VZCZCXRO2182
PP RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #1828/01 2700709
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 260709Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0211
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1128
RUEHHE/AMEMBASSY HELSINKI 0931
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 3099
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 3437
RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM 2089
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHHMUNA/USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001828 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
AIDAC 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MTS, DS/IP/EAP, DS/DSS, INR/EAP and INL 
DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS AID 
USAID FOR ANE/EAA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC CASC SOCI ID
SUBJECT: FRENCH NATIONAL KIDNAPPED IN NORTH ACEH 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary. A French national consultant for the World Bank 
and his Indonesian driver were kidnapped and held by a group calling 
themselves Sword Force in the Sawang subdistrict of North Aceh 
Regency on the early afternoon of September 23.  After repeated 
threats to their lives at sword point, and having the French 
national's ATM card drained, both victims were eventually released 
on the evening of September 23 near the North Aceh city of Bireun. 
This represents the most serious security incident involving foreign 
nationals working for international organizations in Aceh since the 
beginning of post-tsunami reconstruction efforts in 2005.  End 
Summary. 
 
Event Chronology 
---------------- 
 
(Note: the account in paras 2-4 below is a compilation of Morell's 
own recounting and initial verification of details conducted by Aceh 
security sources. End Note) 
 
¶2.  (SBU) At 1:00PM local time on September 23 World Bank senior 
consultant Adrian Morell responsible for the regular Aceh Conflict 
Monitoring Updates published by the group traveled to Sawang in 
order to meet with the 'Sword Force' group that had previously 
threatened World Bank local staff conducting a routine 
multi-stakeholder review of World Bank programs in Aceh.  Shortly 
after the start of the meeting 5 men arrived and, joining the 
original group, threatened Morell and his driver at sword point, 
tied them up, and blindfolded them before driving them in their 
World Bank vehicle into the jungle.  No firearms were used or in 
evidence at any time during the kidnapping. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The group of 10 men who had taken Morell and his driver 
hostage repeatedly threatened to behead them and stated a list of 
grievances against the World Bank and organizations involved in the 
Aceh peace process including NGO InterPeace, as well as mentioning 
their desire to kidnap a Spanish International Commission of the Red 
Cross (ICRC) staff member in the future.  They initially demanded 5 
billion Rupiah (USD 540,000) from Morell as ransom from the World 
Bank and when he explained that the World Bank would not ransom him 
they took his ATM card and went to nearby Lhoksumawe where they 
drained 3,000 dollars cash from his bank account and transferred 
additional funds to other local accounts of their associates. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) According to Morell, he was finally able to convince the 
remaining kidnappers to release him after explaining the gravity of 
the situation and likely government reaction to his continued 
absence.  The group holding him in the jungle drove him and his 
driver to Bireun city in North Aceh by motorbike, where he was 
released at 10:30PM on September 23.  He and his driver took a 
public bus back to Banda Aceh that night and reported the case to 
the police in Banda Aceh the next day.  The vehicle remains missing 
and the assailants are still at large. 
 
Reaction 
-------- 
¶5.  (SBU) The U.S. Mission in Indonesia is issuing a warden message 
to all Americans urging them to avoid the Sawang subdistrict and 
coordinate any planned travel in the surrounding area with local 
authorities.  According to BRR (Aceh and Nias Rehabilitation and 
Reconstruction Agency (BRR) Safety Team Advisor Stephen Almsteier, 
the World Bank has suspended all internal Aceh travel and the United 
Nations has stopped all travel outside the capital in Banda Aceh. 
The international NGO community in Aceh clearly views this event as 
a serious impediment to their operations and freedom of movement in 
Aceh.  The BRR Safety Team is counseling less drastic measures and 
has advised NGOs to avoid the Sawang subdistrict and drive straight 
through on main roads during daylight hours if traveling in the area 
is necessary.  Other local NGOs contacted by USAID's Aceh 
Reconstruction Office on September 26 are pursuing a "lay low" 
attitude but have not issued the same type of wide-ranging travel 
restrictions to their staff as the World Bank and UN. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) In a conversation with Consulate Medan on September 26 the 
local Indonesian military commander responsible for Sawang, Colonel 
Eko, indicated to Medan staff that the group is currently under 
surveillance but that since this has been deemed a criminal manner 
 
JAKARTA 00001828  002 OF 002 
 
 
the police will take the lead in the investigation.  He added that 
the military has confirmed that the Sword Force does not apparently 
have any firearms in their possession.  Eko also confirmed that the 
military and law enforcement forces in place in North Aceh see this 
incident as crossing an unacceptable line and police are reviewing 
ATM camera footage and investigating the case. 
 
Background on 'Sword Force' 
-------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) The "Badruddin Group", now calling themselves "Sword 
Force", was based on the former Aceh Freedom Movement (GAM) Muslim 
cleric (Imam) in Sawang named Badruddin, a young religious leader 
sympathetic to GAM who became the Imam for the GAM base camp in 
Sawang in 2001.  Due to a host of local grievances he and his group 
refused to recognize the peace agreement and Helsinkin MoU in 2005 
and eventually fell out with GAM.  Badruddin's daughter was killed 
during an attack on their home in June of 2007 by unknown 
assailants.  Badruddin and his wife were attacked again in front of 
their home in December of 2007 by a group of masked men and both 
killed on the scene. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Local media reports from August 15 reported a number of 
green flags with a star and crescent symbol, with two swords and 
Arabic script with the words 'Allahu Akbar' (God is Great) were put 
up in Sawang district by Sword Force and later taken down by police 
on August 9.  Young people interviewed by the media in Aceh as part 
of the story, who claimed to be followers of Badruddin, are now 
grouping themselves into Sword Force and said they would continue 
their agitation. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Neither Badruddin nor his men received the reintegration 
payments other ex-GAM received. Prior to his death last year, 
Badruddin was implicated in several high-profile property crimes 
including against INGOs.  Badruddin's group reportedly uses the fact 
that they didn't get the reintegration cash as an excuse to take 
what they want.  The targeting of the World Bank during this 
kidnapping may have been begun as a plan to extort money from the 
INGO. 
 
HUME