Terrorism-RI-Aceh-GAM
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The government has prepared the necessary documents to have the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) separatist group and its leaders placed on the United Nations's list of terrorist groups, a government official says.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Marty Natalegawa said on Friday that the government had enough evidence to convince the world that GAM had been involved in a series of terrorist acts in the country.
"Everything is ready. If the government decides to take GAM to the United Nations Security Council, we are ready now," said Marty.
GAM, which has been fighting for independence for the resource-rich province since 1976, has been implicated in a number of explosions in the capital, including the 2000 Jakarta Stock Exchange blast, two bomb explosions at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in April this year and at Cijantung Mall in July 2002.
"There is no doubt that the organization has been involved in a series of terrorist acts in Indonesia," Marty said.
Marty said the government had been considering the option for some time, but had decided to postpone it pending the result of the ongoing legal process against GAM leaders in Sweden.
"We choose to put the option on hold, pending the result from Swedish authorities regarding our request to take action against GAM leaders," the official said.
He explained that an organization or individual could be included on the UN consolidated terrorist list at the request of any member country providing there was no objection from other member countries.
Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers separatist group is one example of a rebel group included on the UN terrorist list.
The government launched on May 19 a joint operation aimed at stamping out GAM rebels from the country's westernmost province.
More than three months into the operation, government troops have managed to incapacitate only 35 percent of GAM's 5,000 rebels.
There are currently 35,000 troops and 14,000 police personnel on the field tracking down GAM rebels.
The government has also urged the Swedish government to take action against GAM leaders Hasan Tiro, Malik Mahmood and Zaini Abdullah, who live in the country and have Swedish citizenship.
President Megawati Soekarnoputri's special envoy Ali Alatas submitted legal evidence against these men to the Swedish government earlier this year.
The Swedish government has promised to proceed with the legal examination to determine whether the Indonesian government had a strong case against the rebel leaders.
The inclusion of GAM on the UN terrorist list would put pressure on the Swedish government to take legal action against GAM leaders, as the listing would make it obligatory to do so.
Earlier, National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said the police had included proof of GAM's alleged involvement in April's bombing near the UN headquarter in Jakarta and at the airport in evidence submitted to the Swedish government.
"We have presented new legal evidence, such as the possible involvement of GAM rebels in the recent bombings in the capital," Da'i said.
He said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would submit additional proof upon request from Sweden.