19 villagers killed in civilian-Army face-off

A local military spokesman, who identified himself as Lt Edy, said the death toll was 18.

The violence in Aceh province broke out after hundreds of troops converged on the village of Pulo Rungkom to demand that residents release a soldier who had been abducted over the weekend.

The shooting came one month before nationwide parliamentary elections that are seen as a critical test of Indonesia8217;s transition to democracy. Separatists in Aceh are planning to boycott the elections.

Aceh is on the island of Sumatra, about 1,750 km northwest of Jakarta, and is one of three Indonesian provinces where small groups of rebels are fighting for independence.

The other two are the former Portuguese colony of East Timor and Irian Jaya, a former Dutch colony on western New Guinea.

In Pulo Rungkom, hundreds of villagers, including women in Muslim head scarves and children, surrounded the troops when they arrived. Some demonstrators with sticks threatened the soldiers, who opened fire after a period of tense negotiations.

Most of the dead were men, doctors said. A small boy and a woman were also killed.

Many victims were treated by medics at the hospital of Port Arun, a government-owned oil and gas refinery.

Local reporters said they saw 11 bodies at the refinery hospital.

Three people died and eight people were being treated for bullet wounds at a private clinic in the nearby city of Lhokseumawe.

Five people who had been shot died during treatment at the city8217;s state hospital, said Mulya, the hospital chief.

At least 50 people were awaiting surgery, many with bullet wounds in the chest, abdomen, legs or arms, he said.

8220;We have 200 packets of blood that were donated by dozens of people and they also gave money,8221; Mulya said. 8220;Resentment against the security forces is very high.8221;

Lt Col Anyanto, military chief of staff in Lhokseumawe, described the clash as an exchange of gunfire between soldiers and civilians. Four military trucks were hit by bullets, he said.

Hours after the shooting, troops patrolled the area. Fearing violence, many shopowners in Lhokseumawe closed their stores.

The soldiers had been searching for an army sergeant who was kidnapped on Saturday in the village of cotmurong by hundreds of Acehnese women after a pro-independence rally at a mosque.