ABRI says 14 rebels among deported workers<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Armed Forces (ABRI) claim it has so far
\ndiscovered 14 Acehnese separatists among thousands of Indonesian
\nworkers recently deported by Malaysian authorities.<\/p>\n
ABRI chief spokesman Brig. Gen. Abdul Wahab Mokodongan said
\nhere Thursday that military and police officers in Lhokseumauwe,
\nAceh, had yet to determine the identify of many of the deported
\nworkers and that thousands more were expected imminently.<\/p>\n
\"So, the number of Aceh separatists among them is expected to
\nincrease,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Approximately 5,500 Indonesian migrants were recently deported
\nby Malaysian authorities after an operation to round up illegal
\nworkers.<\/p>\n
Among those deported were hundreds of Acehnese involved in a
\nbloody riot with Malaysian police in detention camps in Semenyih,
\nnear the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. The riot left eight
\nIndonesians and one Malaysian policeman dead.<\/p>\n
The violence broke out when Malaysian police began to transfer
\nthe illegal immigrants from detention camps to a nearby port for
\ntransfer to Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Mokodongan said the circumstances of the 14 separatists were
\nbeing thoroughly investigated.<\/p>\n
The 14 would be given a short lecture and forced to attend a
\ncourse on Indonesian development before being sent back to their
\nhome villages, provided their villages were ready to accept them,
\nMokodongan said.<\/p>\n
Asked about the Acehnese migrants seeking asylum at the UNHCR
\noffice in Kuala Lumpur, Mokodongan said that they were acting
\nwithin their rights, despite being Indonesian citizens. ABRI
\nwould therefore not interfere in the situation.<\/p>\n
\"The case is being handled by the UNHCR and Malaysian
\nauthorities,\" he said, adding that ABRI would treat the asylum
\nseekers as suspected separatists should they decided to return
\nhome. (rms)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/abri-says-14-rebels-among-deported-workers-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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