Aceh activists seek lessons from E. Timor, says TNI
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Local military intelligence said Acehnese who may have links to the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), were spotted in East Timor apparently purchasing weapons to support their fight for independence.
East Nusa Tenggara's Wirasakti Military Command chief, Col. Moeswarno Moesanip said a total of 25 Acehnese in East Timor were also suspected of selling drugs and being involved in arms deals to fund Aceh's struggle for independence.
He said the Acehnese people had already left East Timor with 23 of them heading back to Aceh last Sunday.
"They are being pushed out of East Timor because the government there is conducting sweeping operations on drug dealers," Moeswarno was quoted as saying by Antara on Monday.
"This Acehnese group is believed to be GAM's right hand, selling drugs in East Timor through Atambua," he said. Atambua is a small border town in East Nusa Tenggara, close to East Timor.
He added that the 25 Acehnese were possibly on a mission in East Timor to study the independence struggle of its people.
East Timor broke away from Indonesia in 1999 through a U.N. sponsored referendum, 24 years after the province's integration with Indonesia in 1975.
A recent report, however, showed the U.S. backed Indonesia's invasion of East Timor to thwart the communist influence in Southeast Asia. In the early seventies, communism had gained a strong foothold in East Timor.
Indonesia's economic crisis in 1997 and the subsequent change of government the year after, opened the way for East Timor to vote for independence.
By comparison, Aceh's independence struggle lacks international support as its integration with Indonesia was never questioned. There is also concern that letting the province go could trigger more break-aways and destabilize the region.
Moeswarno said the 25 Acehnese were in Atambua since June 5, and were not the only ones to have been in East Timor.
The group, he said, had arrived in Atambua under the pretense of looking for work.
"The people of East Timor are having a hard time finding a job. Why then would anyone look for job there?" he said.
He suspected the group were in East Timor to sell drugs to finance the purchase of guns for GAM.
Moeswarno further urged the East Timor government to watch out for their presence. "Don't allow GAM sympathizers to stay too long in East Timor."
As for the remaining two Acehnese, he told authorities in Kupang and West Timor in East Nusa Tenggara to monitor their movements, and if possible to prevent them from crossing to East Timor. Most travelers arrive and leave West Timor through Kupang.
"I have instructed our intelligence to track them down in hotels in Kupang. Chances are that they're still here. You don't look for a job while staying in a hotel," he said.
Moeswarno further warned that "foreigners" faced expulsion if they arrive in Atambua without a clear purpose.
"We will tighten our supervision of the arrival of foreigners in regions along the borders with East Timor," he said.