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Civil State of Emergency State Administrator to Request More Troops in Aceh
Tuesday, 22 June, 2004 | 09:58 WIB

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)