RI accepts Sweden's decision on Tiro

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta

Indonesia accepts the Swedish prosecutors' decision to drop charges against Hasan Tiro, the exiled former chief of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM), Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said on Tuesday.

But Hassan urged Sweden to continue the legal action against the self-styled GAM leaders Zaini Abdullah and Malik Mahmood.

"We can understand the decision because even in Indonesia, anyone can evade charges due to the health reasons," Hassan told reporters.

He said there were judicial systems in some countries in which the suspects who were not deemed of good health could not be asked to be held responsible for something they had done in the past.

"This is apparently the case with Tiro," he said.

Stockholm's chief prosecutor Tomas Linstrand decided on Friday to drop all charges against Tiro, claiming that he was now merely a moral authority for the movement.

Jakarta, which has urged Stockholm to take action against the three, says they direct the revolt in the Indonesian province from exile in Sweden.

Tiro has been living in exile since 1979 and has become a Swedish citizen.

Sweden arrested Zaini and Malik last month. Tiro, 80, was not arrested due to his age but was declared a suspect by Sweden's state prosecutors.

However, Zaini, who has Swedish citizenship and Malik, who has Singaporean citizenship were released as prosecutors have not presented enough evidence to justify their detention.

Sweden's foreign ministry spokesman said on Monday that Indonesia should not blame the Swedish government for the prosecutors' decision.

"Indonesia knows how the Swedish judicial system works," foreign ministry spokesman Jan Janonius said as quoted by AFP, pointing out that the government does not meddle in the work of prosecutors.

GAM has been fighting since 1976 for independence for the province of Aceh (Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam), located in the north of Sumatra Island, which has a population of 4.2 million and large oil and natural gas reserves.

The Indonesian Military claims about 5,000 rebels have been killed, captured or have surrendered during the year-long operation to crush GAM that ended in May.