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| Europe |
| Aceh Rebels Find an Unlikely Base: Sweden |
| 2003-06-06 |
| EFL As Indonesia battles a stubborn separatist insurgency in its Aceh province, the guerrillas are charting an independent state from an unlikely base - Sweden. At night, Bakhtiar Abdullah sorts mail at a post office in downtown Stockholm. During the day, he joins leaders of the Free Aceh Movement in planning rebel strategy. "As soon as the situation is reasonable, we take the first flight back," said Abdullah, the spokesman for the rebel group. "If Aceh is independent tomorrow, then we leave tonight." Don't give up your day job The rebel leadership, including founder Hasan di Tiro, arrived in Sweden as political refugees in the late 1970s. The Acehnese community in Stockholm has since grown to about 50. Another 250 live in neighboring Denmark and Norway. Most have become citizens of their host countries. Meeting daily in bleak apartment blocks immersed in the forests surrounding the Swedish capital, the exiled leaders dispatch orders to rebel commanders in Aceh by cell phone or e-mail. The wonders of modern telecommunication They're not concerned their safety may be at risk, despite the increased demands from Indonesia they be deported. "We are Swedish citizens. We are protected by the Swedish government," Abdullah said. "We are not so much concerned about ourselves, but about our people back home." Indonesia has repeatedly demanded that Sweden arrest Free Aceh Movement leaders and extradite them. The Scandinavian country of 8.9 million says it won't comply. But Indonesia has stepped up pressure recently, with some lawmakers calling for a break in diplomatic ties with Sweden. The Swedish Embassy in Jakarta closed temporarily earlier this week after receiving threats. An Indonesian delegation led by former foreign minister Ali Alatas is expected to arrive in Stockholm next week, bearing what it said was proof of crimes committed by exiled rebel leaders. Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh said Sweden doesn't support the rebel group or Acehnese independence, but won't take any action against rebels living in Sweden unless "concrete evidence or substantiated suspicion" emerges. In a row house apartment in Alby, a suburb of Stockholm, Free Aceh Movement leaders dismissed criminal allegations and called the Indonesian government a "terrorist state." Not quite, but they're a contender "We hope that Sweden will not buckle under Indonesian pressure," said Malik Mahmud, who has replaced the aging di Tiro as the group's leader. "It's obvious that Indonesia is trying to get rid of us by whatever means they can." Mahmud, 63, said he hopes to recruit "cadets" among the Swedish-born children of Acehnese exiles to carry on the independence struggle in the staunchly Muslim province, albeit with Swedish accents. Cadets = cannon fodder |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #1 Notice that he set up in cushy Sweden and not in one of the neighboring states. Much safer and better benefits. Who wants to lead a rebellion where its dangerous and a rough-life. |
| Posted by: Yank 2003-06-06 19:26:23 |