After the shooting of a Red Cross employee in Aceh last week, the Nangroe Aceh Darussalam provincial administration has guaranteed the safety of foreign workers, especially those currently employed in humanitarian work, said Governor Irwandi.
The governor's statement was made following the shooting of Bernhard Bauer, 50, head of the German Red Cross's Aceh representative office, by unidentified persons on Thursday evening.
"I call on the workers, especially those assisting in the Aceh reconstruction process, not to be afraid of and not to worry about the situation as this is what the perpetrators want; to frighten foreign workers," Irwandi said at the weekend.
Bauer was shot by two motorbike riders as he was driving on a road in Lampeunurut, Banda Aceh, in a car with three other Red Cross employees.
Irwandi said the motive for the shooting had not yet been established. He said it was likely to be related to some Acehnese people who were unhappy about the presence of foreign workers in the province following the end of the reconstruction process.
"I'm not sure if it has something to do with the politics, but I suspect the shooting was an effort to rid Aceh of foreign workers," Irwandi said. He added that to guarantee the security of foreign workers in Aceh his administration had coordinated with the provincial police.
"We guarantee their security while working in Aceh," he said.
Irwandi also said the perpetrators had randomly selected the victims for the purpose of instilling fear in foreigners working in the province.
Following the shooting, all Red Cross branches in Aceh issued warnings to their respective staff to temporarily stay indoors.
"We have been asked to stay at home to avoid any danger," said Tina, a Red Cross employee currently working in Aceh.
The police are currently still investigating the case. So far they have identified a 38-millimeter cartridge case as evidence.
However, no official statement has been made by the police regarding the incident.
