Anger Rises in Indonesia Over Sweden's Inaction Against Exiled Aceh Rebel

The Indonesian government last month called on Stockholm to act against Hasan Tiro, who helped found the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in 1976 and has since become a Swedish citizen.
"In diplomatic terms, Sweden has taken a hostile position against us," said Amien Rais, Chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly.
He told Elshinta Radio Sunday that the Swedish government should hand Tiro over to Indonesia.
"We will also not act foolishly. There are legal procedures and codes of ethics," he told AFP.
However, he also said he supported severing ties with Sweden over Stockholm's rejection to act against Tiro.
"I think is a very wise and firm decision," he told AFP.
Lesser moves, including downgrading ties or pulling out envoys, would only signal Jakarta's half-heartedness over the matter, he added.
However, he said Stockholm should be a week's deadline to act.
"What is Sweden? Trade ties only cover several million dollars only and will not hurt us at all, and the role of Sweden in the West, in Europe, is only peripheral, marginal," Rais said.
Annual bilateral trade in 2002 stood at around 350 million dollars but Swedish-made Volvo sedans are the official vehicles of Indonesian ministers.
Swedish officials have said that Sweden does not support the GAM, an organization it said held no official status in Sweden. But they added they could not take action against a citizen who did not break the law in Sweden.
Rais' comments are in line with those of many politicians.
"If our diplomatic efforts are not taken seriously by the Swedish government, then Indonesia can take other diplomatic steps, such as the proposal to sever diplomatic ties with Sweden," House Speaker Akbar Tanjung said in Padang, west Sumatra on Friday.
Downgrading diplomatic ties or severing the relations with Sweden were "the right moves to show that Indonesia is serious in taking firm actions against those in Sweden who are seeking to separate Aceh from Indonesia," Tanjung said.
Taking firm diplomatic actions against Sweden "is the official stance of the DPR," said Legislator Ibrahim ambong referring to the People's Representative Council (DPR), according to the ***Jakarta Post Daily***.
A poll carried by the Detikcom online news service Sunday showed that of 3,028 votes, 81 percent agreed that Jakarta should cut diplomatic ties with Stockholm to show the nation's displeasure.
Jakarta on May 19 put Aceh under martial law and has launched a massive military operation to rid the resource rich province at the northernmost tip of Sumatra island of the GAM.
The move followed the failure of a peace process initiated in 2000.
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