Nurdin Hasan – Public order officers readying to demolish illegal structures in Aceh's provincial capital were lucky to escape with their lives when protests quickly turned violent on Thursday.

Two pickup trucks belonging to the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) were destroyed in the melee as protesters chased the officers down Jalan Tengku Imeum Lueng Bata in Banda Aceh. No casualties or injuries were reported.

Satpol PP officers had arrived at the street on Thursday morning to tear down an illegally erected canopy covering a store, as instructed by Banda Aceh Mayor Mawardi Nurdin.

Mawardi has in the past week been sending Satpol PP officers across the city to tear down illegal structures in support of the city's planned tourism program, "Visit Banda Aceh 2011."

Despite encountering a barricade of burning tires set up by local protesters, the Satpol PP tried to go around the demonstration. Within a matter of seconds, however, the protesters had surrounded the Satpol PP trucks and began pelting them with stones.

Although the officers managed to get clear of the trucks, the protesters chased them away and subsequently destroyed the trucks. "We were upset because the way they carried out their demolitions had crossed the line," said Arbi, a local resident.

Police were eventually called in to break up the protest. Warning shots were fired to disperse the crowd and two men were arrested, but as they were being led to a police car, protesters blocked the police and a verbal argument ensued.

The police officers assured the protesters that the suspects would not be harmed during questioning over the incident.

"We will not touch them," Insp. Suyono, from the Lueng Bata Police, told the protesters. "They are being detained only for investigation purposes."

The Satpol PP abandoned its plans to carry out the demolition following the incident.

Local governments use Satpol PP officers – often poorly trained and poorly paid junior high school graduates – to enforce bylaws and evict squatters, but recent high-profile incidents have led to accusations of excessive violence.