2003 in Indonesia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Bomb blast kills 10 in Indonesia". The Peninsula Qatar. 3 January 2004. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  2. ↑ "9 dead as bomb ends Aceh New Year's concert". ABC Australia. AFP. 1 January 2004. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  3. ↑ "Deadly blast, accidents mar New Year's Eve". The Jakarta Post. 2 January 2004. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "10 Killed and 45 Wounded by Bomb in Indonesia". The New York Times. 2 January 2004. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
  5. 1 2 Brummitt, Chris (2 January 2004). "Bomb kills 10 New Years' revellers in Indonesia". Herald-Journal. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
  6. ↑ "Bomb kills nine Aceh NYE revellers". The Age. 1 January 2004. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
  7. 1 2 3 "Bomb Kills Ten in Indonesia". Fox News Online. Associated Press. 1 January 2004. Archived from the original on May 23, 2007. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
  8. 1 2 "Two-day truce in Aceh" . The Age. Australian Associated Press. 6 January 2004. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2011.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.