Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) is demanding 30 million rupiah (S$5,700) for each firearm they give up. Defence Minister Muhammad Mahfud said this condition had stopped the process of disarmament.

"We just received the demand from the GAM members. If they agree to hand in their guns, they want 30 million for each surrendered gun. They argue that the guns were expensive," he said.

Both Mr Mahfud and the Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that the rebels must disarm over the next two weeks or face a crackdown.

However, GAM security spokesman Nashiruddin Ahmad denied that GAM had ever demanded money for a weapons buy-back, although he confirmed that the cost of an automatic rifle was approximately 30 million rupiah.

"That is one of the biggest lies he has ever made. It's a ceasefire, not a surrender. There has been no agreement about weapons," he said.

He also admitted that many of the weapons had been bought from Indonesian soldiers or police. GAM's rebel commander, Teungku Abdullah Syafi'ie has, in the past, boasted that obtaining weapons was as easy as buying water. According to foreign diplomatic sources, other weapons are bought from Thailand, and shipped or transported down the Malaysian coast.