Video shows former Indonesian president speaking on tsunami anniversary instead of island dispute
Indonesia’s North Sumatra and Aceh provinces have been involved in dispute over the control of four islands, but videos circulating online do not show former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono weighing the issue. The editing, an excerpt from his 2023 release, marking the 19th anniversary of the deadly Indian Ocean tsunami, did not mention the disputed islands.
“SBY’s message is very clear: Directly, don’t bother Aceh and return these four islands to their original owners,” X wrote in an Indonesian language post shared on June 15, 2025.
The post includes videos of Yudhoyono (also known as SBY), who signed a peace agreement with separatists of the Free ACEH movement while he was president in 2005, ending decades of violence in the province.
“From all this, authorizations including Mr. Prabowo Subianto, including Mr. Prabowo Subianto, do what our beloved Indonesia does to our beloved Aceh,” he said in the clip.
“Aceh’s peace did not come suddenly. It took a long up and down process.”
Screenshot of fake video taken on June 26, AFP added red X
The fake post refers to a decade-long dispute on four islands between North Sumatra and the province of neighboring Aceh – Panyang, Lipan, Mangeki Gada and Mangeki Kate.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced on June 17 that the islands will be placed under the control of the ACEH (archive link).
The fake clip was also shared on Tiktok, viewed over 300,000 times on Tiktok and spread on Facebook.
However, Google reverse image search using KeyFrames found that local broadcaster Kompas TV uploaded a video titled “Full, Sby’s Speech” titled “Aceh Tsunami’s 19th Anniversary” on December 26, 2023, showing “Full, Sby’s Speech” (archive link).
The clips used in fake posts are from 10:12 to 11:21.
Screenshot comparison of fake posts (left) and clips uploaded by kompas TV
Since the deadly tsunami in 2004, SBY has delivered a speech at a commemoration event that killed 220,000 people in countries around the Indian Ocean.
“I want to emphasize why we remember the deeper meaning of it. People say that to move forward, healing is to remember it.”
As of June 23, SBY has not yet been published publicly on the disputed island.
