ASEAN to curb gunrunning to Aceh<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) member
\ncountries are shortly expected to demonstrate their support for
\nIndonesia's national integrity amid the independence struggle
\nbeing waged by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).<\/p>\n
In a draft joint communique from the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting
\n(AMM) obtained by The Jakarta Post on Sunday, the 10 member
\ncountries of ASEAN stressed their recognition of Aceh as an
\nintegral part of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
According to article 22 of the draft, the ASEAN countries
\npledge their support to the effort to deny the separatist
\nmovement access to the means of perpetrating violence, especially
\nthrough preventing arms smuggling into Aceh province.<\/p>\n
In the draft, ASEAN also reiterates its recognition of the
\nsovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity of
\nIndonesia, including Aceh, which is currently under martial law.<\/p>\n
It adds that the ASEAN countries recognize the efforts of the
\nIndonesian government to restore peace and order in Aceh.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has been struggling to restrict GAM's access to the
\noutside world, including preventing it from obtaining arms and
\nits members from seeking political asylum, during the current
\nmassive military offensive in the province.<\/p>\n
The national police had earlier sought Thailand's cooperation
\nin ensuring the elimination of gunrunning from that country and
\nthe arrest of GAM leader Zakariah Zaman, who is said to have
\nsought refuge in Thailand.<\/p>\n
During his visit to Jakarta last month, Thai foreign minister
\nSurakiart Sathirathai pledged his government's support in curbing
\nthe illicit trafficking of arms from a certain parts of Thailand
\nto Aceh.<\/p>\n
Jakarta has also sought the help of the Swedish government to
\nrestrict the room for maneuver of GAM leaders in exile,
\nespecially Hasan Tiro, Malik Mahmood and Zaini Abdullah, all of
\nwhom are currently residing in Stockholm and have taken out
\nSwedish citizenship.<\/p>\n
So far, the ASEAN member countries have shown their full
\nsupport for Indonesia and intensified cooperation with the
\nIndonesian police for the purpose of detecting the presence of
\nGAM leaders who might have fled the province to neighboring
\ncountries.<\/p>\n
A senior Indonesian diplomat said that the statement shows
\nthat the ASEAN member countries fully understand that security in
\nIndonesia, as the largest country in the regional grouping, is a
\nsignificant factor in regional security as a whole.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/asean-to-curb-gunrunning-to-aceh-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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