RI presents Sweden with court evidence against GAM leaders
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.