Jakarta – Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu said on Sunday that the Army had long detected foreign parties' involvement in a number of conflicts in the country. "They may be involved, either directly or indirectly," he said after opening a marathon to celebrate the Indonesian military's 58th anniversary.

He was responding to an incident in which an Australian couple grounded their yacht on an island in the province last Thursday. The Australians, John Humprey, 57, and his wife Claire Susan, 58, were reportedly sailing to Madagascar from Langkawi, Malaysia, when they were caught in a storm and washed ashore in Aceh.

The couple was released on Sunday after they were found innocent of violating immigration rules based on the results of an investigation by local immigration authorities and security personnel. Ryacudu said the foreign parties could indirectly be involved in the conflicts by capitalizing on local and international non-governmental organizations.

He wondered why foreign nationals could easily enter conflict-torn areas such as Aceh and Papua.