Indications that civil servants are involved with GAM

Source
Detik.com – June 11, 2003
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Aceh governor, Abdullah Puteh (Liputan 6)
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Aceh governor, Abdullah Puteh (Liputan 6)
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Khairul Ikhwan, Medan -- There are indications that a number of civil servants in the Aceh provincial government are involved in the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), although none have so far been proven to be so. Aceh governor, Abdullah Puteh has said that the government is in the process of carrying out a more thorough investigation.

“Certainly there are indications that a number of civil servants are involved with GAM. But I am not yet able to say exactly how many, or what kind of percentage. We are still conduction an investigation”, said Puteh in Medan on Tuesday.

According to Puteh, civil servants who are involved with GAM will be sanctioned. The type of punishment will depend on the type of infraction and they may also incur the most severe punishment, that is dismissal.

Puteh said that certainly these civil servants are not involved directly, such as those who carry arms and fight the official government, but it is rather a frame of thinking which supports GAM. It is known that in many cases, each time these civil servants speak they always side with GAM.

Aside from this said Puteh, this month the government would replace scores of sub-district heads in the province who are considered incapable of carrying out their duties properly. It was explained however, that they would not be replaced my military or police officers. “That is not their role”, said Puteh.

[Translated by James Balowski]

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