GAM denies having trained Deli rebels<\/p>\n
Muharram M. Nur, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh<\/p>\n
The Free Aceh Separatist Movement (GAM) denied on Wednesday
\nthat it was training rebels of the so-named Free Deli Separatist
\nMovement (GDM), aimed at fighting for the separation of the Deli
\nsultanate in the northern part of North Sumatra from Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"GAM has never trained Deli rebels. The true story is that a
\nnumber of Deli descendants joined GAM two years ago to learn
\nabout guerrilla techniques and how to fight for independence,\"
\nTengku Amri bin Abdul Wahad, field commander of GAM's military
\nwing (AGAM), told The Jakarta Post by cellular phone in his
\nhiding place in Aceh Besar regency.<\/p>\n
Amri made the denial in responding to the statement of Ishak
\nDaud, commander of GAM's North Aceh regional command, in Perlak
\non Tuesday that the separatist movement was training 500 GDM
\nrebels in East Aceh. Ishak made the statement in line with the
\nrelease of state-owned TV station TVRI's two crew members who had
\nbeen abducted by GAM since early in Aug. 2001.<\/p>\n
TV station SCTV, which showed the military training, also
\nquoted a Deli prince who confirmed the existence of the Deli
\nseparatist movement, which was officially established in 1998.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in Medan, North Sumatra governor Tengku Rizal
\nNurdin, ruled out the media reports, saying he did not believe
\nthat Melayu descendants had established a separatist movement to
\nfight for the Deli sultanate's independence.<\/p>\n
\"I'm not sure the people who claimed themselves to be
\ndescendants of the Deli sultan want the sultanate to be separated
\nfrom the unitary state and have established a separatist movement
\nfor that purpose,\" Sakyan Asmara, spokesman for the North Sumatra
\nprovincial government, quoted the governor as saying in Medan on
\nWednesday.<\/p>\n
Asmara said that according Nurdin, also a Melayu descendant,
\nthe Deli separatist movement was merely a rumor that had been
\nintentionally spread by certain parties to discredit the Deli
\nsultanate's big family.<\/p>\n
He said the governor would ask all descendants of the Deli
\nsultan in the provincial capital to lodge an official report on
\nthe issue for the local police to follow up.<\/p>\n
He said the governor had also called on the mass media not to
\nexaggerate the separatist movement issue because it could produce
\na negative connotation regarding Malay descendants' image in the
\nprovince.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/gam-denies-having-trained-deli-rebels-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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