Police across country on high alert for possible GAM attacks
Police across country on high alert for possible GAM attacks
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Police forces across the country, especially in Sumatra and
Java, have heightened security measures to safeguard their
respective territories from possible attacks from the Free Aceh
Movement (GAM) rebels.
Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara said on
Tuesday that the police were put on a state of high alert ahead
of the military operation in Aceh, to anticipate possible attacks
targeting vital areas in the city.
"But, the status (of high alert) is only for the police, not
for Jakartans in anticipation of the heightened security
situation in the capital," he said, adding that residents should
increase their alertness in their neighborhoods amid mounting
security concerns.
Makbul also said that the police would beef up security in all
vital places in the city.
The police chief made the decision following a statement by
National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar, who revealed that GAM
would likely engage in a series of terror acts in several areas
outside Aceh, including Jakarta.
GAM would likely target public places and vital facilities in
Jakarta, North Sumatra capital of Medan and Lampung, Da'i said.
The police earlier reported that the arrested GAM commander
overseeing the Medan-Deli areas in North Sumatra, Abdul Wahab,
had warned that GAM had 40 men who were "ready to spread acts of
terror."
Abdul Wahab's deputy, Tengku Yahya bin Hanafiah, told The
Jakarta Post that some 30,000 GAM members had entered the North
Sumatra capital of Medan and were ready to attack, pending orders
from the GAM commander in Aceh.
Tengku Yahya, who was arrested by the police last week, said
that about 600 of the secessionist rebels had undergone military
training in Libya.
"They've been sworn in by the (GAM) leadership in Aceh, (and
are) ready to make a move in Medan if they've been ordered to go
to war," claimed Yahya, who admitted that he had also been
involved in a series of bombings in Medan.
He said on Monday that GAM could develop its cell in Medan
quickly, because they recruited members in the same way as a
multi-level marketing company.
"There were only 600 GAM members in Medan, but their number is
increasing, because each one of the 600 recruited 50 people. They
live somewhere outside of Medan now, but I don't know their
location," he said, saying that the members assimilated
themselves into the local community.
Medan Police Chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Bagus Kurniawan doubted the
figure, saying that it was excessive. However, he acknowledged
that some GAM members had spread to the nearby Langkat and Asahan
regencies.
Bagus said the police were currently on high alert, with
thousands of officers deployed to guard a number of vital targets
in Medan.
"We are providing extra-tight security to prevent the
separatist from disrupting Medan's security," Bagus said.
On Monday, North Sumatra Governor Rizal Nurdin ordered his
subordinates to screen refugees coming from Aceh to prevent
possible infiltration by GAM. Local administrations were also
told to record and monitor new residents from Aceh in their
areas.
Security officers would give Acehnese refugees separate tags
or other means of identification in an attempt to monitor their
movements.
In Riau, the police have set up a special team to monitor the
entry points to the province in a bid to anticipate the wave of
Acehnese refugees to the province.
"The operations aims at monitoring GAM leaders and to
discourage them from infiltrating Riau," said Riau Police Chief
Brig. Gen. Deddy Komaruddin.
The police would also launch "sweeping" operations against
suspicious trucks and public buses that enter or leave Riau, he
added.
"The sweeping is to anticipate crimes like robberies and drug
dealing that might be used to finance GAM operations," Deddy
said.
Separately in Jakarta, National Police Chief of Detectives
Comr. Gen. Erwin Mappaseng told reporters on Monday that the
police had arrested nine more alleged GAM members in neighboring
Bengkulu over the weekend, following Yahya's arrest.
Erwin identified six of the nine as Darwin, Zulkifli bin
Alamsyah, Edi Junaidi bin Alamsyah, Mansyur bin Wahid, Asri M.
Saleh and Muhi bin Jamil.
"They are involved in selling drugs and other crimes allegedly
committed for GAM's interests," he told reporters at the National
Police headquarters.
The remaining three are allegedly high-ranking officials of
GAM, and have been identified as M. Jamil bin Abdul Rahman, Said
Umar bin Saidsyah and A.N. Nasru, alias Ayah Kumis.
Erwin claimed that Jamil was the GAM advisor for Bengkulu,
while Said was the GAM treasurer of Bengkulu. Erwin did not
mention the role of Ayah Kumis.