RI presents Sweden with court evidence against GAM leaders

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda claimed on Tuesday that Sweden planned to take legal action against the leaders of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) living in the country.

Hassan said the Swedish government had asked for additional proof from the Indonesian police regarding the terrorist charges against GAM leaders in Sweden.

"They asked the police to translate the court verdicts connected with those cases and the police have sent the translation of those documents," the minister said on the sidelines of the celebration of the National Police's 57th anniversary at Pondok Cabe air base, in Tangerang.

GAM leaders living in Sweden include aging leader Hasan Tiro, self-proclaimed prime minister Malik Mahmood and foreign minister Zaini Abdullah.

The Indonesian government has been pressing Sweden to take legal action against the three for leading the separatist movement in Aceh as well as planning terrorist attacks in Indonesia.

The latest government delegation led by special envoy Ali Alatas presented evidence connecting these men to terrorist activities in the country.

Jakarta said that GAM masterminded several bombings in the country including the blasts at the Jakarta Stock Exchange and Cijantung Mall in 2000.

Stockholm has repeatedly said that they cannot take legal action against law-abiding Swedish citizens, including the GAM leaders residing there.

Meanwhile, Hassan further said that the Swedish foreign ministry informed him that the Swedish government had followed up the requests from the Indonesian government by summoning GAM leaders in Sweden.

"The Swedish foreign minister's office told the three men that our government had presented evidence of their possible involvement (in terrorism and separatism in Indonesia).

"The evidence is currently being examined by the Swedish attorney general's office," Hassan said.

No confirmation could be obtained from the Swedish side regarding Hassan's claim.

Meanwhile, President Megawati Soekarnoputri indirectly called on friendly countries to take legal action against GAM leaders and others who sponsored terrorism in Indonesia.

"As a sovereign country, we urge friendly countries, which have provided sanctuary for the intellectual architects of terrorist activities, to take legal action against them in accordance with their own national law," the President said at the police anniversary celebration on Tuesday.

She stressed that the Indonesian government was grateful to those countries that had answered Jakarta's call.

Megawati refrained from mentioning GAM in the speech, but was clearly alluding to GAM leaders in Sweden.