BUSES were burned and schools torched as thousands of frightened families fled their homes yesterday in parts of Indonesia's western province of Aceh ahead of tomorrow's general election.
The country's Independent Election Monitoring Committee (KIPP) called yesterday for voting to be cancelled in the province, as tanks and military reinforcements arrived to counter separatist rebels.
'How can you go through with an election when you have snipers all over the place ready to fire,' said KIPP's Aceh chairman Otto Syamsuddin Ishak, angry at the military's shoot-to-kill orders.
In the town of Sigli, three civilians were accidentally wounded when police retaliated after coming under fire.
The General Election Commission (KPU) is due to meet in Jakarta today to make a final decision on whether voting in the province should go ahead.
Some voters have been withdrawing their registrations, fearing reprisals from the rebel Free Aceh Movement, which wants the election to be replaced by a referendum on independence.
