A group of armed civilians, believed to be of separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM), have been found committing piracies and abductions in the Malacca Strait, the spokesman of the Military Security Restoration Command's Task Force for Aceh province Lt. Colonel Erie Sutika said Thursday.

"There were two separate incidents of piracies and abductions in the waters of Ujung Tamiang, East Aceh district, on two consecutive days these weeks," Sutiko who was quoted by the Antara News Agency as saying.

"Last Sunday, a group of nine armed civilians of the GAM robbed and held the Indonesia's KM Karya Laut motor vessel in the waters of Ujung Tamiang district of Aceh province," he said.

And the following day, Indonesia's KM. Putra Berombang vessel which was sailing in the waters of Ujung Tamiang district in the Aceh province from North Sumatra province's Belawan port, was pirated by a group of armed civilians.

Sutiko said they released Putra Berombang vessel at 6 p.m. local time shortly before they caught another fishing vessel, KM Mutiara in the same waters. KM Mutiara was then taken to the western part of Aceh and until now the whereabouts of the vessel has not yet been known.

"The three incidents indicated that former GAM members were still at large in the Malacca Strait," Sutiko said.

Source: Xinhua