Relations between Indonesia and Sweden sink to a new low, over the fate of Aceh's rebel leaders. Some 50-exiled leaders of GAM or the Free Aceh Movement – live in and are citizens of Sweden, including GAM founder, Hasan di Tiro. But Jakarta says the rebels are criminals and wants Sweden to take legal action against them – Stockholm has refused, saying they haven't broken any Swedish laws.
Sweden closed its embassy in Jakarta for one day after "a specific threat against Swedish citizens and Swedish interests". Indonesia is sending a team of officials to Sweden this week to persuade it to clamp down on the rebel leaders. But Stockholm has told Jakarta it has no legal grounds to take action against the rebel leaders unless they break laws in Sweden.
Linda LoPresti spoke to Marty Natalagawa, the Indonesian Government's official spokesman.
Natalagawa: "This is a problem that we shouldn't be having because we, Indonesia is a democratic nation, we as a long-standing democratic nation should be hand in hand in combating act of terrorisms and to have this lengthy debate is really mind-boggling to us."
Lopresti: But why should Sweden extradite the rebels when they are Swedish citizens and as Sweden says they haven't broken the law in Sweden?
Natalagawa: "In fact let's be clear we are not actually asking for extradition, what we are asking for ... is in fact the laws of Sweden itself. We have requested certain laws within Sweden's constitution, which in fact prohibit its citizens to commit acts of crimes outside its own country.
"Now the question is this, is burning of schools, is kidnapping, is murdering, extortion, killing members of parliament, killing of children and the like, are they criminal acts in Sweden? We hope so and that's what we're saying to the Swedish authorities. Please act on your conscience, please act based on your laws, that we should not be having this debate at all."
Lopresti: Are you accusing those rebels of committing those acts that you've just mentioned?
Natalagawa: "Well we are not even accusing, accusing is for yesterday or the day before yesterday. Look at the events that are evolving now, this very minute, only this morning I read reports of certain policemen who had been asked to look after schoolchildren taking school exams, and shot in cold blood in front of dozens of students trying their best to do their exams in the middle of all this mess. Now is that an act of terror?
"For us to be constantly second-guess for each and every step until we have some kind of villain in this whole sorry episode. We find it extremely troubling and especially troubling because we are dealing here with a fellow democratic government of Sweden, we'd like them to see things through democratic eyes."
Lopresti: Well Sweden actually supports Indonesia's position of sovereignty in Aceh, so if you don't want the rebel leadership extradited what do you want Stockholm to do?
Natalagawa: "Just take action against the rebel leaders, the terrorists in Stockholm on the basis of Sweden's own law. If it wants to be seriously applied these people would have justice served on them. I mean we've had 16 days since our last communication to the Swedish government before they replied, and their reply was basically no action can be taken, they need more evidence.
"But you know what, they didn't even bother to call these individuals, to question them, to test the veracity of this information the Indonesian government had submitted. But day in and day out people are being killed, civilians are being injured while these people out in Stockholm are enjoying the cosy life, sitting all the way thousands of miles away, away from where the real casualties are being done."
Lopresti: But they are not directly responsible for what is happening in Aceh, which was instigated by Jakarta?
Natalagawa: "Now that's an interesting proposition because for some three and a half years the Indonesian government did all it could to open the process for dialogue.
"It offered special autonomy, not only did it offer special autonomy it applied special autonomy. We negotiated in good faith, but when the time comes for them to show their true colours, whether they are ready for dialogue, or whether they're really a bunch of bandits, they refused to do what's required that they do.
"We [asked them to] displace their weapons, they could not do it because they only derive their authority from the barrel of the gun. All it takes is for GAM to return back to the negotiating table is to agree, to reaffirm what they have agreed to in the past, which is to work with [the government] of the republic of Indonesia, to work within special autonomy and let's get peace back to Aceh."