Aceh waters closed to foreign ships<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The martial law administrator in Aceh has decided to close off
\nAceh waters to foreign ships, but has failed to communicate the
\nmove to the public.<\/p>\n
Navy Chief of Staff Adm. Bernard Kent Sondakh called on the
\nauthorities in Aceh on Tuesday to announce the policy publicly.<\/p>\n
\"It would be better if the government issued an official
\nstatement that Aceh waters are out-of-bounds,\" Bernard was quoted
\nby Antara as saying on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, an oil tanker flying a Panamanian flag was
\narrested at Sabang port on Weh Island following the issuance of a
\ndecree banning foreign ships and boats from operating in Aceh's
\nterritorial waters.<\/p>\n
Bernard reminded the government that it should make the decree
\npublic and ensure that every country in the world was well-
\ninformed about it so that no innocent parties was suffer loss.<\/p>\n
He said the Navy's warships were ready to implement the
\ndecision, and that they would fire on any foreign vessels
\nentering Aceh waters without prior notice.<\/p>\n
Foreign vessels that could be subject to the shoot-on-site
\npolicy were those that trespassed into Aceh's 12-mile territorial
\nwaters, Bernard explained.<\/p>\n
Bernard said the policy was justified as the government was
\nallowed by the International Law of the Sea to make such a move.
\nHe also said that the government could issue a subsequent
\nannouncement on the reasons behind the move.<\/p>\n
Bernard's comments came after a statement by Aceh martial law
\nadministrator Maj. Gen. Endang Suwarya that he, representing the
\ncentral government, had placed Aceh waters out-of-bounds to
\nforeign vessels.<\/p>\n
The reason behind the decision was not stated, but the
\ngovernment has long suspected the Acehnese rebels of smuggling
\nweapons from Thailand and Malaysia.<\/p>\n
The decision may also be designed to prevent GAM members from
\nfleeing Aceh, where rebels have being fighting for independence
\nfor the resource-rich province since 1976. At least 10,000 people
\nhave been killed since then.<\/p>\n
Bernard said his warships had detained around 100 vessels,
\nsome of them loaded with weapons, around one month before martial
\nlaw was declared in Aceh on May 19.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Mudhakir, a senior officer responsible
\nfor ensuring the security of vital projects around the country,
\nsaid ships belonging to energy companies in Aceh were not
\naffected by the policy.<\/p>\n
Aceh is home to several large energy firms, such as giant oil
\nand gas company PT Exxon-Mobil Oil Indonesian and gas processing
\nfirm PT Arun NGL.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile on the front line, firefights between the Indonesian
\nMilitary (TNI) and GAM members are still frequent. A company of
\nTNI soldiers, for example, was involved in an armed clash with
\nGAM members in Sungai Raya subdistrict in East Aceh on Tuesday,
\nand three GAM members were reportedly killed in the incident.<\/p>\n
In North Sumatra, police arrested four suspected GAM members
\nand 11 Acehnese without identity cards as they crossed into
\nSecanggang district in Langkat regency on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The four were identified as M. Jusuf, deputy chairman of GAM,
\nand GAM members M. Daud Dahlan, Abdullah alias Agam, and Arbaim.<\/p>\n
\"The four GAM members are being detained, while the 11 others
\nare required to report to the authorities regularly,\" said
\nLangkat detectives' chief, First Insp. M. Dhadapy Marpaung.<\/p>\n
The frequent armed clashes, together with the presence of
\nsnipers, have paralyzed transportation in Aceh, especially from
\nthe North Aceh town of Lhokseumawe to the capital Banda Aceh.<\/p>\n
Several drivers, who were interviewed by Antara on Tuesday,
\nsaid they were afraid of being targeted by snipers.<\/p>\n
\"If the military is willing to provide escorts, then we will
\nresume our services,\" a driver said.<\/p>\n
There have been four gun attacks targeting public
\ntransportation vehicles, and more than 10 public transportation
\nvehicles have been torched.<\/p>\n
The TNI, through its spokesman at the front, Lt. Col. Yani
\nBasuki, accused GAM of responsibility for the arson and attacks.<\/p>\n
Back in Jakarta, the Ministry of Health claimed on Tuesday
\nthat it had sent medical assistance for refugees in Aceh
\namounting to Rp 50 billion.<\/p>\n
The funds were taken from the ministry's budget for refugees
\nthis year, which amounts to a total of Rp 150 billion, said
\nMinister of Health Achmad Sujudi.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/aceh-waters-closed-to-foreign-ships-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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