1,400 soldiers sent to Aceh, Maluku

1,400 soldiers sent to Aceh, Maluku

CIREBON, West Java: Maj. Gen. Dharsono, chief of the Siliwangi Military Command overseeing West Java said on Tuesday he would send 1,400 personnel for rotation duties in restive Aceh and Maluku.

"The planned dispatch of two combat battalions is based on an order from the Indonesian Military commander," he said here on Tuesday.

Dharsono refuted allegations that the dispatch was aimed at supporting the planned revival of the Iskandar Muda military command in Aceh.

"No, it is not for that" he said, adding that whatever the government and the military headquarters were planning was only intended to create a feeling of security among the Acehnese people. --JP