Following a string of fatal shootings in Aceh, the Indonesian military has increased monitoring of illegal firearms in the province, ahead of a crucial gubernatorial election in February.
Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Adm. Agus Suhartono said on Monday that his forces had also been keeping tighter tabs on the circulation of its own firearms in Aceh, following reports that the firearms used in the shootings may have been stolen military issue.
“We remain vigilant as many armed groups indeed still exist in Aceh. Our personnel have been closely monitoring them and studying their connection to the recent incidents. We are also monitoring how they get the weapons,” he said.
However, Agus dismissed the possibility that the groups were linked to the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).
At least seven shootings, some of which were fatal, have taken place in Aceh over the past month.
Two incidents occurred on New Year’s Eve, involving four fatalities. The first took place in the provincial capital Banda Aceh, in which one person was killed. The second occurred in Bireun regency, about 250 kilometers east of Banda Aceh, leaving three people dead.
According to data collected by the Commission on Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), at least nine civilians were killed and 13 others injured in a series of shootings in Aceh over the past two months.
Activists said they suspected the weapons used in the shootings had originated from the police and the TNI.
The two forces should immediately conduct a weapons audit to asses if there has been a “leakage” or “illicit trading”, Kontras coordinator Haris Azhar said.
Responding to the call for the audit, Agus said that his forces conducted regular inventory checks of their armories.
“We believe our armories are not prone to ‘leaks’,” he said.
While dismissing the allegation, Agus acknowledged that many weapons had been left over in Aceh despite the destruction of hundreds of firearms belonging to GAM in 2005. The destruction of the weapons was part of the implementation of the 2005 Helsinki treaty.
“That is the fact and we are now working on how to eliminate the distribution of the firearms. We are working together with the police,” Agus said.
According to Agus, illegal arms trading in Aceh is likely fueled by rampant weapon smuggling into the autonomous province.
The North Sumatra Police on Sunday revealed that they were investigating a report that a number of firearms had been shipped to Belawan seaport in North Sumatra via the Malacca Strait, and that the planned final destination of the arms was Aceh.
“The Malacca Strait has been used as a route for such smuggling for a long time. We have begun intensifying sea patrols in the area,” Agus said.
Lawmaker TB Hasanuddin of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) suggested that there at least 1,000 firearms were in the arms of former insurgents in Aceh.
“The combatants, who live in the woods, are former GAM supporters. They are disappointed because
they have not seen their welfare improve since the GAM elite entered the Aceh administration,” Hasanuddin said.
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