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GAM Members Who Are Foreign Citizens Can Be Granted Amnesty
Thursday, 01 September, 2005 | 04:31 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Granting of amnesty to members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) who are foreign citizens, according to Indonesian Minister of Law Hamid Awaluddin, will require six months as they have to be Indonesian citizens first.

The consequence of this is that it will exceed the deadline as laid down in the MoU.

The presidential decision regarding the granting of amnesty to GAM members that was signed on Tuesday (30/08) by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono does not place any special restrictions on GAM members who are foreign citizens.

“Those who are foreign citizens are allowed to be Indonesians on the condition that they have to reside for six months in Indonesia and are willing to give up their current citizenship,” said Awaluddin after attending a work meeting with House of Representatives (DPR) Commission III at the legislature complex in Jakarta on Wednesday (31/08).

According to Awaluddin, the process of changing citizenship will be followed by the swearing of an oath of loyalty to the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.

However, based on the MoU, the granting of amnesty must be finished days following the signing of the MoU, that is on August 31. (Rengga Damayanti-Tempo News Room)