TEMPO, Tuesday, 22 June, 2004 | 09:58 WIB
National
Civil State of Emergency State Administrator to Request More
Troops in Aceh
TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The civil state of emergency administrator in Nanggroe
Aceh Darussalam (NAD) province, Abdullah Puteh, will request additional Indonesian
Military (TNI)/National Police (Polri) troops in Aceh if the security situation in the
province worsens.
This is related to reports made by Acehnese regents on the revival of the Free Aceh
Movement (GAM) in several regencies in Aceh.
Puteh made this statement during a ceremony held to prepare the security
arrangments for the presidential election at Blang Padang court, Banda Aceh, on
Monday morning (21/06).
"I will request the sending of additional troops to Aceh. These troops will be stationed
in conflict areas should the situation worsen in these areas," he said.
According to Puteh, the request to increase the number of troops in Aceh will be
made if the current number of TNI troops in Aceh is considered to be inadequate.
"The most important thing is that we have to counter GAM’s strength," said Puteh.
According to the Iskandar Muda Military Command spokesman in Aceh, Maj. CAJ
Ahmad Husein, the number of TNI troops in Aceh since the martial law status was
imposed amounts to around 35,000 people.
"We have yet to decrease the number of troops in Aceh," he said. (Yuswardi A. Suud
- Tempo News Room)
copyright TEMPO 2003
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