National

TNI to Verify GAM Weapons
Friday, 09 September, 2005 | 11:13 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The giving up of weapons belonging to former members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), which shall start from September 15, will be carried out in three stages.

However, before they are eventually destroyed, the weapons will first be verified by the Indonesian Military (TNI).

According to Minister of Communication and Information Sofyan Djalil, the first stage is that GAM hands over its weapons to the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM).

During this stage, the AMM will record the number of weapons handed over and delivered a receipt to GAM.

GAM will then leave the location where the weapons were handed over as set by the AMM.

During the second stage, all the weapons collected by the AMM shall be collected for verification.

“Following verification, the weapons will then destroyed,” said Djalil before attending a limited cabinet meeting at the presidential office on Thursday (08/09).

The GAM weapons will be destroyed by the AMM.

Following the destruction of the weapons, the pieces of the destroyed weapons will be inserted into pouches.

The weapon pieces, Djalil said, would be handed over to the TNI.

The three stages of the weapons handing over could be approved as GAM has been extremely cooperative.

Before the handing over of the GAM weapons, the AMM has created a “safe corridor” for three days.

“Members of GAM people can hand over their weapons at already approved places,” stated Djalil.

Regarding the number of GAM weapons to be handed over, a total of 840, Djalil said that GAM was unlike the TNI where all personnel have one weapon each.

“Between three-four and GAM members might have only one weapon between them,” stated Djalil.
(Dimas-Tempo News Room)