GAM told to release 3 abducted officers

BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): The police here warned the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) separatist rebels on Wednesday to release three of their members and a military officer within a week.

"If they (GAM) fail to fulfill our ultimatum, we will not hesitate to take any measures against their members, wherever they are," Police Special Operation Cinta Meunasah chief Sr. Supt. Kusbini Imbar said.

Kusbini would not go into details on the measures.

He said the police learned from witnesses that GAM was behind the recent abduction of the Kuta Baro police subprecinct chief, Second Insp. Dadang Purnomo and a Mobile Brigade platoon commander Second Sgt. Mansur on Oct. 5.

Kusbini added that GAM was also responsible for kidnapping an Aceh Besar Precinct officer Pvt. Sulaiman Yakub and a soldier of Montasiek Military Subdistrict Command on the same day.

He said the warning and all its consequences would not violate the Humanitarian Pause because it was GAM who initiated the offense.

"We did not intend to accuse GAM, but based on witnesses' accounts, we learned that they were behind the abduction and they may have killed the officers," he said.

Separately, Aceh GAM Commander Tengku Maat Muda reiterated his denial on Wednesday that his group masterminded the abduction.

"We believe that the police have contrived the whole kidnapping issue as usual to justify an operation to sweep our strongholds," he said.

Maat said the police's ultimatum would not discourage the movement's struggle for an independent state in Aceh.

"We will carry on as usual," he said.

GAM has been accusing the police of violating the Humanitarian Pause by conducting sweeping operations. In retaliation to the crackdown, the rebels attacked any police patrol they met.

The police said they would continue with their routine patrol to ensure security, especially against armed residents.

Kusbini also said that four police officers of the Bomb Disposal Squad were injured when a bomb planted inside a Kijang van exploded in Cot Krueng, Kuta Baro district on Wednesday afternoon.

He also accused GAM of being responsible for the bomb blast. (51/lup)