One more airfield closed in Lhoseumawe
Wednesday, April 5 2000 - 05:00 AM WIB
Lhokseumawe, the second largest town in Aceh after the provincial capital Banda Aceh, could be no longer be accessed by air transportation after Mobil Indonesia Inc closed its second airfield in the town on Monday due to security reasons, Serambi Indonesia reported on Wednesday.
The company, which several months ago also closed other airfield in the town due to the same reason, has also closed its office and asked its employees to stay at home. But the company said that the activities of its gas operation still continued.
The decision to close the airfield was made after the recent shooting of a Beefhcrast airplane operated by PT Pelita Airs Service. Two employees of the multi-national company, which operates a massive gas field in Arun, were injured in the incident.
The airfield, which has a 1,800-meter-long and 30-meter-wide runaway, is located within the company compound in Nibong village of Tanah Luas district in Lhoksukon, 20 kilometers east of Lhokseumawe. It normally has two flights every day from Medan-base Polonia airport.
The army chief Adm. Widodo confirmed that the attack on the chartered aircraft was done by members of the GAM pro-independence group despite denials made by the movement leader. He promised to help the police to maintain the security in the town, which hosts several important industries such as the Arun Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Plant. (*)